Compare the2025 Kia TellurideVS 2025 Hyundai Palisade

Both the Telluride and the Palisade have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 around view monitors.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Telluride is much safer than the Palisade:

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 Kia Telluride is safer than the Hyundai Palisade:

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

The Kia Telluride has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Palisade is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride third among upper midsize suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Palisade isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Hyundai is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 1 place higher in reliability than Hyundai.

As tested in Car and Driver the Kia Telluride is faster than the Hyundai Palisade:

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Palisade FWD (20 city/26 hwy vs. 19 city/26 hwy).

The Telluride stops much shorter than the Palisade:

The Telluride SX 4x4 handles at .81 G’s, while the Palisade SEL HTRAC pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Telluride SX 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Palisade Limited HTRAC (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Telluride has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Palisade (8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Telluride to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Telluride X-Line’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the Palisade (8.4 vs. 7.9 inches).

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Telluride SX 4x4 is quieter than the Palisade Limited HTRAC:

The Telluride has .2 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear hip room, .4 inches more rear shoulder room, .3 inches more third row headroom and .1 inches more third row shoulder room than the Palisade.

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the Palisade.

The Telluride’s cargo area is larger than the Palisade’s in almost every dimension:

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

The Telluride’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 Palisade’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

Both the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Telluride offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Palisade’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Telluride is less expensive to operate than the Palisade because typical repairs cost less on the Telluride than the Palisade, including $5 less for a power steering pump.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Telluride and the Hyundai Palisade, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its May 2020 issue and they ranked the Kia Telluride SX 4x4 first. They ranked the Hyundai Palisade Limited HTRAC fourth.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride second among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Palisade was rated third.

The Telluride was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2025 and 5 more times in the last 6 years. The Palisade has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The Palisade has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Telluride as the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Palisade has never been chosen.

The Kia Telluride outsold the Hyundai Palisade by 1260 units during 2024.