Kia Sorento vs Hyundai Santa Fe: MPG, Fuel Cost, Recalls and Safety
The 2025 Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe tie on EPA's best combined rating at 36 mpg.
Kia Sorento
36mpg
Best 2025 version: 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual
Hyundai Santa Fe
36mpg
Best 2025 version: 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual
NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2025 Sorento and 5 recalls for the Santa Fe.
Side by side
| 2025 model year | Sorento | Santa Fe |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy (EPA) | ||
Best combined rating | 36 mpg 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual | 36 mpg 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual |
Best gas rating Gas engines only; hybrids and diesels excluded | 26 mpg (clearly better) | 24 mpg |
Hybrid or plug-in available | Hybrid and plug-in 36 mpg; plug-in 74 MPGe | Hybrid 36 mpg |
AWD or 4WD available | Yes | Yes |
Lowest annual fuel cost 15,000 miles at EPA fuel prices | $1,750 | $1,750 |
5-year fuel cost vs average new vehicle Cheapest-to-fuel version (EPA) | Saves $2,250 | Saves $2,250 |
| Safety (NHTSA) | ||
Safety recalls, 2025 model year Counts depend on sales and time on sale | 4 | 5 |
Owner complaints, 2025 model year Filed with NHTSA so far | 139 | 251 |
NHTSA overall crash rating Range across tested versions | 5 stars (clearly better) | 4 stars |
Rollover risk Range across tested versions; lower is better | 15.9% (clearly better) | 17.4% to 18.5% |
Marks the clearly better figure. Small gaps (under 2 mpg or 5%, $100 a year in fuel) and overlapping crash-test ranges are not marked, and recall and complaint counts are not scored because they depend on how many were sold.
Best combined rating by model year
The best-rated version of each, every model year since 2010. The Sorento rated higher in 8 and the Santa Fe in 1 of the 16 years both were sold; they tied in 7.
- Kia Sorento
- Hyundai Santa Fe
2025: Kia Sorento 36 mpg · Hyundai Santa Fe 36 mpgTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Kia Sorento | Hyundai Santa Fe |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | – | 23 |
| 2011 | 24 | 23 |
| 2012 | 24 | 23 |
| 2013 | 24 | 24 |
| 2014 | 22 | 23 |
| 2015 | 23 | 23 |
| 2016 | 24 | 23 |
| 2017 | 24 | 24 |
| 2018 | 24 | 24 |
| 2019 | 25 | 25 |
| 2020 | 25 | 25 |
| 2021 | 37 | 34 |
| 2022 | 37 | 34 |
| 2023 | 37 | 34 |
| 2024 | 37 | 36 |
| 2025 | 36 | 36 |
| 2026 | 37 | 36 |
Recalls by model year
Safety recalls NHTSA lists for each model year. Counts depend on how many were sold and how long each model year has been on the road.
- Kia Sorento (left bar)
- Hyundai Santa Fe (right bar)
2026: Kia Sorento 2 recalls · Hyundai Santa Fe 4 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Kia Sorento | Hyundai Santa Fe |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | – | 2 |
| 2011 | 7 | 2 |
| 2012 | 5 | 1 |
| 2013 | 5 | 7 |
| 2014 | 6 | 7 |
| 2015 | 3 | 4 |
| 2016 | 8 | 3 |
| 2017 | 4 | 7 |
| 2018 | 3 | 5 |
| 2019 | 2 | 3 |
| 2020 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021 | 5 | 8 |
| 2022 | 9 | 8 |
| 2023 | 4 | 2 |
| 2024 | 2 | 7 |
| 2025 | 4 | 5 |
| 2026 | 2 | 4 |
More on each model
- 2025 Kia Sorento MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Kia Sorento by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
- 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Hyundai Santa Fe by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
Questions
Which gets better gas mileage, the Sorento or the Santa Fe?
Neither, for 2025. The best version of each is rated 36 mpg combined.
How do the Sorento and the Santa Fe compare in NHTSA crash tests?
The 2025 Sorento is rated 5 stars overall and the Santa Fe is rated 4 stars overall. Rollover risk is 15.9% for the Sorento and 17.4% to 18.5% for the Santa Fe.
Sources and method
- US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026, and EPA fuel prices.
- NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.
We compare the best-rated version of each model unless a row says otherwise. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.