Compare the2025 Honda PassportVS 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Passport deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Passport’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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Passport. But it costs extra on the Santa Fe Hybrid.

Both the Passport and the Santa Fe Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 and rear cross-path warning.

There are over 27 percent more Honda dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Passport’s warranty.

The engine in the Passport has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engine in the Santa Fe Hybrid has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 6 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

The Passport’s 3.5 SOHC V6 produces 49 more horsepower (280 vs. 231) than the Santa Fe Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Passport is faster than the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Passport’s fuel efficiency. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Both the Passport and Santa Fe Hybrid have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Passport has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Passport has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Santa Fe Hybrid (19.5 vs. 17.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Passport has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Passport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Santa Fe Hybrid.

For better traction, the Passport has larger standard tires than the Santa Fe Hybrid (245/60R18 vs. 235/60R18). The Passport EX-L/Black Edition’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Santa Fe Hybrid (265/45R20 vs. 255/45R20).

The Passport has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Passport has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Santa Fe Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Passport is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Santa Fe Hybrid.

The Passport Black Edition executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid AWD (28.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Passport has a 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Fe Hybrid (8.1 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Passport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Honda Passport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 300 pounds less than the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid.

The Passport uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Passport has 2.6 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear hip room and 3.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Santa Fe Hybrid.

The Passport has a much larger cargo volume than the Santa Fe Hybrid with its rear seat up (41.2 vs. 14.6 cubic feet).

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

The Passport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Santa Fe Hybrid’s (5000 vs. 2000 pounds).

If the windows are left open on the Passport 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. The driver of the Santa Fe Hybrid can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Passport’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Passport’s standard 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 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Passport, based on reliability, safety and performance.