Hyundai Santa Fe vs Toyota Highlander: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Hyundai Santa Fe burns about $1,700 of fuel annually against $1,700 for the Toyota Highlander. That $0 yearly gap compounds to roughly $0 over five years and $0 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City and highway economy: the Hyundai Santa Fe leads in both cycles — 37 mpg city and 36 mpg highway against 36 and 35 mpg — so its fuel-efficiency advantage holds whether you commute in traffic or cover long highway miles.

Powertrain choice: the Hyundai Santa Fe is recorded with 4 distinct engine configurations (SIDI & PFI, SIDI; Hybrid, 1.6), the Toyota Highlander with 4 (SIDI & PFI; Hybrid, SIDI & PFI, SIDI & PFI; with Stop-Start). Across 90 recorded Hyundai Santa Fe configurations and 72 for the Toyota Highlander, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Hyundai Santa Fe is offered with All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive, the Toyota Highlander with All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD and Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Hyundai Santa Fe emits 111 g/mile of CO2 versus 245 g/mile for the Toyota Highlander. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.