Compare the2026 Honda PassportVS 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

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

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Passport deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Passport’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Santa Fe’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Passport. But it costs extra on the Santa Fe.

Both the Passport and the Santa Fe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and available around view monitors.

There are over 27 percent more Honda dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Passport’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Passport’s reliability 13 points higher than the Santa Fe.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda fourth in overall reliability. Hyundai is ranked 10th.

The Passport’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 8 more horsepower (285 vs. 277) than the Santa Fe’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Passport’s fuel efficiency. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Passport has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Passport higher (7 out of 10) than the Hyundai Santa Fe (6). This means the Passport produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Santa Fe every 15,000 miles.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Passport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Santa Fe.

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

For better traction, the Passport has larger standard tires than the Santa Fe (265/60R18 vs. 235/60R18). The Passport TrailSport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Santa Fe (275/60R18 vs. 255/45R20).

The Passport has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Passport offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Santa Fe; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Passport’s wheelbase is 2.8 inches longer than on the Santa Fe (113.6 inches vs. 110.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Passport is 3.4 inches wider in the front and 3.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Santa Fe.

For greater off-road capability the Passport has a 1.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Fe (8.3 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Passport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Passport has 1.8 inches more front hip room, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 2.5 inches more rear hip room and 3.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Santa Fe.

The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Santa Fe with its rear seat up (44 vs. 14.6 cubic feet). The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Santa Fe with its rear seat folded (83.8 vs. 79.6 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Passport. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Passport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Santa Fe’s (5000 vs. 3500 pounds).

The Passport’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Santa Fe’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

The Passport’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Santa Fe’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Passport’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Santa Fe offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Passport has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy.

The Honda Passport has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Hyundai charges extra for Homelink® on the Santa Fe.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Passport has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy offers wireless charging.

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