2016 Hyundai Tucson

2016 Hyundai Tucson Overview

Is the 2016 Hyundai Tucson a Good Used SUV?

The 2016 Hyundai Tucson is a well-rounded compact SUV and a good value. We named it our 2016 Best Compact SUV for the Money. The Tucson delivers impressive performance, thanks to its powerful available turbocharged engine and refined ride. It boasts a good-looking and spacious interior, though some cabin materials are lacking, and it's loaded with desirable features. It’s also one of few SUVs in the segment to earn a perfect reliability score.

Why You Can Trust Us

Our used car rankings and reviews are based on our analysis of professional automotive reviews, as well as data like crash test scores, reliability ratings, and ownership expenses. We researched 20 Hyundai Tucson reviews to help you decide if it’s the right used car for you.

The U.S. News Best Cars team has been ranking cars, trucks, and SUVs since 2007, and our staff has a combined 75 years of automotive industry experience. To ensure our impartiality, our staff never takes expensive gifts or trips from car companies, and an outside team handles the advertising on our site.

How Much Is the 2016 Hyundai Tucson?

Based on more than 700 listings on our site, the price of a used 2016 Hyundai Tucson ranges from just under $15,000 to $23,000. The 2016 Tucson's average list price is about $18,200. Prices vary depending on the SUV’s condition, mileage, location, and features.

See the Best Used Car Deals »

How Much Does the 2016 Hyundai Tucson Cost to Own?

A vehicle’s purchase price isn’t the only expense to consider when deciding on a car; many costs will arise after you drive off the lot. The Tucson’s five-year costs for repairs, gas, insurance, and maintenance are about $22,000. That’s on the low end for the class. Competitors like the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox have five-year ownership expenses closer to $25,000.

Is It Better to Buy a Used or New Tucson?

A new 2018 Hyundai Tucson starts at $22,500, which is about $4,300 more than the average price of a 2016 model. Most shoppers will find the 2016 Tucson to be a better value. Aside from the availability of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, the 2018 model doesn’t offer much more than the 2016 model.

Read about the new Hyundai Tucson »

If you’re willing to drop down a class size, however, you can find some 2018 subcompact SUVs within the same price range as the 2016 Tucson. The 2018 Honda HR-V and 2018 Mazda CX-3 rank near the top of their class and start from $19,670 and $20,110, respectively. Both are great SUVs, and the HR-V actually has more cargo space than the Tucson. Check out our Honda deals page and Mazda deals page for incentives that could make these new cars even more affordable.

See the Best New Car Deals »

See the Best New Car Lease Deals »

How Reliable Is the 2016 Hyundai Tucson?

J.D. Power gave the 2016 Tucson a perfect reliability rating of five out of five. That's better than most every SUV in the segment.

Read more about Tucson reliability »

2016 Hyundai Tucson Recalls

At the time of this writing, the all-wheel-drive 2016 Tucson has four safety recalls. One recall concerns the vehicle’s inability to accelerate from a stop, while another addresses an issue with the secondary hood latch disengaging. There are also two recalls involving the trailer: one for its lights inadvertently staying lit and another for malfunctioning turn signals.

See more information on Hyundai Tucson safety recalls »

Which Model Year of the Hyundai Tucson Is Best?

The Tucson was fully redesigned for the 2016 model year. You could spend less money on a 2014 or 2015 model, but they won’t come with the 2016 Tucson’s notable improvements, including a slightly larger touch screen, better fuel economy, a perfect reliability rating, increased cargo space, and several available active driver assistance features.

Compare the 2014, 2015, and 2016 Tucson »

Which Used Hyundai Tucson Model Is Right for Me?

The 2016 Tucson has four available trim levels: SE, Eco, Sport, and Limited. The base Hyundai Tucson SE’s features should satisfy most buyers. Its standard equipment includes a 5-inch touch screen, satellite radio, Bluetooth, a rearview camera, and remote keyless entry. The Hyundai Tucson Eco trim adds a turbocharged engine and a power-adjustable driver’s seat. The Hyundai Tucson Sport trim includes heated front seats, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and a hands-free liftgate. The Hyundai Tucson Limited comes with an 8-inch touch screen, Blue Link telematics, navigation, and leather upholstery. If active safety features are a priority, look for a Tucson Limited model equipped with the Ultimate package (available only in this trim), which adds forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and rear parking sensors.

See 2016 Hyundai Tucson trims and specs »

What Does Hyundai's Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Cover?

Hyundai offers a certified pre-owned program for vehicles five years old or less and with fewer than 60,000 miles. Eligibility is determined by the vehicle’s initial sale date. Certified pre-owned Hyundai vehicles receive the balance of the original new-car 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, as well as the remainder of the five-year/60,000-mile comprehensive warranty. Hyundai CPO vehicles must pass a 173-point inspection. Additional benefits like towing, roadside assistance, and rental car reimbursement may be available, so read Hyundai’s warranty page carefully.

