Hyundai Santa Fe vs Jeep Wrangler: Which Used Buy Wins?

As used buys (August 2026), the Hyundai Santa Fe typically lists for $35,556 against $34,968 for the Jeep Wrangler (same model years — 2024–2026 — national medians from live listings). The Hyundai Santa Fe takes fuel economy (21 MPG combined vs 18 MPG). Overall medians mix very different trims — at the cheapest common trims it's the SEL PREMIUM at $25,741 vs the 4XE at $27,890; see the trim-by-trim tables for a fair match. Every figure below is live market data, not book values.

Verdict: for most used-car buyers the Hyundai Santa Fe is the stronger pick right now — it wins 2 of the scored dimensions below (prices judged on the same model years, 2024–2026). Choose the Jeep Wrangler if you care most about a lower typical price.

Head to head

Typical used price (2024–2026)Jeep Wrangler
Hyundai Santa Fe$35,556
Jeep Wrangler$34,968
EPA combined (typical version)Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai Santa Fe21 MPG
Jeep Wrangler18 MPG
NCAP overall (avg of rated years)
Hyundai Santa Fe4.6★
Jeep Wranglernot rated
NHTSA recalls / model yearHyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai Santa Fe3.5
Jeep Wrangler7.4
For sale on VehiSales now
Hyundai Santa Fe10,504
Jeep Wrangler35,519

Trim-by-trim prices (last 4 model years)

A fair comparison matches equivalent trims, not overall medians. Like for like: at the cheapest common trims, the Hyundai Santa Fe SEL PREMIUM ($25,741) faces the Jeep Wrangler 4XE ($27,890); the most common trims on the market are the SEL (45.0% of Hyundai Santa Fe listings) and the SPORT (20.4% of Jeep Wrangler listings); at the top of the market, the CALLIGRAPHY ($39,281) faces the RUBICON ($39,998). Share = portion of the model's trim-labeled used listings (a supply-side popularity signal: what the market actually stocks and sells most). “Cheapest”/“Priciest” mark the ends of the quotable trim range — trim ladders don't map one-to-one across brands, so this is not a factory base-model claim.

Hyundai Santa Fe Jeep Wrangler
TrimTypical priceShare TrimTypical priceShare
BLUE $23,429 0.6% 4XECheapest $27,890 10.8%
SEL PREMIUMCheapest $25,741 6.7% SAHARA 4XE $29,998 19.0%
SELMost popular $30,199 45.0% RUBICON 4XE $30,995 8.4%
SE $30,925 9.0% SPORTMost popular $32,797 20.4%
LIMITED $31,995 13.3% SPORT S 4-DOOR $34,599 5.7%
XRT $32,517 6.2% SAHARA $35,354 13.9%
CALLIGRAPHYPriciest $39,281 19.3% RUBICONPriciest $39,998 17.2%
RUBICON 392 $66,869 1.7%

Rows are aligned by price position (both sides sorted cheapest-first), not by equivalent equipment — trim names never map one-to-one across brands. Full per-trim detail (price ranges, mileage) is on each model's price page: Hyundai Santa Fe prices · Jeep Wrangler prices.

