Compare the2027 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid VS 2026 Toyota Rav4

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and Rav4 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’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 a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid 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 Toyota Rav4 has not been tested.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Santa Fe Hybrid has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Only the Rav4 SE/Woodland/XLE/XSE/Limited/GR Sport offers Parking Support Brake.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Rav4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front 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, available all-wheel drive and around view monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4189-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is safer than the Rav4:

	Santa Fe Hybrid	Rav4
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	89	120
Neck Compression	-22 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	7 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	64	542
Head Peak Forces	no contact	104 G’s
Neck Tension	112 lbs.	312 lbs.
Neck Compression	-45 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	-.87 in	.94 in
Shoulder Force	268 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	692 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid 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 Rav4 is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2026.

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’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. 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 ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has more powerful engines than the Rav4:

	Horsepower	Torque
Santa Fe Hybrid 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	231 HP	271 lbs.-ft.
Rav4 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	226 HP
Rav4 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	236 HP
Rav4 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid	324 HP

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

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

	Santa Fe Hybrid	Rav4
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	11.1 inches

The Santa Fe Hybrid stops shorter than the Rav4:

	Santa Fe Hybrid	Rav4
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	124 feet	Motor Trend

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

The Santa Fe SE/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 LE’s standard 65 series tires. The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Rav4 XSE’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe SE/SEL Hybrid has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Rav4 LE.

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 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 (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 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Rav4.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid HTRAC AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the Rav4 Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The front grille of the Santa Fe Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Rav4 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

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

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 3.2 inches more front headroom, 3.4 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 3.7 inches more rear legroom, 5.3 inches more rear hip room and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Rav4.

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

	Santa Fe Hybrid	Rav4
Third Seat Folded	40.5 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	37.8 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	79.6 cubic feet	70.4 cubic feet

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

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

While the Rav4 GR Sport is not recommended to tow, any Santa Fe Hybrid can tow a minimum of 2000 pounds.

The Santa Fe Hybrid uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Rav4 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 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’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 pocket or purse. Smart Key System standard on the Rav4 doesn’t offer a sensor on the cargo door.

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 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 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 only offers heated mirrors on the Rav4 SE/Woodland/XLE/XSE/Limited/GR Sport.

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’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid and Toyota Rav4 offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Santa Fe Hybrid 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 Rav4’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

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 (except LE/SE/XLE)’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

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