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276 Hyundai Tucsons held TLC licenses on October 12, 2026, all as for-hire vehicles (FHVs). It ranks 50th among TLC models, just ahead of the other Hyundai SUV in the top 60, the Hyundai Santa Fe.
The Tucson's pattern is a steady flow of new cars rather than one big year. Each of the last three model years added between 35 and 48 Tucsons. About four in ten decode as hybrid, and the EPA gap between hybrid and gas Tucsons is large enough to matter for a full-time driver.
Where the numbers come from
TLC lists every active FHV and medallion taxi by VIN, without model names. TLC Help decoded the VINs with NHTSA's vPIC decoder and counted them. vPIC gives the model family and fuel type; a few model years may be classified wrongly. This is a one-day snapshot.
A steady stream of new Tucsons
Model years 2022 (47), 2024 (48), 2026 (39), 2025 (35) and 2023 (32) are all in the same range. No single year holds even a fifth of the fleet. Older cars thin out: 2017 to 2021 each have 12 to 15, and only 7 Tucsons are 2016 or older (2.5%, against about 10% of all FHVs).
Because new FHV licenses now go only to wheelchair accessible vehicles (TLC), those 2025 and 2026 Tucsons most likely replaced older cars on existing licenses. The data can't confirm that car by car.
Hybrid or gas: what the EPA ratings mean in gallons
Ratings come from EPA labels for the FWD, AWD, Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid. The gallons column is simple math: 1,000 divided by the mpg. The Plug-in Hybrid is also rated for 33 miles on electricity before it uses gas.
The EPA first lists a Tucson Hybrid and Tucson Plug-in Hybrid for model year 2022; before that, only gas FWD and AWD versions appear. So the 106 hybrids should all be among the 201 Tucsons from 2022 or later, which means more than half of the newer Tucsons on TLC plates are hybrids. If you are buying a 2021 or older Tucson, expect a gas engine.
On these ratings, a hybrid uses about 9 fewer gallons than the gas FWD for every 1,000 miles, and about 13 fewer than the gas AWD. Multiply by your own weekly miles and the price you pay at the pump to see what that is worth; the lease-vs-buy tool does this for you. Remember the EPA tests are standard cycles, so your city numbers will be different. For the bigger picture, see EV vs hybrid for Uber in NYC.
Base types
273 Tucsons (98.9%) are at black car bases, where app trips run, and 3 at livery bases. None are yellow taxis. Two carry the "PILOT" label in TLC's wheelchair_accessible column, which the dataset does not explain; none is marked WAV.
Switching to a Tucson
A Tucson can join TLC only by taking over an existing FHV license that is not limited to accessible vehicles. File the vehicle transfer within 15 days of DMV registration; TLC approves it after inspection (rule 59A-09(a), chapter 59). Guides: TLC plates for FHVs, TLC vehicle inspection and TLC vehicle retirement age. The Tucson is not on TLC's approved accessible list.
The Kia Sportage is the most hybrid of this group. See also the Honda CR-V, Toyota Corolla Cross, Volvo XC90, Lincoln Corsair and TLC fleet by make and model.
More in the vehicles topic.
Data on this page
Aggregates of public data. They describe trips and vehicles, never individual people.
TLC's vehicle lists have no make/model column, so TLC Help decoded the VIN of every licensed vehicle with NHTSA's vPIC decoder (one representative VIN per manufacturer + model-descriptor + model-year pattern) and published only counts. 5 of 115,081 vehicles (0%) could not be decoded to a model and are left out. vPIC sometimes reports trim-family names (e.g. 'RX' not 'RX 350h'); powertrain comes from vPIC's electrification/fuel fields and may misclassify a few model years. Snapshot lists change daily.
- Hyundai Tucson: licensed TLC vehicles by model year — Active FHVs and authorized medallion taxis that are a Hyundai Tucson, by model year.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026Model year from TLC's vehicle_year / model_year columns. Age limits for TLC vehicles come from TLC rules, not this chart.
- Hyundai Tucson in the TLC fleet: hybrid, electric or gas — Licensed Hyundai Tucson vehicles by powertrain (from decoded VINs).NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026
- Hyundai Tucson: where it is licensed (FHV base type vs medallion taxi) — Licensed Hyundai Tucson vehicles by fleet: FHVs by the type of base they are affiliated with, and medallion taxis.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026Wheelchair-accessible (FHV list): 0 WAV, 2 PILOT. App-based (high-volume) work generally runs through black car bases.
Frequently asked questions
How many Hyundai Tucsons are licensed by the TLC?
276 on October 12, 2026, all for-hire vehicles and none as yellow taxis, or 0.24% of TLC vehicles. TLC Help counted them by decoding VINs with NHTSA's vPIC decoder.
How many TLC Tucsons are hybrids?
106 decode as hybrid (38.4%), 3 as plug-in hybrid and 167 as gas. Across all FHVs, about 30% decode as hybrid.
How much better is the Tucson Hybrid on fuel?
For model year 2024 the EPA rates the Tucson Hybrid at 37 mpg combined (38 for the Hybrid Blue) against 28 mpg for the gas FWD and 25 for the gas AWD. Over 1,000 miles that is about 27 gallons for the hybrid vs 36 to 40 for the gas versions, by EPA ratings.
Are new Tucsons still joining the TLC fleet?
Yes. There are 48 model year 2024 Tucsons, 35 from 2025 and 39 from 2026. 44.2% of TLC Tucsons are model year 2024 or newer, compared with about 31% of all FHVs.
Sources
Last reviewed against the official sources on .
- NYC Open Data: For Hire Vehicles (FHV) – Active (8wbx-tsch) data.cityofnewyork.us
- NYC Open Data: Medallion Vehicles – Authorized (rhe8-mgbb) data.cityofnewyork.us
- NHTSA vPIC VIN decoder API vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2024 Hyundai Tucson FWD fueleconomy.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2024 Hyundai Tucson AWD fueleconomy.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid fueleconomy.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2024 Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid fueleconomy.gov
- TLC: Get a For-Hire Vehicle License nyc.gov
- TLC Rule Book Chapter 59 (For-Hire Vehicles) nyc.gov
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.
TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.