Compare the2026 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2026 Ford Expedition

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Palisade are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Ford Expedition doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

Both the Palisade and Expedition have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Palisade has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Expedition’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Hyundai Palisade has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Expedition doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Palisade has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Expedition doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Palisade achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, outperforming the Ford Expedition which scored only a “Marginal” in these critical safety features.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Palisade uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Expedition uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Palisade and the Expedition have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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 Palisade is safer than the Expedition:

	Palisade	Expedition
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	152	255
Neck Injury Chance	19%	30%
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg Forces L/R	360/382 pounds	517/809 pounds
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	MARGINAL
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Hyundai Palisade is safer than the Expedition:

	Palisade	Expedition
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	99	245
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	19 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	24 cm	30 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	1.8/.4 kN	4.5/4.8 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	2%/3%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Tibia index R/L	.38/.4	.9/1.33
Tibia forces R/L	2.4/1.3 kN	2.8/4.3 kN

The Hyundai Palisade achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Expedition is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

Warranty

The Palisade comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Expedition’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Palisade 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Ford covers the Expedition. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Expedition ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Palisade’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Expedition’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 13th, below the industry average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 3 places higher in reliability than Ford.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Palisade gets better mileage than the Expedition:

			MPG
Palisade
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/25 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	18 city/24 hwy
Expedition
	RWD	3.5 turbo V6	16 city/24 hwy
	AWD	3.5 turbo V6 (400 HP)	15 city/22 hwy
		3.5 turbo V6 (440 HP)	15 city/22 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Palisade Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Expedition doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Palisade uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Expedition requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Palisade has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Expedition. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Palisade higher (6 out of 10) than the Ford Expedition (5). This means the Palisade produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Expedition every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Palisade stops much shorter than the Expedition:

	Palisade	Expedition
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	138 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Palisade’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Expedition’s standard 70 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Palisade has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Expedition doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The Palisade Calligraphy HTRAC handles at .82 G’s, while the Expedition Tremor 4x4 pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Palisade Calligraphy HTRAC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Expedition Active 4x4 (27.2 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Palisade XRT PRO’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Expedition’s (39 feet vs. 41 feet). The Palisade’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the Expedition’s (39.2 feet vs. 41 feet).

Chassis

The Hyundai Palisade may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 1000 pounds less than the Ford Expedition.

The Palisade is 10.7 inches shorter than the Expedition, making the Palisade easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Palisade is 8.6 inches shorter in height than the Expedition, making the Palisade much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Palisade’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Expedition doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

Passenger Space

The Palisade has .3 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more rear headroom, 1.9 inches more rear legroom and .4 inches more third row headroom than the Expedition.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Palisade easier. The Palisade’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 32.8 inches, while the Expedition’s liftover is 34.7 inches.

The Palisade has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Expedition doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

The Palisade’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Expedition’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Palisade’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Expedition doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its tailgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Ergonomics

The Palisade Calligraphy has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction, infotainment and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Expedition doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

The Palisade’s standard Proximity Key allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Push Button Start standard on the Expedition only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Palisade’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Expedition’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Palisade to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Expedition doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Expedition’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid has standard heated front seats and second and third row heated seats also available, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Ford doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Expedition.

The Palisade SEL Premium/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid has standard front air conditioned seats and the Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Expedition doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the front center console. The Expedition doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Palisade Calligraphy’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Expedition doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its January 2026 issue and they ranked the Hyundai Palisade XRT PRO higher than the Ford Expedition Tremor 4x4.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Palisade as the 2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Expedition was last chosen as a North American vehicle of the year in 1997.

The Hyundai Palisade outsold the Ford Expedition by 45% during 2024.

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