Centennial Hyundai

Compare the2027 Hyundai Santa Fe VS 2027 Kia Telluride

2027 Kia Telluride2027 Hyundai Santa Fe

Safety

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Santa Fe achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Kia Telluride has not been tested.

Both the Santa Fe and the Telluride have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all-wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Hyundai Santa Fe has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 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, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and a “Good” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The Telluride has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2026.

Warranty

The Santa Fe’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Telluride’s (7/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

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 Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 8th.

Engine

The Santa Fe’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 3 more horsepower (277 vs. 274) than the Telluride’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Hyundai Santa Fe is faster than the Kia Telluride 4 cyl. hybrid gas:

Santa Fe

Telluride

Zero to 60 MPH

6.3 sec

6.4 sec

Zero to 100 MPH

16.1 sec

16.3 sec

5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start

6.7 sec

6.8 sec

Passing 30 to 50 MPH

3.3 sec

3.5 sec

Quarter Mile

14.8 sec

14.9 sec

Speed in 1/4 Mile

96 MPH

95 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

MPG

Santa Fe

FWD

2.5 turbo 4-cyl.

20 city/29 hwy

AWD

2.5 turbo 4-cyl.

20 city/28 hwy

XRT 2.5 turbo 4-cyl.

19 city/25 hwy

Telluride

FWD

2.5 turbo 4-cyl.

20 city/26 hwy

AWD

2.5 turbo 4-cyl.

18 city/24 hwy

X-Pro 2.5 turbo 4-cyl.

17 city/22 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

The Santa Fe stops shorter than the Telluride:

Santa Fe

Telluride

70 to 0 MPH

167 feet

176 feet

Car and Driver

60 to 0 MPH

120 feet

125 feet

Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Santa Fe SE/SEL’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 Telluride LX/EX Hybrid’s standard 65 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Santa Fe’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 Telluride doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy HTRAC AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Telluride SX Prestige pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy HTRAC AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Telluride SX Prestige (27.1 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Telluride’s (37.9 feet vs. 39.2 feet).

Chassis

The Santa Fe is 9 inches shorter than the Telluride, making the Santa Fe easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Santa Fe has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 3 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more rear headroom and .3 inches more third row headroom than the Telluride.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe retains 51.69% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 51.21% resale value of the 2027 Kia Telluride after five years, which can save the Hyundai’s owner up to $1234 in depreciation.

Recommendations

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

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Kia Telluride by 16% during 2025.