Compare the2024 Lexus UXVS 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Lexus UX have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Lexus UX has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the UX deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The UX’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Santa Fe Hybrid’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The UX has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Front Seatbacks, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Front Seatbacks system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The UX has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the UX and the Santa Fe Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Lexus UX is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Lexus UX achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Santa Fe Hybrid has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

The battery on the UX is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the UX’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Santa Fe Hybrid’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the UX second among small premium suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Santa Fe Hybrid isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in initial quality. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lexus first in overall reliability. Hyundai is ranked 11th.

On the EPA test cycle the UX gets better mileage than the Santa Fe Hybrid:

The UX has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer a CVT.

The UX’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Santa Fe Hybrid Blue’s standard 65 series tires. The UX’s tires are lower profile than the Santa Fe Hybrid Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the UX has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Santa Fe Hybrid Blue.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the UX can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The UX 250h F Sport Handling AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the Santa Fe Hybrid Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the UX’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Santa Fe Hybrid’s (34.2 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

The Lexus UX may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 pounds less than the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid.

The UX is 11.4 inches shorter than the Santa Fe Hybrid, making the UX easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the UX. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Hyundai. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in service department satisfaction. With a 66% lower rating, Hyundai is ranked 29th.

The UX offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The UX’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Santa Fe Hybrid’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the UX the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Lexus service department.) The driver of the Santa Fe Hybrid can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The UX offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the UX offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer cornering lights. The UX F Sport also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The UX’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Santa Fe Hybrid has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The UX is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The UX will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the UX will retain 58.35% to 60.33% of its original price after five years, while the Santa Fe Hybrid only retains 53.26% to 53.72%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Lexus UX will be $1009 to $3270 less than for the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Lexus UX and the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.