Compare the2027 Chevrolet Equinox VS 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe

The Chevrolet Equinox offers an optional Surround Vision and it also offers an optional rear camera washer to make backing always safe, regardless of road dirt or grime, while the Hyundai Santa Fe doesn’t offer a camera washer, requiring manual cleaning.

Both the Equinox and the Santa Fe 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.

There are over 3 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Equinox’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in long-term dependability. With 53 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Hyundai is rated below average.

On the EPA test cycle the Equinox gets better mileage than the Santa Fe:

			MPG
Equinox
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/29 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/29 hwy
Santa Fe
	FWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/28 hwy
		XRT 2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/25 hwy

The Equinox 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.

The Equinox stops shorter than the Santa Fe:

	Equinox	Santa Fe
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	131 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

The Equinox 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 Equinox RS AWD handles at .79 G’s, while the Santa Fe XRT pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Equinox’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Santa Fe’s (37.1 feet vs. 37.9 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Equinox LT/ACTIV has a 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Fe (8.1 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Equinox to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Chevrolet Equinox may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 850 to 900 pounds less than the Hyundai Santa Fe.

The Equinox is 7 inches shorter than the Santa Fe, making the Equinox easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Equinox uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume than the Santa Fe with its rear seat up (29.8 vs. 14.6 cubic feet).

The Equinox’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Santa Fe does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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

The Equinox’s standard Keyless Access allows you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, unlock the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from pocket or purse. Proximity Key standard on the Santa Fe doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear doors.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Equinox’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Santa Fe’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Equinox has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy.

The Chevrolet Equinox outsold the Hyundai Santa Fe by over two to one during 2025.