Hyundai Ioniq 9 review

We think Hyundai already makes the best seven-seater on the market, so why on Earth does it need another one? Well, the Hyundai Ioniq 9 – unlike the Santa Fe – is a fully electric car.

It’s also even bigger than its hybrid counterpart – indeed it’s the biggest car Hyundai has ever made, being fractionally longer than a Range Rover. So if you want to carry around seven adults in comfort without burning a drop of petrol or diesel, it’s inevitably going to appeal – but what other options are there?

Hyundai Ioniq 9 video review

Well, the Ioniq 9’s closest rival is the Kia EV9 – a car it shares basic underpinnings with (Hyundai and Kia are sister brands, in case you didn’t know). However, the van-shaped Volkswagen ID Buzz LWB might also be on your shortlist, as might the cheaper Peugeot e-5008 if you don’t need something quite so enormous.

In this review we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Hyundai Ioniq 9, including how it stacks up against its key rivals for space, price, range and charging speed.

All versions of the Hyundai Ioniq 9 have the same 106kWh (usable capacity) battery, but the range between charges depends largely on how much performance you want.

If you’re happy with modest acceleration (0-62mph in 9.4 seconds) the entry-level, 215bhp RWD model seems like a no-brainer. We haven’t tried it yet, but it’s the cheapest option and can travel the furthest.

The official range (not signed off by the authorities yet) is expected to be 385 miles – usefully further than any Kia EV9 can manage. The main reason is that the Ioniq 9 has a slightly bigger battery than the EV9, but it’s also a more aerodynamic shape, so less energy is wasted as it drives along the road.

We have tried the Long Range AWD version, which has a second electric motor on the front axle, giving the Ioniq 9 four-wheel drive and boosting power to 308bhp. The 0-62mph time drops to 6.7 seconds and the official range also falls, to 372 miles.

As with any electric car, don’t expect to match the official range in real-world driving, although trips of 250 to 300 miles should be easily achievable. Indeed, during our testing in South Korea, where the temperature hovered around freezing, we drove 267 miles without charging and still had 2% of indicated battery remaining.

There’s also a range-topping Performance AWD variant with 429bhp and a 0-62mph time of just 5.2 seconds. Hyundai hasn’t given an official range figure for it yet. 

While the Ioniq 9 has a long range and fast charging, it's not the ideal long-distance companion in other ways. Unlike many similar-sized European SUVs – both petrol and electric – there’s no option to have air suspension, and that’s probably one of the reasons there’s an unsettled quality to the ride at higher speeds.

That said, the roads in Korea are far from perfect and our test car was shod with fairly chunky 21in wheels. Cheaper versions with 19in or 20in rims might well prove calmer and more relaxing, and will hopefully also reduce the amount of tyre noise that makes its way inside the car at faster speeds.

Even on those big wheels comfort around town is decent, and the Ioniq 9 isn’t particularly flustered by potholes or expansion joints. Despite its size and weight, it’s also a surprisingly easy car to drive in urban environments, thanks to light steering, a smooth power delivery and a brake pedal that isn’t too grabby.

True, there’s plenty of body lean on faster, twistier roads but the same is true in the EV9. The Peugeot e-5008 is a bit more agile but that’s a significantly smaller, lighter car – and it's not as though the Ioniq 9 is unnervingly wallowy. In short, it’s more of a Land Rover Defender than an Audi Q7.

"The Ioniq 9 doesn’t have the most feelsome brake pedal I’ve ever used, but it’s easy enough to slow down smoothly. That’s the important thing." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

The Ioniq 9 isn’t only big – it also feels more upmarket than any of Hyundai’s other models (as you might rightly expect given its higher price). Don’t expect Audi Q7 levels of quality (the silver painted hard plastic on the dashboard sees to that) but there’s nothing at all low-rent or offensive.

There’s lots to like about the driving position too, partly because you sit high up in a super-comfy seat, but also because of the easy-to-use physical controls for the air-conditioning. In the Kia EV9, many of the air-con settings are controlled using a small secondary touchscreen that's partly obscured by the steering wheel.

