• Reasonably economical for a large SUV
• Great warranty package as standard
• PHEV users will need to charge it

What are the running costs?

If we’re going on claimed figures, Hyundai says the Hybrid model can reach up to 40.9mpg in 2WD form or 38.6mpg in 4WD form. While fuel economy claims should be taken with a pinch of salt, we’d say that these are easily achievable; a 300-mile road trip over a mix of roads saw around 35mpg in the 2WD model – and we weren’t always being gentle.

As for the Plug-In, Hyundai says that fuel economy of 161.2mpg is possible if used properly. We’d expect that to be more like 45mpg in real-world situations.

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Servicing and warranty

The Hyundai Santa Fe needs a trip to the dealership for maintenance every 10,000 miles or annually for any model with a petrol engine, whichever is sooner.

All new Hyundais are covered by a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty. It’s one of the best guarantees available today and you’ll struggle to find manufacturer-backed cover that’s more comprehensive. The paint on your Kona will be warranted against rust for 12 years.

Reliability

• Hyundai cars have a robust reputation
• A decent dealer network as back-up
• Few known problems with the Kona

This is the second generation of Hyundai Kona and it’s worth pointing out that it’s related closely to the Kia Niro, with which it shares many components.

Hyundai generally does well here, with a great record when it comes to reliability overall in Europe. Few of its models have had any significant issues – we expect this to be the case with the latest Santa Fe.