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Hyundai Santa Fe Awarded Best Family Car of 2026 by Cars.com

News Provided by PR Newswire2026-02-05

Hyundai Santa Fe Awarded Best Family Car of 2026 by Cars.com

[05-February-2026]

Fifth-generation Santa Fe available with the buyer's choice of ICE or hybrid power, in front- or all-wheel drive
Palisade and IONIQ 5 named finalists in Best Car of 2026 list
Veteran editorial team from leading automotive marketplace names its favorite new vehicles for 2026

CHICAGO, Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hyundai Santa Fe was today named the Best Family Car of 2026 by Cars.com. The Santa Fe stood out among contenders for its space-efficient three-row layout, confidence-inspiring performance, and smart, family-friendly features. This category win builds on the model's already impressive Cars.com Best Car of 2025 award, which the all-new fifth-generation Santa Fe captured in its first year on the market.

For 2026, Cars.com also recognized Hyundai's all-electric IONIQ 5 and Palisade SUVs as finalists in the influential auto-shopping marketplace's Best Car and Best EV categories, respectively. Hyundai continues to collect accolades for its product lineup's bold designs, intuitive interiors, advanced technology, and exceptional real-world usability. The Best of 2026 by Cars.com list acknowledges exceptional vehicles in quality, innovation, and value as judged by Cars.com's editorial team of veteran car reviewers.

"Winning the Best Family Car category is a strong testament to our continued commitment to safety and highly functional, family-friendly vehicles," said Ricky Lao, director, product planning, Hyundai Motor North America. "The Santa Fe offers a slew of new convenience technologies including available First-in-class Panoramic Curved Display, dual wireless device charging, Digital Key 2, Over-The-Air (OTA) updates and a full array of advanced safety technologies ranking it an Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) TSP+." ⁱ

The Santa Fe leverages its longer wheelbase, offering superior interior space for maximum passenger comfort. Fully foldable second- and third-row seats create a terrace-like space at the rear liftgate opening, enabling users to effortlessly enjoy outdoor surroundings. The vehicle's impressive cargo capacity is an advantage for both urban lifestyles and outdoor adventures, with plenty of room for sporting equipment, travel gear, and everyday shopping. The Santa Fe offers a powerful Smartstream 2.5L Turbo GDI four-cylinder engine, as well as an available 1.6L hybrid powertrain that delivers up to 36 miles per gallon (highway). Santa Fe's Calligraphy trim is ideal for premium urban lifestyles, while the Santa Fe XRT is designed to satisfy adventure-oriented enthusiasts with enhanced off-road hardware and rugged good looks.

"The Hyundai Santa Fe hits the sweet spot for families. It delivers excellent passenger and cargo space, top-tier safety scores, and genuinely thoughtful family-friendly features — all without feeling oversized or intimidating to drive," says Mike Hanley, Sr. Road Test Editor, Cars.com. " It's that rare 'tweener' SUV that works just as well for growing families as it does for everyday life, which is why it stood out and was recognized as Cars.com's Best Family Car of 2026."

About Cars Commerce
Cars Commerce is an audience-driven technology company empowering the automotive industry. The Company simplifies everything about car buying and selling with powerful products, solutions and AI-driven technologies that span pretail, retail and post-sale activities – enabling more efficient and profitable retail operations. The Cars Commerce platform is organized around four industry-leading brands: the flagship automotive marketplace and dealer reputation site Cars.com®, award-winning technology and digital retail technology and marketing services from Dealer Inspire, essential trade-in and appraisal technology from AccuTrade, and exclusive in-market media solutions from the Cars Commerce Media Network. Learn more at www.carscommerce.inc.

Hyundai Motor America
Hyundai Motor America offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs, and electrified vehicles, while supporting Hyundai Motor Company's Progress for Humanity vision. Hyundai has significant operations in the U.S., including its North American headquarters in California, the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama assembly plant, the all-new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, several cutting-edge R&D facilities and more than 855 independent dealers. These operations are part of Hyundai Motor Group, which is investing $26 billion in the U.S. from 2025 to 2028. For more information, visit www.hyundainews.com.

ⁱ The 2025 Santa Fe (built after Nov., 2025) is an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+