Hyundai Santa Fe Sport vs Toyota Highlander Hybrid: which is more reliable?
The Toyota Highlander Hybrid is ahead of the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport on the federal record, 74/100 against 68/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
- 6 model years scored
- 1,266 owner complaints on record
- about 22 complaints per year on the road
- 22 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (93/100) · worst 2018 (37/100)
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
- 9 model years scored
- 540 owner complaints on record
- about 7 complaints per year on the road
- 12 recall campaigns, 3 safety-critical
- best year 2018 (94/100) · worst 2017 (47/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Santa Fe Sport against Highlander Hybrid
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
- Engine — 720 complaints
- Service Brakes — 225 complaints
- Hydraulic — 154 complaints
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
- Unknown Or Other — 112 complaints
- Electrical System — 109 complaints
- Service Brakes — 71 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Santa Fe Sport's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Highlander Hybrid's in Unknown Or Other. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport — avoid: 2017, 2018.
Toyota Highlander Hybrid — avoid: 2017.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Hyundai Santa Fe Sport prices at about $22,100 and a Toyota Highlander Hybrid at about $31,700 — the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is roughly $9,600 less, and they return 22.0 against 36.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport or the Toyota Highlander Hybrid more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota Highlander Hybrid scores 74/100 against the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and Toyota Highlander Hybrid years should I avoid?
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: 2017, 2018. Toyota Highlander Hybrid: 2017. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is Engine (720 complaints); on the Toyota Highlander Hybrid it is Unknown Or Other (112).
Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport or the Toyota Highlander Hybrid cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Santa Fe Sport prices at about $22,100 and a Toyota Highlander Hybrid at about $31,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.