Compare the2025 Hyundai Santa FeVS 2025 Chevrolet Equinox

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Santa Fe are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Santa Fe and Equinox have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Santa Fe 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 Equinox’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.

The Hyundai Santa Fe has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Equinox doesn’t offer knee airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Santa Fe 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 Chevrolet Equinox has not been tested.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Santa Fe’s standard Downhill Brake Control allow you to creep down safely. The Equinox doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

The Santa Fe’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Equinox doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Santa Fe and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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.

The Hyundai Santa Fe weighs 714 to 1058 pounds more than the Chevrolet Equinox. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Hyundai Santa Fe (built after November 2024) has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 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, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Equinox has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

The Santa Fe comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Equinox’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Chevrolet covers the Equinox. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Equinox ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Santa Fe’s corrosion warranty is 1 year and unlimited miles longer than the Equinox’s (7/unlimited vs. 6/100,000).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Equinox.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Santa Fe has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Equinox’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 6 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

The Santa Fe’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 102 more horsepower (277 vs. 175) and 127 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 184) than the Equinox FWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Santa Fe’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 102 more horsepower (277 vs. 175) and 108 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 203) than the Equinox AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Hyundai Santa Fe is faster than the Equinox AWD:

The Santa Fe has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Equinox’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 14.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Santa Fe has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Equinox AWD’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 15.6 gallons).

The Santa Fe offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Equinox doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

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

The Santa Fe stops shorter than the Equinox:

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

The Santa Fe SE/SEL’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 Equinox LT/ACTIV’s standard 65 series tires. The Santa Fe Limited’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Equinox RS’ optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Equinox LT/ACTIV. The Santa Fe Calligraphy’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Equinox RS.

The Santa Fe has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Santa Fe flat and controlled during cornering. The Equinox’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Santa Fe’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 Equinox doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe’s wheelbase is 3.3 inches longer than on the Equinox (110.8 inches vs. 107.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Equinox.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the Equinox RS AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Equinox RS AWD (27.1 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

The Santa Fe has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Equinox can only carry 5.

The Santa Fe has 47.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Equinox (152 vs. 104.3).

The Santa Fe has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 3.5 inches more front legroom, 2.3 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, 2.4 inches more rear legroom, 3.2 inches more rear hip room and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Equinox.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Santa Fe’s middle and third row seats recline. The Equinox’s rear seats don’t recline.

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

The Santa Fe’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Equinox’s (3500 vs. 800 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Chevrolet Equinox AWD is only 1500 pounds. The Santa Fe offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Assist on the Santa Fe uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Equinox doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Equinox doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches. The Equinox’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Santa Fe to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Equinox doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Santa Fe’s optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Equinox doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

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

The Hyundai Santa Fe stands out above the Chevrolet Equinox by offering not one, but two Qi-compatible phone chargers. This convenience helps travelers with multiple devices to keep powered up on-the-go. Wireless charging eliminates lost or cluttered charging cables and two of them provide more flexibility. Both vehicles also offer Qi charging for the second row passengers.

The Santa Fe XRT/Limited/Calligraphy has a 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Equinox doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Santa Fe 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 Equinox doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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