Used Hyundai Santa Fe for sale: everything you need to know

The Hyundai Santa Fe has been a real success for the South Korean brand, becoming a favourite of families who need of a spacious and practical seven-seat car that’s also great value. If that sounds like you and you’re interested in a used Hyundai Santa Fe, you can find out everything you need to know here. Our guide includes a full rundown of the trim levels and the engines that are available.

The Hyundai Santa Fe has a list of fine rivals, including the stylish SEAT Tarraco, the spacious Skoda Kodiaq and the comfortable Toyota Highlander.

There are plenty of used Hyundai Santa Fes available. While you’re here, why not take a look at a Hyundai Hyundai Santa Fe for sale on heycar to discover just what’s on offer?

Should you buy a Hyundai Santa Fe? 

It’s a big machine with a large, distinctive front grille, so you’re unlikely to lose the Hyundai Santa Fe in a car park. It’s bold, but not brash in the way some other large SUVs are. Inside, the dashboard and interior look good and are really easy to use. It’s loaded with gadgets, too.

There’s a vast amount of space for five adults and a huge boot when the third-row seats are folded away into the boot floor. Fold them out and there’s enough space for an adult in each seat, but a child will be more comfortable if you have a long journey ahead. Get a diesel version and it can tow up to 2500kg.

There are four trim levels available, all of which are extremely well equipped. There’s also the choice of hybrid or plug-in hybrid power and a diesel is also available.

Hybrid power can offer running costs that are relatively low for this type of car. The plug-in hybrid, in particular, can return fuel economy similar to or even better than a diesel if you regularly recharge the battery. You can make big savings on tax, too. Hyundai has a well-deserved reputation for reliability and offers a five-year warranty as standard on all its cars.

Other large, seven-seat SUVs include the Skoda Kodiaq, Peugeot 5008 and Kia Sorento. The Hyundai is a strong contender, not least because it’s specified like a luxury car.

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What's the best used Hyundai Santa Fe model to buy?

With Santa Fes sold up to 2021, there wasn't a whole lot of choice – it came down to whether you wanted the manual or automatic gearbox. The manual’s pretty good and has a higher towing capacity than the auto (2500kg vs 2000kg), although we think the eight-speed automatic transmission makes for a relaxed drive and would be our choice in this type of car. 

In terms of trim level, the mid-spec Premium model will tick all the boxes for a lot of buyers. While the Premium SE does deliver an awful lot of equipment for your cash.

For Santa Fes built from 2021 on, we reckon the self-charging hybrid is the best bet. It's more relevant to many buyers than the diesel and still manages over 40mpg.

Used Hyundai Santa Fe fuel economy and performance

• Hyundai Santa Fe 1.6 T-GDi HEV petrol – The turbocharged, 1.6-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine and electric motor combine to produce 230PS. A six-speed automatic gearbox is standard, but you do have a choice of two- or four-wheel-drive. CO2 emissions are as low as 145g/km in 2WD models, and 158g/km in 4WD models. This version can’t be plugged in to recharge.
• Hyundai Santa Fe 1.6 T-GDi PHEV petrol – This plug-in version has the same turbocharged petrol engine as the HEV models, but a more powerful electric motor gives a total of 265PS. A six-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive are standard. Zero to 62mph takes 8.8 seconds, but the main advantage of the PHEV are its ultra-low CO2 emissions of 37g/km. It can also be driven as much as 36 miles on battery power alone.
• Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi diesel – A 2.2-litre CRDi diesel engine that produces 193PS. A six-speed manual gearbox was offered at launch in 2018. However, most were sold with an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and four-wheel-drive. Average fuel economy of 41.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 177g/km are on par for this type of car, but its key selling point is a towing capacity of 2500kg. That’s almost a tonne more than the hybrid is rated for.

What used Hyundai Santa Fe trim levels are available?

There are four trim levels to choose from for a used Hyundai Santa Fe. All are extremely well equipped with standard features.

The current Hyundai Santa Fe was launched in 2018 and received a mid-life update in 2020. Changes included new styling details – a new front grille most noticeably – a new trim-level hierarchy and switching to hybrid power.

• Hyundai Santa Fe SE – The SE was the entry-level model at the Santa Fe's launch and has seven seats, roof rails, front and rear parking sensors with rear view camera, privacy glass, dual zone climate control, heated front seats, drivers’ seat height adjustment, and leather steering wheel. Also included is are automatic windscreen wipers, DAB radio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cruise control, Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and Smart High Beam Assist. Models with the automatic gearbox also have adaptive cruise control as standard.
• Hyundai Santa Fe Premium – Calling this the ‘entry-level’ Hyundai Santa Fe seems a bit ridiculous, because it’s as well equipped as plenty of rivals are in top-of-the-range form. It’s available with hybrid or plug-in hybrid power.
• Hyundai Santa Fe Premium SE –  The upscale Premium SE has 19-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats with drivers’ seat position memory function, and Head Up Display (HUD). This trim was offered from 2018 to the facelift in 2020 and cars with an automatic gearbox also came with an around view monitor to help with parking.
• Hyundai Santa Fe Ultimate – The top-of-the-range Hyundai Santa Fe has every standard feature Hyundai could cram in, including many that you might normally expect to find only in luxury cars costing far more. Again, you can choose from hybrid or plug-in hybrid power. 

Used Hyundai Santa Fe dimensions and boot size

The Hyundai Santa Fe’s exterior dimensions are: 

• Length: 4785mm
• Width: 1900mm
• Height: 1710mm

The Hyundai Santa Fe’s boot space is:

• 571 litres
• 1649 litres with rear seats folded

Used Hyundai Santa Fe road tax

Launched in 2018, all Hyundai Santa Fes of this generation fall into the road tax bracket of £180 per year. However, those models that cost more than £40,000 when new will also have to pay an additional £390 charge until they hit six-years old.

How much is it to insure a Hyundai Santa fe? 

The Hyundai Santa Fe is in insurance groups 22 to 40 (out of 50), depending on the exact model. Those aren’t the most affordable groups, but there are plenty of similar SUVs with insurance ratings. The Hyundai Santa Fe’s comprehensive safety and security features help bring the cost of annual premiums down.

Read our full Hyundai Santa Fe review