An up to date Hyundai Santa Fe has been spied, and that is no mere tweaking of the bumpers and altering of the wheels.
As a substitute, this facelift seems to be fairly a complete one for the polarising fifth-generation Santa Fe launched in 2024, with the big crossover SUV’s uncommon low-mounted tail-lights – full with bone-shaped graphics – set to be eliminated.
As a substitute, as a spy video from Shorts Automotive exhibits, the Santa Fe is shifting to extra standard, vertical tail-lights.
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These might doubtlessly be linked by a full-width mild bar.
Not solely that, however this camouflaged prototype additionally options vertical lighting parts up entrance. It seems each these and a full-width mild bar embody the daytime working lights, with separate headlights inboard of the vertical lights.
The up to date Santa Fe is more likely to be revealed late in 2026 or early in 2027.

The adjustments ought to convey the Santa Fe extra in line visually with the bigger Palisadealthough Hyundai can also introduce parts from its new Artwork of Metal design language which made its production-car debut on the second-generation Nexus.
It’s unclear if there’ll be any adjustments to the powertrain lineup, aside from the transfer to a standard eight-speed torque-converter automated transmission in turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol variants, changing the eight-speed dual-clutch auto.
This modification has already been introduced for the US market, the place the Santa Fe can also be constructed. Our Santa Fes, in distinction, come from Korea.

The powertrain lineup presently contains not solely the aforementioned 2.5-litre turbo, but additionally a 1.6-litre four-cylinder hybrid. Whether or not the two.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid from the bigger Palisade will filter all the way down to the Santa Fe is unclear.
It’s doable the main target of the Santa Fe’s replace will likely be stored on visible updates, with no main mechanical adjustments of be aware.
Hyundai is not any stranger to giving its automobiles substantial mid-life updates, significantly when gross sales haven’t met expectations – examples embody two separate generations of the Sonata sedan.

Santa Fe gross sales totalled 57,889 in Korea in 2025, down from 77,159 in 2024. Its company cousin, the Kia Sorentowas Korea’s best-selling mannequin in 2025, whereas the Santa Fe positioned seventh.
In Australia, nevertheless, Santa Fe gross sales grew by 16.2 per cent in 2025 to 6264 models. That was its finest efficiency since 2018, when Hyundai delivered 7523 examples.
