Hyundai Ioniq 5 review

If you've only seen the Hyundai Ioniq 5 in photos, you might think it's a family hatchback. Its looks are deceiving though: this is actually a big electric SUV.

Indeed, at 4.6 metres long and 1.6 metres tall, the Ioniq 5 is almost as big as an Audi Q5. In fact, the three-metre distance between the front and rear axles is the same as you’ll find in the Audi A8 limo and gives passengers a remarkable amount of space.

Hyundai gives you lots of choice within the Ioniq 5 range, and you can pick between two battery sizes (which were increased in size in recent update), rear or four-wheel drive and one of five trims. There’s even a performance-focused "electric hot hatch" version, called the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 video review

Few would argue that it doesn't look the part but is it a good car in more objective terms? And how does it compare with the best electric SUVs, including the Kia EV6, Renault Scenic, Skoda Elroq and Tesla Model Y? Read on to find out...

The entry-level Hyundai Ioniq 5 is our favourite version. Its battery has an estimated usable capacity of 60kWh (up from 54kWh in earlier versions) and a 168bhp motor, which drives the rear wheels and gives the car a respectable 0-62mph time of 8.5 seconds. More importantly it’ll officially travel up to 273 miles between charges, more than the entry-level Kia EV6. 

To go faster and further, you’ll need to upgrade to the larger battery, which has an estimated usable size of 80kWh (up from 74kWh). In rear-wheel-drive guise, that ups the power to 225bhp and reduces the 0-62mph sprint time to 7.5 seconds. The four-wheel-drive version gets 321bhp and a 5.3 second 0-62mph sprint time – faster than any version of the Renault Scenic or Skoda Elroq. Performance is on a par with a dual-motor EV6.

With the bigger battery, range is increased to 354 miles for RWD and 311 miles for the AWD, but you won't get that far in real-world driving. You'll get a few extra miles in an EV6 RWD (361 miles), and even more in a Scenic Long Range (379).

The Ioniq 5's soft suspension makes for a relatively comfy ride. On 19in alloys it smothers most bumps really well at higher speeds – especially by electric SUV standards.

However, at low speeds the car thumps more noticeably over potholes than the closely related Genesis GV60 and Kia EV6. We’d avoid the 20in alloys fitted to higher spec cars because they amplify the effect.

The GV60 has slightly tighter body control, feels a little more settled at speed and doesn’t tend to trip up over larger abrasions. That said, the Ioniq 5 is far comfier than the fractious Tesla Model Y and more settled than a Nissan Ariya.

The Ioniq 5 doesn't handle quite as well as the GV60 and EV6. Because Hyundai has opted for relatively soft suspension, the car feels a bit woolly when you’re out of the city limits. It also leans rather noticeably when cornering quickly and can feel a little unwilling to make quick changes of direction.

That said, there is always plenty of grip on offer and the steering is accurate enough to allow you to position the car with confidence at all speeds. The four-wheel-drive (AWD) versions have more traction so they feel more stable and planted when you're accelerating hard out of corners, especially in the wet.

The Ioniq 5 isn’t the kind of car to plaster a smile across your face with its delicate handling balance, but the same goes for pretty much every other electric car on the market. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Porsche Taycan are notable exceptions to that rule.

As an electric SUV, the Ioniq 5 has an obvious advantage over petrol and diesel alternatives when it comes to refinement because there’s no engine chugging away under the bonnet.

However, we'd avoid opting for 20in wheels because they drum up quite a bit of road noise. With 19in wheels fitted (standard on Advance and Premium trim cars) there's far less road noise and hardly any wind noise. Only a few clonks from the suspension disturb the peace.

If you really value quiet cruising manners, we’d recommend looking at the Genesis GV60. Aided by foam-filled tyres and optional noise-cancelling technology, it's noticeably quieter on motorways, as is the wonderfully hushed Audi Q4 e-tron.

"The Ioniq 5’s ride can be a bit choppy at low speeds but I still find it comfier than a Tesla Model Y." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 isn't styled like a traditional SUV but the driving position still feels lofty rather than low-slung and sporty. The driver’s seat has electric lumbar adjustment as standard, while Premium trim and above come with full electric adjustment. There's a good range of movement in the steering wheel.

The only real drawback concerns the digital driver's display behind the steering wheel. It looks snazzy but our testers found that, depending on your driving position, the top of the wheel can block some of the graphics.

The climate controls are touch-sensitive and require more of your attention while you’re driving than the physical controls in the Genesis GV60. It's not all bad news: they're in a separate panel beneath the touchscreen, so they're always on show, rather than hidden in sub-menus (as on Tesla car models). And if you turn your attention to the centre console you’ll find physical buttons for the heated seats, steering wheel and parking camera.

The Ioniq 5’s relatively upright driving position contributes to a terrific view of the road ahead, while tall side windows and big door mirrors help with visibility.

A monitoring system is fitted to the top-level N Line S (optional on Ultimate), which shows the view of your blind-spot on a display in the instrument binnacle. All versions come with front and rear sensors, and a rear-view camera to help with parking.

If you go for the N Line S trim you can get the optional digital mirrors, which replace conventional wing mirrors with cameras. They show a live feed of what’s behind you on a screen positioned on each door. The video is really crisp but we’d avoid them because they give you no depth perception.

The Ioniq 5’s 12.3in touchscreen is responsive and the graphics are sharp. Some of the icons are a little small and fiddly to use on the move, but you do at least get some helpful physical shortcut buttons along the bottom of the screen, plus voice control and simple switches on the steering wheel.

