Car of the Year Awards 2026: Best electric performance car
First and foremost, a great performance car is entertaining and involving to drive, but unlike pure sports cars, they also have to be practical and comfortable enough to use every day...
Hyundai Ioniq 6 N 84kWh
In the early 20th century, people predicted that we’d all have flying cars around about now. It doesn’t look like cars will turn into flying contraptions any time soon, but if models like the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N are the future of performance cars, why would we want them?
Like many electric cars, the Ioniq 6 N is ferociously fast when you put your foot down, but it sets itself apart from the Audi E-tron GT and Porsche Taycan by being more involving. That’s largely down to its excellent virtual gearbox, which lets you shift through convincing ‘gears’ and enjoy that acceleration in the same way you would a combustion-engined car.
Its handling is worthy of a true performance car, too. The Ioniq 6 N feels like it’s pivoting around you through corners, with tight body control and masses of grip allowing you to carry speed with confidence. You can even adjust the amount of power going to the front and rear wheels and use drift mode to vary how playful it feels.
It still isn’t quite as good to drive or live with as the BMW M3 Touring, but the Ioniq 6 N shows that performance cars have a bright future in the electric era.
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