Used 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz for Sale near California

How much does the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz cost?

Prices have softened 6.89% compared to this time last year, making it a favorable time to shop this model year.

There are 1,074 listings available, which gives you a decent amount of inventory to compare.

Is the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz a good car?

Yes — the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz earns a 4.64/5 user rating and an 8/10 expert rating. The model scores 9/10 across Look and feel, Performance, and Technology.

Owners consistently praise the unique design, versatile features, comfortable interior, smooth driving experience, and impressive fuel economy. In use-case terms, that lines up well if you want something more rugged than a sedan or crossover SUV without moving all the way to a traditional pickup.

The main trade-offs are the cramped back seat and the lack of physical buttons for audio and climate control. The market also shows 32.2% of listings as good or great deals, which suggests there are still attractive opportunities if you shop carefully.

Is the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz reliable?

Owners rate it 4.64/5, a strong signal of long-term satisfaction.

The owner feedback points to a vehicle that feels dependable in everyday use, with praise for its comfortable interior, smooth driving, and versatile design. The expert evaluation also emphasizes that the Santa Cruz is easy to live with and backed by a great warranty, which helps reduce ownership anxiety.

Hyundai includes three years or 36,000 miles of free routine maintenance, which is a useful ownership perk for a used buyer. For long-term ownership, your biggest risk is less about the concept and more about finding a well-kept example that hasn’t been used harder than its compact-truck packaging suggests.

What should I look for when buying a used 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz?

Accident-free inventory is solid at 87.4% — always verify the vehicle history report.

You should still check the report carefully, because a clean title percentage does not replace a proper history review. Prioritize a pre-purchase inspection that focuses on interior wear, rear-seat space usability, and whether the truck’s features work as expected. It’s also smart to confirm that the trim you’re considering has the equipment you want, since some useful safety and convenience features are reserved for higher trims.

Key things to evaluate:

• Trim level: The base SE is the starting point, while higher trims add more convenience and tech. The Limited test vehicle shows how much the upper end can add, including leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, the larger touchscreen, and 20-inch wheels.
• Powertrain: Every Santa Cruz uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The base engine makes 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, while the turbocharged version makes 281 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque. The naturally aspirated engine comes with standard front-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive, while the turbo engine is AWD only.
• Safety package: Standard equipment includes forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, lane-follow assist, rear-seat reminder, and a driver-attention monitor. Blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, safe exit assist, a surround-view camera system, and Highway Driving Assist are available on higher trim levels.
• Infotainment: The standard setup is an 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Higher trims can add a 10.25-inch touchscreen, wireless phone charging, and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster.
• Fuel efficiency: The base naturally aspirated engine with front-wheel drive is rated at 23 mpg combined, 21 mpg city, and 26 mpg highway. The AWD-only turbo engine is rated at 22 mpg combined, 19 mpg city, and 27 mpg highway.

Which 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz trim should I buy?

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz is offered in 4 trim levels: SE, SEL Activity Package, SEL Premium, and Limited.

Here's the short version:

• SE: This is the entry point and the best fit if you want the lowest starting price and are comfortable with the standard equipment set. It gives you the core Santa Cruz experience, including the standard powertrain and the basic infotainment and safety features.
• SEL Activity Package: This is the trim to focus on if you want a more appealing balance of equipment and value. It adds useful content over the SE without jumping all the way to the top of the range, making it the best-value choice for many shoppers.
• SEL Premium: Choose this if you want a more upscale feel and more convenience features than the lower trims provide. It sits in the middle of the lineup for buyers who want more comfort and tech without paying for the Limited.
• Limited: This is the right pick if you want the most complete Santa Cruz, including the turbo engine, AWD, leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, the larger touchscreen, and 20-inch wheels.

Higher trims also unlock more of the available safety package, including blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, safe exit assist, the surround-view camera system, and Highway Driving Assist.

Is now a good time to buy a used 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz?

This is a moderate market for selective buyers, so you have room to shop, but the better listings can still move quickly.

• Deal availability: 32.2% of listings are priced as good or great deals.
• Inventory: There are 1,074 listings available.
• Price trend: Prices have softened 6.89% compared with last year.
• Clean inventory: 87.4% of listings are accident-free.

If you find a listing below $22,632, that's toward the low end of the year-round range and worth acting on quickly.

What is the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz's resale value?

The current average of $22,836 sits slightly below last year's $24,527.

That price movement suggests the Santa Cruz has already absorbed some of its early depreciation, which can help future sellers if the market stays steady. A softer current price can also make your purchase more defensible if you plan to resell in a few years, because you’re starting from a lower entry point than last year’s average.

The model’s strong owner satisfaction should help support demand on the used market. Vehicles with strong owner satisfaction ratings, like this model year's 4.64/5, tend to retain buyer demand, which supports resale value over time.

Is the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz safe?

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz does not yet have IIHS or NHTSA crash-test ratings available.

It earns a 7/10 safety score from our experts.

Standard safety equipment includes forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, lane-follow assist, a rear-seat reminder, and a driver-attention monitor. On higher trims, you can get blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, safe exit assist, a surround-view camera system, and Highway Driving Assist.

One caveat is that the available Highway Driving Assist system can handle highway driving reasonably well, but it has trouble with even gentle curves. That means it can help reduce fatigue, but you should still stay engaged behind the wheel.

Should I buy a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz or consider a different year?

If you're weighing the 2022 against nearby model years, here's how to think about it:

• 32.2% of listings are priced as good or great deals.
• Accident-free inventory is solid at 87.4% — always verify the vehicle history report.
• Price trend: Prices have softened 6.89% compared with last year.
• Owners rate it 4.64/5 — a strong satisfaction signal.
• The 2022 stands out as Hyundai’s first pickup truck in the United States, with a car-like unibody design and a crossover-like driving feel.

The bottom line:

If you want the Santa Cruz’s unique mix of truck utility and easygoing driving, the 2022 is a strong year to target because prices have eased and inventory is healthy. If you’re especially price-sensitive, focus on the lower end of the range and compare trims carefully, since the best value often comes from a well-equipped midlevel example rather than the cheapest truck on the lot.

These recommendations are based on CarGurus' proprietary market data from September 11, 2026, CarGurus experts' opinions, and generative AI.