Compare the2027 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid VS 2026 Lexus NX

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

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the NX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, driver alert monitors, available all-wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is safer than the Lexus NX:

	Santa Fe Hybrid	NX
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	28%	34.2%
Neck Stress	273 lbs.	303 lbs.
Neck Compression	33 lbs.	41 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	290/423 lbs.	381/340 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	32.5%	34.9%
Neck Stress	105 lbs.	136 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is safer than the Lexus NX:

	Santa Fe Hybrid	NX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	21	43
Abdominal Force	85 lbs.	96 lbs.
Hip Force	203 lbs.	238 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	60	134
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	47 G’s
Hip Force	264 lbs.	600 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	155	380
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	507 lbs.	892 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Santa Fe Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The NX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe Hybrid 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the NX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the NX ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the NX’s (7 vs. 6 years).

There are almost 4 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Santa Fe Hybrid’s warranty.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Hybrid HTRAC AWD gets better fuel mileage than the NX 350 running its gasoline engine (35 city/34 hwy vs. 21 city/28 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The NX 350 AWD requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the NX (17.7 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Santa Fe Hybrid stops much shorter than the NX:

	Santa Fe Hybrid	NX
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	152 feet	Consumer Reports

For better traction, the Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the NX (255/45R20 vs. 235/60R18).

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the NX’s optional 50 series tires.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’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 NX doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the NX (110.8 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe Hybrid is 1.4 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the NX.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (54% to 46%) than the NX’s (57.7% to 42.3%). This gives the Santa Fe Hybrid more stable handling and braking.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid HTRAC AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the NX 350 AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid HTRAC AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the NX 450h+ Premium AWD (27.5 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

The design of the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid amounts to more than styling. The Santa Fe Hybrid has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .294 Cd. That is significantly lower than the NX (.34 to .35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Santa Fe Hybrid get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the Santa Fe Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The NX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid HTRAC AWD is quieter than the NX 350 AWD (68 vs. 70 dB).

The Santa Fe Hybrid offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the NX can only carry 5.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 2.8 inches more front headroom, 3.4 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front hip room, 3.2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.1 inches more rear headroom, 5.4 inches more rear legroom, 2.4 inches more rear hip room and 4.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the NX.

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

	Santa Fe Hybrid	NX
Third Seat Folded	40.5 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	22.7 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	79.6 cubic feet	46.9 cubic feet

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the NX’s in almost every dimension:

	Santa Fe Hybrid	NX
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	14.8”/41.4”/78.5”	n.a./37.6”/70.3”
Max Width	53.6”	54.5”
Min Width	42.6”	39.7”
Height	34.5”	29.6”

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the NX’s (2000 vs. 0 pounds).

The power windows standard on both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the NX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Santa Fe Hybrid is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The NX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

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

The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid stands out above the Lexus NX 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.

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

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Lexus NX by 85% during 2025.