Hyundai Ioniq 5 Review & Prices

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 — even four years on and having had a major upgrade in 2024 — is one of the most striking-looking electric cars around, with a design that’s inspired by 1970s hatchbacks but with the space and practicality (almost) of a big SUV. It’s an alternative to cars like the VW ID.4, the Skoda Enyaq, and the Tesla Model Y.

Actually the Ioniq 5 is quite big — about the size of a Volvo XC60 — but the design hides that size, so it’s like one of Father Ted’s cows in that it’s not small, but it might be far away. The ‘not small’ bit means that there’s loads of space inside for people, but perhaps not quite as much for luggage as you might hope.

The interior matches the dramatic style of the outside with two big screens mounted high up on the dashboard, and a cabin that’s minimalist, but not bare — which is a neat trick. In fact, Hyundai clearly believes that proper buttons still have a role to play in modern car design, which makes the infotainment screen far easier to use and understand than that of many rivals.

There’s a distinct lounge-like feel to the cabin, helped by big comfy seats (which recline like armchairs on higher-spec models) and a centre console that slides back and forth depending on who needs to use it. Some of the quality isn’t quite perfect — the big chunky gear selector behind the steering wheel feels kinda weird — but overall the Ioniq 5 feels really well put together.

Any driver should easily be able to get comfortable, even if the steering wheel doesn’t quite adjust as much as you might like. There’s tonnes of storage space for stuff up front too, from coffee cups to laptop bags.

Hyundai Ioniq 5: Electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 273-354 miles
Efficiency: 3.4-3.9 miles per kWh
Battery size: 63kWh / 84kWh
Max charge speed: 260kW
Charge time AC: 8hrs 30mins, 0-100% at 7.4kW / 11hrs 20mins, 0-100% at 7.4kW
Charge time DC: 18 mins, 10-80% at 260kW
Charge port location: Left rear
Power outputs: 170hp / 228hp / 325hp

Even tall passengers will get comfy in the back, although the height of the floor relative to the seat means that your knees stick up a bit high. The rear doors open wide, so it’s easy to load and unload kids and their car seats.

At 520 litres, the Ioniq 5’s boot is competitive, but it’s some way short of the 585 litres offered by the Skoda Enyaq, and the Hyundai’s boot is quite shallow. There is a small front-boot in the nose though, which is a handy place to stash a charging cable.

In 2024, Hyundai gave the Ioniq 5 a big battery update, so it now comes with a 63kWh ‘small’ battery pack, with a range of up to 273 miles — an improvement on the previous 58kWh pack — and a ‘large’ 84kWh battery with a range of up to 354 miles. Again, that’s an improvement on the old 77kWh battery, but there are plenty of alternatives which boast more range on one charge. That said, Hyundai’s claims are usually more rigorously rooted in reality than those of others, so in general what the Ioniq 5 claims is what it will actually do.

The Ioniq 5’s charging speed has also been increased, to 260kW, so if you can find a charger that’s powerful enough, you can top it up from 10-80% charge in just 18 minutes. Only Porsche and Audi do it better.

There is of course the astonishing 650hp Ioniq 5 N electric high-performance model, but that’s so different we’ll deal with it in a separate review.

The Ioniq 5 has light, slightly distant, steering but that just kind of encourages you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the view out of the big windows (augmented by an excellent parking camera system for tight spots). The Ionq 5’s suspension is generally comfortable, but it’s relatively stiff so you do feel bumps a little more than you would in a VW ID.4.

Performance is best in the 325hp all-wheel drive version, of course, but it’s also totally fine in the 228hp rear-drive model. The Ioniq 5 isn’t as much fun to drive on a twisty road as some other EVs (Ioniq 5 N apart) but it is one of those cars that gets better the more you ask of it in corners. There are some impressive driver assistance systems for longer journeys, although the lane-keeping steering can be annoyingly over-reactive.

The Hyundai Ionq 5 is a sharp-looking, hugely roomy, and technologically advanced electric car and now that Hyundai has updated the batteries, it’s also more competitive in terms of range than it used to be.

If it sounds like the car for you, head on over to our Hyundai Ioniq 5 deals page to see how much you can save through Carwow, while you can check out used Hyundai Ioniq 5s on Carwow as well. You can also check out used Hyundai models, while you can also change your car entirely with sell your car.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is not hugely dissimilar to the Kia EV6 in many ways – the two cars share many bits underneath – which means it will come as no major surprise that the pricing is not a million miles apart between the two. The Hyundai shades it though, coming out fractionally cheaper when you look at the entry-level price. However, that cheaper Hyundai gets a smaller battery than the Kia.

That model fits into a lower insurance group, too, but the others are all much the same as one another. It is competitive with the comparable versions of the Skoda Enyaq and VW ID4.

The Ioniq 5 is comfortable and impressively refined, but it’s not especially sporty and alternatives offer more range

In town

A jacked-up driving position and big windows make the Ioniq 5 an easy car to see out of, which is handy when you’re trundling down tight lanes or trying to navigate busy car parks. Its light, accurate steering also steps in to make things a lot easier here; as do a range of sensors and cameras. Generally speaking, the Ioniq 5 feels like a car that’s easy to keep out of trouble.

There are four levels of regenerative braking to choose from, and the most powerful setting will let you bring the car to a stop simply by lifting off the accelerator. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you’ve wrapped your head around it chances are you’ll use it all the time.

Its suspension set-up makes it a comfortable car to drive, too. There can be a little bit of agitated fidgeting at low speed on poorly surfaced roads, and really big ruts will send a bit of shock back into the cabin, but generally this is a cushy, quiet car to waft around in. It’ll certainly take the stress out of the school run – that’s for sure!