Used price by model year

YearHyundai Santa Fe typicalJeep Wrangler typicalDifferenceHyundai Santa Fe MPGJeep Wrangler MPG
2026 $35,556 $45,501 Jeep Wrangler +$9,945 21–24 MPG 14–21 MPG
2025 $34,433 $34,968 Jeep Wrangler +$535 22–24 MPG 14–21 MPG
2024 $31,705 $30,998 Hyundai Santa Fe +$707 22–24 MPG 14–21 MPG
2023 $25,495 $29,520 Jeep Wrangler +$4,025 24–33 MPG 14–25 MPG
2022 $22,099 $29,684 Jeep Wrangler +$7,585 24–33 MPG 14–25 MPG
2021 $19,995 $27,720 Jeep Wrangler +$7,725 24–26 MPG 14–25 MPG
2020 $16,999 $25,448 Jeep Wrangler +$8,449 22–25 MPG 20–23 MPG
2019 $15,297 $24,000 Jeep Wrangler +$8,703 21–25 MPG 20–24 MPG
2018 $14,457 $22,698 Jeep Wrangler +$8,241 19–21 MPG 18 MPG
2017 $11,900 $19,194 Jeep Wrangler +$7,294 19–21 MPG 18 MPG
2016 $9,500 $17,786 Jeep Wrangler +$8,286 19–21 MPG 18 MPG
2015 $9,995 $16,489 Jeep Wrangler +$6,494 19–21 MPG 18 MPG
2014 $8,995 $15,602 Jeep Wrangler +$6,607 19–21 MPG 18 MPG
2013 $8,310 $14,586 Jeep Wrangler +$6,276 20–21 MPG 18 MPG
2012 $6,988 $13,900 Jeep Wrangler +$6,912 21–23 MPG 18 MPG
2011 $6,289 $12,686 Jeep Wrangler +$6,397 21–23 MPG 17 MPG
2010 $5,995 $11,750 Jeep Wrangler +$5,755 22–23 MPG 17 MPG
2009 $5,085 $11,238 Jeep Wrangler +$6,153 19–20 MPG 16–17 MPG
2008 $5,499 $10,799 Jeep Wrangler +$5,300 19–20 MPG 16–18 MPG
2007 $4,999 $9,998 Jeep Wrangler +$4,999 19–21 MPG 16–18 MPG
2006 $4,999 $13,299 Jeep Wrangler +$8,300 17–20 MPG 14–17 MPG
2005 $3,994 $12,499 Jeep Wrangler +$8,505 17–20 MPG 14–17 MPG

Typical price = national median asking price of live listings for that model year (August 2026); MPG = EPA combined range across rated versions.

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper to buy used — Hyundai Santa Fe or Jeep Wrangler?

Comparing the same model years (2024–2026), the Jeep Wrangler is cheaper: it typically lists for $34,968 versus $35,556 for the Hyundai Santa Fe (national medians, August 2026).

Which gets better fuel economy — Hyundai Santa Fe or Jeep Wrangler?

The Hyundai Santa Fe: its typical rated version returns 21 MPG combined versus 18 MPG for the Jeep Wrangler (median across EPA-rated versions of the compared years).

Which is more reliable — Hyundai Santa Fe or Jeep Wrangler?

NHTSA lists an average of 3.5 recalls per model year for the Hyundai Santa Fe and 7.4 for the Jeep Wrangler — an edge for the Hyundai Santa Fe. Recall and complaint counts scale with sales volume, so treat them as context and check any specific car's VIN history.

Which trims should I actually compare?

Like for like: at the cheapest common trims, a Hyundai Santa Fe SEL PREMIUM typically lists for $25,741 vs $27,890 for a Jeep Wrangler 4XE; the most common trims on the market are the SEL ($30,199, 45.0% of Hyundai Santa Fe listings) and the SPORT ($32,797, 20.4% of Jeep Wrangler listings); at the top of the market, the CALLIGRAPHY ($39,281) faces the RUBICON ($39,998). Overall medians hide this trim mix — use the trim tables above for a fair match. Trim names never map one-to-one across brands, so "cheapest" means the least expensive trim with a real market share, not the factory base.

About this data: prices and availability are national aggregates of live VehiSales inventory (August 2026), refreshed daily. Fuel economy: U.S. EPA/DOE (fueleconomy.gov). Safety & recalls: NHTSA. How to cite: “VehiSales Research, Hyundai Santa Fe vs Jeep Wrangler” with a link to https://vehisales.com/research/compare/hyundai/santa-fe/vs/jeep/wrangler.

Dig deeper

See also: All model comparisons · Best used cars by budget · Used car prices by model.

© 2026 VehiSales · Data from live US vehicle listings · Methodology · Editorial policy · About · Press: cite as “VehiSales Used Car Price Index” with a link to this page.