Hyundai Santa Fe vs Kia Sorento

The Santa Fe 2.5T is $53,400 against the Sorento S Diesel's $54,380, just $980 apart, two well-equipped seven-seat SUVs from the same parent group.

Running costs split sharply. The Sorento diesel sips 6.0L/100km (about $1,710 a year for diesel over 15,000km), while the Santa Fe's turbo-petrol drinks 9.1L/100km (around $2,595 a year at $1.90/L), nearly $900 a year more. Over five years that's a meaningful sum that outweighs the Santa Fe's tiny purchase saving. The Sorento also carries a longer 7-year warranty against Hyundai's 5.

Both are 5-star ANCAP, the Santa Fe dated 2024 and the Sorento 2021, with the full active-safety suite, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise and rear cross-traffic alert, standard. Both are well-built family SUVs with ISOFIX points across the second row. There's nothing to separate them on everyday safety; the Santa Fe's newer rating is a minor edge.

The latest Santa Fe makes the bigger style statement, its boxy, upright design is one of the most distinctive in the class, and it translates to excellent headroom and a genuinely roomy, flexible cabin with a usable third row. It feels modern and upmarket inside.

The Sorento is the more conventionally handsome of the two, with a richly equipped, well-finished cabin and Kia's strong recent interior gains. It's also a genuine seven-seater with a comfortable second row and a usable third. Both offer the family-friendly packaging, multiple USB points, flexible seating, big boots, that these vehicles live on. Choice here is largely down to whether you prefer the Santa Fe's bold look or the Sorento's more classic style.

Two different characters. The Santa Fe's 2.5-litre turbo-petrol makes a strong 206kW and 422Nm for the quickest grade-for-grade urge here, but it's front-wheel drive and thirsty at 9.1L/100km. The Sorento's 2.2-litre turbo-diesel makes 148kW but a slightly higher 440Nm, with all-wheel drive and far better economy (6.0L/100km), the kind of relaxed low-down torque that suits towing and long highway hauls.

Both tow the same 2,000kg and seat seven. The Santa Fe is the more powerful and overtly modern; the Sorento is the more economical, all-paw and tow-friendly. Crucially, both ranges also offer hybrid options (and the Santa Fe a hybrid, the Sorento petrol and PHEV variants), so if low running costs are the priority, it's worth comparing the electrified grades directly rather than this petrol-versus-diesel pair alone.