Affordable Excellence: Hyundai Santa Fe Named Best Car of 2025 by Cars.com

Rhea-AI Summary

Cars.com has announced its Best Of Awards for 2025, with the Hyundai Santa Fe claiming the prestigious Best Car of the Year title. Starting at under $36,000, the redesigned Santa Fe impressed with its standard three-row seating, spacious cargo area, and innovative features including an ultraviolet-light sanitizing compartment.

Other category winners include: Hyundai Palisade (Best Family Car) for its safety features and sub-$40,000 price point; Kia EV9 (Best Electric Vehicle) for its balance of range, comfort, and usability; Toyota Land Cruiser (Best SUV) for street and off-road capability; Ram 1500 (Best Pickup Truck) featuring a new twin-turbo inline-six engine; and Genesis Electrified GV70 (Best Luxury Car) for its luxurious cabin and 429 horsepower performance.

The awards were determined by a seven-member editorial team who evaluated over 40 all-new and redesigned vehicles throughout the year.

This year's awards showcase exceptional vehicles across six categories, including the rugged Toyota Land Cruiser, innovative Kia EV9, luxurious Genesis Electrified GV70, versatile Hyundai Palisade and reimagined Ram 1500

CHICAGO, Feb. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com Inc. (NYSE: CARS) (d/b/a "Cars Commerce Inc."), an audience-driven technology company powering automotive, today announced the winners of its annual Best Of Awards, which honor top-rated vehicles in six categories: Best Family Car, Best Luxury Car, Best SUV, Best Electric Vehicle, Best Pickup Truck and the highest recognition: Best Car of the Year. From an evaluation pool of more than 40 all-new and redesigned vehicles, this year's coveted Best Car of 2025 winner is the Hyundai Santa Fe.

"In today's competitive and rapidly evolving automotive landscape, the Hyundai Santa Fe stands out in the mid-size SUV class," said Mike Hanley, Cars.com senior road test editor. "Starting at less than $36,000, the Santa Fe has plenty of room for both occupants and cargo with standard three-row seating and an expansive and functional cargo area. An ultraviolet-light sanitizing compartment, rear-facing center console drawer and dual wireless phone chargers are just some of the available features that meet the needs of today's shopper and bring unique value to the Santa Fe."

Available with either a gas or gas-electric hybrid powertrain, the Santa Fe levels up with spacious accommodations after a radical redesign in 2024. The Cars.com Best of 2025 award winners include:

• Best Family Car: 2025 Hyundai Palisade. A six-year favorite that hits all the marks. Top of mind in a family vehicle is safety and space, and the Palisade delivers standard safety features like automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure steering assist and more along with a roomy interior that accommodates child-safety seats well. All this comes at a sub-$40,000 starting price for a three-row SUV that was also a repeat winner in Cars.com's latest 3-Row SUV Challenge.
  
  
• Best Electric Vehicle: 2025 Kia EV9. A pioneer in balancing range, comfort, usability and space. The EV9 is a well-rounded three-row electric SUV with an excellent blend of efficiency, intuitive controls and fast-charging speeds. With standard driver-assistance features like forward collision warning and a hands-on semi-autonomous driving system as well as a roomy interior and excellent range, the EV9 is a great choice for families considering an EV.
  
  
• Best SUV: 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser. Not your father's Land Cruiser. Nimble, capable and comfortable, the 2025 Land Cruiser is a reimagined SUV that's pleasant to drive on the street while still possessing considerable off-road capability.
  
  
• Best Pickup Truck: 2025 Ram 1500. Transformative. Ram took a risk replacing the fan-favorite Hemi V-8 engine in its 1500 full-size pickup, but it paid off in spades as the newly available twin-turbo inline-six engine provides smoother, quieter performance while delivering more power than the old V-8. This year's model also continues Ram's tradition of offering top-notch interiors, from the solid, well-constructed base variant to the peerless Tungsten trim.
  
  
• Best Luxury Car: 2025 Genesis Electrified GV70. Riding the fine silk thread between elegance and sporting. The Electrified GV70 takes opulence to the next level with high-quality materials for a luxurious cabin environment that's paired with an exceptional driving experience. With all of this and features like a Road Preview adaptive suspension and 429 horsepower, it's no surprise the Electrified GV70 is a repeat winner of Cars.com's Best Luxury Car award.

Award Methodology

Cars.com's Best of 2025 award winners are chosen by a team of seven editors who drive and evaluate new vehicles throughout the year. Each of the six awards has its own watchwords that guide both the nomination and voting process, and editors must have driven a vehicle for it to be considered for an award. For each award category, an initial list of nominees is winnowed through rounds of voting to select the winner.

To find out more about the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe, why it's named Cars.com's Best Car of 2025 and to see other winners, visit Cars.com/Awards.

ABOUT CARS.COM^®

Cars.com is the No. 1 most recognized automotive marketplace visited by nearly 30 million in-market consumers each month. Launched in 1998 and headquartered in Chicago, Cars.com empowers shoppers with the data, resources and digital tools needed to make informed buying decisions and seamlessly connect with automotive retailers. Cars.com is the flagship offering from Cars.com Inc. d/b/a Cars Commerce Inc., an audience-driven technology company empowering automotive that simplifies everything about buying and selling cars. Learn more at www.carscommerce.inc.

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SOURCE Cars.com Inc.

FAQ

What made the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe win Cars.com's Best Car of the Year?

The 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe won for its competitive sub-$36,000 starting price, standard three-row seating, spacious cargo area, and innovative features like an ultraviolet-light sanitizing compartment and dual wireless phone chargers.

How much does the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe cost according to Cars.com?

According to Cars.com's announcement, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe starts at less than $36,000.

What powertrain options are available for the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe?

The 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe is available with either a gas or gas-electric hybrid powertrain.

How does Cars.com select its Best Of Awards winners?

Cars.com's awards are chosen by a team of seven editors who evaluate new vehicles throughout the year. Vehicles must be driven by the editors to be considered, and winners are selected through multiple rounds of voting.

What vehicles won Cars.com's other Best Of 2025 category awards?

The other winners were Hyundai Palisade (Best Family Car), Kia EV9 (Best Electric Vehicle), Toyota Land Cruiser (Best SUV), Ram 1500 (Best Pickup Truck), and Genesis Electrified GV70 (Best Luxury Car).