Hyundai has one of the best CPO programs among affordable car manufacturers, according to our analysis. Only Kia, Buick, Mitsubishi, and Smart have better programs.

See the best CPO programs »

Read more about the Hyundai certified pre-owned program »

How Safe Is the Tucson?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named the Hyundai Tucson a 2016 Top Safety Pick+, giving it a score of Good, the highest offered, in all five crash test categories. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the Tucson a perfect five-star rating in overall, front, and side crash evaluations. The SUV received four stars in rollover crash testing.

The Tucson comes with a rearview camera. It’s available with numerous advanced safety features. Tucson Sport and Limited models come with blind spot monitoring, lane change assist, and rear cross traffic alert. Only the Tucson Limited is available with lane departure warning, rear parking sensors, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive headlights.

See Tucson safety scores »

2016 Hyundai Tucson Versus the Competition

Which Is Better: 2016 Hyundai Tucson or 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe?

If you like the Tucson’s pros but need a little more space for your family, the 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe is the better choice. It’s a midsize SUV with an available third row, so it can accommodate more passengers and gear than the Tucson. However, choosing the Santa Fe means you lose the Tucson’s higher fuel economy. The average list price for a 2016 Santa Fe is also $1,500 more than the Tucson's, and the Santa Fe lacks features like available forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking.

Which Is Better: 2016 Hyundai Tucson or 2016 Chevrolet Equinox?

Both the 2016 Chevy Equinox and the Tucson deliver more than most rivals. Each SUV, for example, has a perfect reliability rating. The better choice depends on your needs. The Chevrolet Equinox is ideal if you prefer ride comfort over agility, and it offers the versatility of sliding and reclining rear seats. It also features an upscale cabin with excellent build quality and materials, whereas the Tucson has some lackluster interior materials. If performance is your top priority, however, go for the Tucson.

Which Is Better: 2016 Hyundai Tucson or 2016 Honda CR-V?

Like the Tucson, the 2016 Honda CR-V is one of our top-ranked compact SUVs and definitely worth consideration. The CR-V is the better SUV for families in need of space, as it has one of the largest cabins and highest cargo capacities in the class. However, the Tucson has a livelier performance, a perfect reliability rating, and a longer list of standard and available features.

Compare the Tucson, Santa Fe, and Equinox »

2016 Tucson Performance

How Does the 2016 Hyundai Tucson Drive?

Powered by its 164-horsepower four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission, the front-wheel-drive 2016 Hyundai Tucson has sufficient acceleration for most city and highway commutes. However, it’s available 175-horsepower, turbocharged four-cylinder engine feels peppier and is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Tucson isn’t the sportiest handler in the class, but it feels secure around corners, and its ride remains smooth over rough patches of road.

Does the 2016 Hyundai Tucson Get Good Gas Mileage?

With the base engine, the Tucson earns 23 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. With the available turbocharged engine, the Tucson’s fuel economy increases slightly to 25 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.

Read more about Tucson performance »

2016 Tucson Interior

How Many People Does the 2016 Tucson Seat?

The 2-row Hyundai Tucson seats five on cloth upholstery in its good-looking cabin. Both rows have plenty of space for adults, and the front seats are well-cushioned and supportive. Cloth upholstery is standard, while leather upholstery, heated seats, and ventilated front seats are available.

How Many Car Seats Fit in the 2016 Hyundai Tucson?

The second row has two full sets of LATCH connectors in the outboard seats and one upper tether anchor in the middle seat. The passenger-side LATCH connectors received an Acceptable rating, the second-highest score, for ease of use from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the driver’s side connectors received a Good rating, the highest offered.

2016 Hyundai Tucson Features

Standard features include a rearview camera, a 5-inch touch-screen, Bluetooth, iPod connectivity, a USB port, and steering wheel-mounted controls. Available features include a panoramic sunroof, proximity key, push-button start, dual-zone automatic climate control and an 8-inch touch screen with navigation. 

The base touch screen could use a few more inches of screen space for better readability, but its menus are straightforward.

See 2016 Hyundai Tucson specs »

Read more about Tucson interior »

2016 Hyundai Tucson Dimensions

Hyundai Tucson Cargo Space

With the rear seats folded, the Tucson has 30.1 cubic feet of cargo space, which expands to 61.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. While that’s an average amount of cargo space for the class, rivals like the Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue offer more than 70 cubic feet of overall cargo room.

2016 Tucson Length and Weight

The 2016 Hyundai Tucson has an overall length of 14.68 feet and a base curb weight of 3,325 pounds.

Where Was the 2016 Hyundai Tucson Built?

Hyundai says most Hyundai models sold in the U.S. are built at U.S. manufacturing facilities, including Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama.