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 a 2024 update), rear or four-wheel drive and one of five trims. It's not cheap but it does promise a generous level of standard equipment, a respectable range between charges and a quick maximum charging rate.

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 rivals ranging from the Kia EV6 and Skoda Enyaq to the Tesla Model Y and VW ID 4?

Read on to find out how we rate the Hyundai Ioniq 5 against the best electric SUVs. Or if you're interested in the performance-focused "electric hot hatch" version, see our Hyundai Ioniq 5 N review.

The entry-level Hyundai Ioniq 5 is called the RWD 170 and is our favourite version. It's now fitted with a 63kWh (usable capacity) battery (up from 54kWh in earlier versions) and a 168bhp motor, which drives the rear wheels and gives the car a 0-62mph time of 8.5 seconds.

One rung up the ladder is another rear-wheel-drive model, called RWD 228, with a larger 84kWh battery (up from 77kWh) and a 225bhp motor. The extra power makes it feel sprightlier than the entry-level car (0-62mph takes 7.5 seconds) but unless you need the longer range, it’s not worth the extra cost.

At the top sits the AWD 325. It has the same 84kWh battery but adds a second electric motor on the front axle, making it four-wheel drive and giving a total of 321bhp. With 0-62mph officially taking just 5.3 seconds, it's a bit quicker than most versions of the Ford Mustang Mach-E and much faster than any VW ID 4. Performance is on a par with a dual-motor Kia EV6.

The Ioniq 5's range depends on the version you go for. Official figures suggest up to 273 miles for the RWD 170, up to 354 miles for RWD 228 and 311 miles for the AWD 325, but you won't get that far in real-world driving. You'll get a few extra miles in an EV6, and even more in a Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD.

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 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, then, isn’t the kind of car to plaster a smile across your face with its delicate handling balance. The same goes for pretty much every other electric car on the market (one notable exception being the Porsche Taycan).

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 a motorway, 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 suitably 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, though: 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).

The Ioniq 5’s relatively upright driving position contributes to a terrific view of the road ahead, while big windows and door mirrors help with visibility. Plus, a monitoring system is fitted to top-level N Line S (and optional on Ultimate) that shows the view in your blind-spot on a display in the instrument binnacle.

It is frustrating, though, that you don’t get a rear windscreen wiper. The car has supposedly been designed so water is pushed off the back of it by the airflow at high speeds but in winter we've found that the screen still gets obscured with muck. Thankfully, when it comes to parking, all versions come with a rear-view camera to mitigate the problem.

The Ioniq 5’s 12.3in touchscreen is responsive and the graphics are sharp. Even though some of the icons are a little small and fiddly to use on the move, 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 as standard across the range. A premium Bose sound system and a head-up display with augmented reality (to project information on to the windscreen) are added on the top Ultimate trim.

The Ioniq 5's interior undoubtedly looks modern and is mostly well laid out but that's not matched by the quality of the materials. Some plastics aren’t especially 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 Tesla Model Y and Skoda Enyaq Coupé. 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 a Tesla Model Y or VW ID 4 but there's still enough for most adults to sit in comfort without getting to know the roof lining intimately.

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. They also slide back and forth, and can be reclined.

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 generous passenger space doesn’t come at the expense of a practical boot space. The Ioniq 5's 520-litre boot is roughly on a par with the EV6 for luggage carrying. We managed to slot seven carry-on suitcases below the load cover, compared with nine in an VW ID 4 and 10 in a Tesla Model Y's front and rear boots combined. 

The Ioniq 5 has only a tiny amount of storage space under its bonnet, with even less on four-wheel-drive versions. There’s just enough underfloor space in the main boot to stow a charging cable.

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

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has a much lower starting price than the closely related Kia EV6 but that's mainly because it's available with a smaller (63kWh) battery. If you choose the larger (84kWh usable) battery, there's less in it. We reckon the smaller battery will be enough for most and it’s noticeably cheaper per month on PCP finance than the bigger battery option.

The 84kWh cars have a maximum charging rate of 260kW, so you can theoretically get a 10-80% charge in 18 minutes. The time for doing the same charge on the 63kWh battery model has yet to be confirmed.

It's worth noting that because of the fairly low number of super-fast public chargers in the UK right now, you’re more likely to be charging at 50-100kW. At the lower end of this range, a 10-80% charge will take around 60-70 minutes. There will be more fast-charging points in the future, but it will be some time before they are as common as the fantastic Tesla Superchargers.

Entry-level Advance trim comes with plenty of equipment, including 19in alloys wheels, dual-zone climate control, a heat pump, adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, heated front seats and cloth upholstery.

Our pick is the rear-wheel-drive Ioniq 5 with the smaller battery (RWD 170PS) in Premium trim. That keeps the price respectable and still gets you a few useful extras, including an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, rear window blinds, wireless phone-charging, ambient lighting, part-leather upholstery and a powered tailgate.

N Line trim adds a sportier look, with 20in wheels, rear privacy glass.

Top-spec Ultimate and N Line S versions come stuffed with equipment, but push the price worrying close to the plusher Genesis GV60.

All versions except entry-level Advance get V2L (vehicle to load) kit, giving you a device that plugs into the car's charging socket and turns the Ioniq 5 into a mobile 3.5kW three-pin plug socket. You can use it to boil a kettle, power a lawnmower or even (very slowly) charge another electric car.

Hyundai has an excellent track record for reliability, so the Ioniq 5 should be a dependable car. In our 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey, the South Korean brand ranked seventh out of 32 manufacturers. 

You get a five-year unlimited-mileage Hyundai 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 automatic emergency braking (AEB) 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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