Compare the2024 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2024 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and Rav4 Hybrid have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Santa Fe Hybrid 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 Rav4 Hybrid’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.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Santa Fe Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard Downhill Brake Control allow you to creep down safely. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Rav4 Hybrid’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Santa Fe Hybrid has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Toyota charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Rav4 Hybrid.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Rav4 Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid weighs 631 to 885 pounds more than the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Santa Fe Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Rav4 Hybrid’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe Hybrid 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Rav4 Hybrid. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Rav4 Hybrid ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Rav4 Hybrid’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe Hybrid for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Rav4 Hybrid (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai above average in initial quality. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 12 more horsepower (231 vs. 219) than the Rav4 Hybrid’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Rav4 Hybrid (17.7 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Santa Fe Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Rav4 Hybrid:

For better traction, the Santa Fe Hybrid has larger standard tires than the Rav4 Hybrid (235/60R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Rav4 Hybrid (255/45R20 vs. 225/65R17).

The Santa Fe SEL Hybrid’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rav4 Hybrid LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Rav4 Hybrid’s optional 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe SEL Hybrid has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Rav4 Hybrid LE/XLE. The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Rav4 Hybrid.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Rav4 Hybrid’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Rav4 Hybrid (110.8 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe Hybrid is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Rav4 Hybrid.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Rav4 Hybrid can only carry 5.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 52.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rav4 Hybrid (151 vs. 98.9).

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 1.6 inches more front headroom, 3.3 inches more front legroom, 2.2 inches more front hip room, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 3.7 inches more rear legroom, 7.2 inches more rear hip room and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Rav4 Hybrid.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Rav4 Hybrid.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Santa Fe Hybrid’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Rav4 Hybrid’s (2000 vs. 1750 pounds).

The Santa Fe Hybrid uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Rav4 Hybrid uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction 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 Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard Proximity Key that 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. Only the Rav4 Hybrid XLE/SE/XSE/Limited/Woodland offers a Smart Key System.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Rav4 Hybrid’s power window (except driver window), power lock and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Rav4 Hybrid LE’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Santa Fe Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Toyota charges extra for heated mirrors on the Rav4 Hybrid.

When the Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy 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 Rav4 Hybrid’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Rav4 Hybrid XLE Premium/XSE/Limited offers wireless charging and it costs extra.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s 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 Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Santa Fe Hybrid is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.