The Ioniq 9's 12.3in touchscreen is curved towards the driver to make it easier to see and reach. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard, and there’s also Hyundai’s Features on Demand (FOM) service, which allows you to download upgrades from an online store. You can also use apps to watch YouTube or Netflix when parked.

It’s a very similar infotainment system to the one in the EV9, and the operating system is more intuitive than the one in a Peugeot e-5008 or VW ID Buzz LWB. 

You’ll be able to add optional touchscreens on the backs of the front seats so your rear passengers can watch while you’re driving. Hyundai hasn’t confirmed prices yet or said which trims they’ll be available with.

As for visibility, there’s a great view down the road ahead and the Ioniq 9's windscreen pillars don’t get in the way too much at junctions and roundabouts. All versions are likely to come with front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree surround-view camera as standard.

"I didn’t get on with the optional digital door mirrors, which project a live feed from the sides of the car on to small screens. It’s much harder to judge distances than with conventional glass mirrors." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

Given that the Hyundai Ioniq 9 is slightly longer than a Range Rover, it probably won’t shock you to learn that it’s enormous inside. 

Two six-footers on the third row will enjoy loads of head room and a broad padded armrest. Even leg room is remarkably generous – as long as whoever is sitting in the second row hasn’t slid their seat all the way back on its runners, something they’d have no reasonable excuse for doing.

In short, third-row passengers are far better catered for than in a Peugeot e-5008. Indeed, space is roughly on a par with the Kia EV9, if not quite as outrageously copious as it is in a VW ID Buzz LWB.

That second row is a three-seat bench as standard, but if you go for range-topping Calligraphy trim you can have two individual chairs instead, making the Ioniq 9 a six-seater. If you do that, you can opt for swivelling seats, making it easier to lift youngsters into child seats and allowing your second and third row passengers to face one another. There’s also a luxury reclining armchair option.

With seven seats fitted and in use, the Ioniq 9's boot space can hold your weekly shopping or a few carry-on suitcases, plus there’s some underfloor storage for the charging cable. You can press some buttons to fold down the third and second rows to create a vast, van-like load bay.

There’s more storage under the bonnet – a respectable 52 litres in AWD versions and 88 litres in RWD models. That’s enough for a few bags of shopping or a couple of soft bags. Or you can stow the charging cables there if you’d prefer.

Interior storage impresses too. There’s a huge cubby under the armrest between the driver and front passenger, which can be accessed by passengers on the second row as well as those in the front. In fact, the whole centre console can be slid back and forth by as much as 190mm to make it easier for those in the back to reach it.

"I’m just over six feet tall but was perfectly comfortable on the third row of the Ioniq 9. Even getting there (and back out again) is pretty easy." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

UK prices for the Ioniq 9 had not been announced at the time of writing, but Hyundai says it intends to undercut the Kia EV9 by a couple of thousand pounds. If that turns out to be the case, the starting price will be around £63,000. Expect to pay around £75,000 for the range-topping AWD Calligraphy model.

While the Ioniq 9 looks like being a slightly cheaper choice than an equivalent EV9, it will be priced way above the smaller Peugeot e-5008. Even the VW ID Buzz – an electric MPV with more interior space than the Ioniq 9 – looks cheap by comparison.

It’s worth noting that for similar money to the Ioniq 9 you could get an Audi Q7 or Land Rover Defender – although company car drivers should note that they'll both cost vastly more in BIK tax than any electric car.

We can’t give you much of a steer on reliability because the Ioniq 9 hasn’t been launched yet and the closely related EV9 was too new to feature in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey. Hyundai finished a respectable 10th out of 31 brands in the overall manufacturer league table, which is encouraging.

Likewise, the Ioniq 9 has not yet been tested for safety by Euro NCAP.

As with all Hyundai car models, the Ioniq 9 comes with a five-year unlimited-mileage warranty on most components, with eight years’ cover on the battery (capped at 100,000 miles).

"Many families will understandably want to wait for the Euro NCAP safety rating to be published. I’m also interested to see which safety aids will be fitted to different trim levels." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

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