It’s a much better infotainment system than the one in the VW ID 4 and has slicker graphics than the display in the Nissan Ariya.

The Ioniq 5 gets Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring and wireless phone-charging is standard from Premium trim and up. Meanwhile, a premium Bose sound system and a head-up display with augmented reality (to project information on to the windscreen) are added from Ultimate trim.

The Ioniq 5's interior looks modern and is mostly well laid out but that's not matched by the quality of the materials. Some plastics are not very tactile – including those used on the passenger’s side of the dashboard and the lower doors – and a few bits even wobble when you prod them.

The Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y have better quality interiors, as does the class-leading Genesis GV60. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any hard or scratchy plastics in the GV60, where most surfaces are covered with soft-touch materials, synthetic leathers and attractive metals.

"Unlike in the Tesla Model Y, the Ioniq 5’s interior has a big instrument panel placed ahead of the driver, while top-level trims get a head-up display as well, which I like." – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

There’s lots of space in the front of the Hyundai Ioniq 5. You’d have to be incredibly tall to have any problem with leg room and the wide interior adds to the sense of spaciousness. There's enough head room for six-footers too. 

There are lots of cubbyholes dotted around the interior, and on Premium trim and above you can slide the centre console forwards and backwards to alter the position of the armrest.

Rear leg room is ridiculously generous – there’s as much as you’d expect in a limo, beating the Skoda Elroq and Tesla Model Y. Even with a six-footer driving, a passenger of the same size can sit behind and really stretch out.

The same can be said for the Kia EV6, and that car's seats place you in a slightly more natural, low-slung position and provide a little more side support.

Head room isn’t quite as impressive as in the Model Y or the VW ID 4 but there's enough for most adults to sit in comfort without touching the roof lining.

The Ioniq 5's rear seats split in a 60/40 arrangement rather than the more practical 40/20/40 way that lets you fold down each of the seatbacks individually. At least they come with the added benefit of being able to slide back and forth and recline.

The N Line S trim adds a feature called Premium Relaxation Seats, which allows you to recline the front seats almost completely flat, with a leg rest that extends as you recline to give you the full first-class experience as your car charges up. You can add them as an option on Ultimate trim. The same feature comes as standard on most versions of the Kia EV6.

The Ioniq 5's generous passenger space doesn’t come at the expense of a practical boot space. The Ioniq 5's 520-litre boot is slightly more generous than the EV6's. We managed to slot seven carry-on suitcases below the load cover, which is one more than we squeezed into a Skoda Elroq and the same number swallowed by a Renault Scenic.

If you need even more space then it’s well worth looking at the Model Y, which has space for 10 carry-on suitcases (nine in the boot and one in the front boot). 

Unlike the Model Y, the Ioniq 5 has only a tiny amount of storage space under its bonnet (with even less on four-wheel-drive versions) but there's enough room for a charging cable or a small overnight bag. You also get some underfloor storage that’s the perfect size for a vehicle-to-load adapter.

"Although it looks like a family hatchback in pictures, the Ioniq 5 is huge. I didn't have to slide the front seats forwards to free up leg room for passengers in the back." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

As a cash purchase, the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s starting price is almost the same as the closely related Kia EV6 but way below that of the Genesis GV60, largely because that rival doesn’t have a small battery option. We think the 63kWh Ioniq 5 will be enough for most, but it’s good to know that even the bigger battery version undercuts both the EV6 and GV60.

Every Ioniq 5 has a maximum charging rate of 260kW, allowing it to charge from 10-80% in around 18 minutes. 

It's worth noting that because of the fairly low number of super-fast public EV chargers you’re more likely to be charging at 50-100kW. At the lower end of that range, a 10-80% charge will take around 60-80 minutes. There will be more fast chargers in future but it will be some time before they're as common as Tesla Superchargers.

Even the entry-level Advance comes with lots of standard equipment, including 19in alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, cloth upholstery and an EV heat pump.

We still think it’s worth stepping up to Premium trim though. It keeps the price respectable but adds an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, electric seats, rear window blinds, wireless phone-charging, vehicle to load (V2L), ambient lighting, part-leather upholstery and a powered tailgate.

N Line adds a sportier look, 20in wheels and rear privacy glass, but costs quite a lot. Likewise, Ultimate and N Line S trim both add more equipment that’s nice to have, including a head-up display and ventilated front seats, but they’re a bit too expensive to recommend when they’re priced so close to the GV60.

The Ioniq 5 finished near the bottom of the electric car models ranked in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey.

Things were much better for Hyundai as a brand. It managed to claim 10th place out of the 31 included manufacturers, sitting above Kia (11th) and Tesla (15th) but below Renault (ninth).

Every Hyundai comes with a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty on most parts and an eight-year, 100,000 miles warranty on the battery.

After safety testing, the Ioniq 5 was awarded five stars out of five by Euro NCAP – not least because it comes with plenty of active safety kit to help you avoid accidents in the first place.

All models have an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system that can recognise pedestrians and cyclists as well as cars, along with lane-keeping assistance, intelligent speed-limit assist, blind-spot assist, rear cross-traffic alert and a system that monitors the attentiveness of the driver.

"An optional pack for top-spec Ioniq 5s replaces the door mirrors with cameras and a display screen, but I find them over-complicated and not as good as real mirrors." – Claire Evans, Consumer Editor

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