The cameras on the Ioniq 5 are brilliant, producing really high definition pictures on the screens. You can zoom in on the overhead image, too, and use it to look all around the car, which is really handy for parking. The only downside is that the rear camera is positioned quite low down, and there is no dedicated cleaning system so you might need to wipe it off in grotty weather.

On the motorway

The Hyundai is composed and pretty quiet at higher speeds on the motorway, with automated cruise control and lane-keeping assist (which can be a bit hyperactive) helping to up the levels of relaxation. There is a bit of tyre noise but not much else at higher speeds.

Eco mode might be good for keeping the range high but it does really dial back the responsiveness of the throttle so it’s more for cruising than overtaking slower vehicles. Equally, the new bigger battery means you don't have to worry about range quite so much.

The seats might have plenty of adjustment but aren’t necessarily the comfiest on longer journeys for all drivers – make sure you test them on a longer trip if you can.

On a twisty road

Trundle out of town and onto the open road, and it keeps its cool. At a cruise there isn’t much road roar or wind noise at all, and that relaxed suspension comes into its own.

Pop it into Sports mode and the throttle response gets much sharper and the suspension gets a little stiffer. But even with that it doesn’t feel quite as composed around the corners as the Kia EV6 and it’s not as much fun on a twisty road as a Ford Mustang Mach-e. But there’s good grip, and it doesn’t wallow about too much. The lightweight steering means it doesn’t really feel all that sporty though. Still, in terms of ride comfort you’ll definitely find that it’s the easier car to live with.

If you like the idea of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 but would prefer it be sportier to drive, the Ioniq 5 N could be the car for you. It's incredibly quick and has had loads of upgrades that make it great fun to drive down a twisty road. You can even make it sound like a petrol car, complete with fake gear shifts, but that's for another review...

With plenty of adjustment you can get comfortable very easily in the cabin, but the boot space is down on the closest alternatives

The sliding ‘Universal Island’ centre console up front in the Ioniq 5 has a couple of good-sized cup-holders, as well as some larger cubbies and trays for various odds and ends. The door bins are a bit on the small side though, so fitting in larger drink bottles and the like might take a bit of careful coordination. The glovebox is a great space, though, and is better described as a drawer as it slides out to give you a huge amount of storage.

The design of the centre console means that there is a lot of room around the footwells and, because it can be slid forwards and backwards, it means that either of the front occupants can slide over to get out of the car on the opposite side if you end up parked in a tight spot. It doesn’t add much more in the way of storage, but it does add to the general feeling of space in the cabin.

It’s generally pretty easy to get comfortable behind the wheel. The one gripe is that the steering column could do with a bit more in the way of reach adjustment, if only so you could set your seat slightly further back from the pedals. Hardly a deal-breaker, though.

Space in the back seats

In the back there is loads of headroom, and loads of legroom. Higher-spec models get control buttons on the front passenger seat too, which means you can slide it forward from the comfort of the back seats if you want.

Because the floor is totally flat, you can easily fit an adult in the middle seat too. Even taller adults sitting here will still find there’s a good amount of space between the tops of their noggins and the roof lining. Should you want to fine-tune your levels of comfort even more, then you can do so by reclining the rear seats. The only quibble is that the floor is relatively high up, so taller passengers might find that their legs are more folded up than they would like.

The ISOFIX car seat anchors are easy to find too, and the back doors open up fairly wide – so loading in a car seat or strapping in an unruly toddler shouldn’t be more stressful than it needs to be.

There are storage pockets on the front seat backs, where kids can keep things like books or, more realistically, iPads and other tech. Again, there are doorbins where you’ll be able to stash smaller drink bottles, and if you don’t have anyone sitting in the middle row you can fold the armrest down to reveal two further cup holders. Handy.

Boot space

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 doesn't have the biggest boot among similar electric cars – the Skoda Enyaq (585 litres) and VW ID4 (543 litres) are both larger overall in the boot area – but it still has a decent 520 litres of luggage room to play with. That's also more than the 402 litres you get in the Ford Mustang Mach-e. The motors under the floor mean the boot isn’t as deep as would be ideal, but you get a wide opening and a shallow loading lip. On higher-spec models you get a hands-free tailgate, too.

Up front there is a good storage compartment under the bonnet, providing you go for the rear-wheel-drive model, which gives you 57 litres of space. Go for the all-wheel-drive model and this drops to just 24 litres, which isn’t good for much beyond the charging cables.

With a unique look, the Ioniq 5's cabin is very lounge-like and modern, but there are some materials that don't feel too great

The cabin of the Ioniq 5 is unlike any Hyundai that came before, because it just looks and feels (for the most part) pretty cool and minimalistic. It's so good that you can see its influence in every Hyundai that's come since.

The quality is decent all round, and the seats and steering wheel can come covered with a soft-touch, eco-friendly leather upholstery while the extensive ambient lighting on the doors and dash adds to the Ioniq 5’s lounge-like appeal.

Other smart-looking touches include the graphite-effect trim inlays in the doors, and the metallic covers that have been fitted to the ends of the indicator and washer stalks, which are cool and smooth under your fingers.

Not all of the plastics are great, with the shortcut buttons that run below the infotainment screen feeling a little bit on the cheap side, but things like this are smartly balanced out by other neat details.

Unsurprisingly, Hyundai goes heavy on the tech, with all versions of the Ioniq 5 getting a pair of crisp 12.3-inch digital screens mounted on top of the dashboard. The first is in place of an old-fashioned instrument cluster and holds all of your driving data, while the other is the touchscreen and the focal point of the infotainment system.

It is straightforward to use with a series of handy shortcut buttons along the bottom edge that help you get from one function to another without having to delve into the menus. That said, they are touch-sensitive buttons rather than physical ones and there isn’t anywhere to rest the heel of your hand while you are using it so you might find it easier to alter things while you are parked up anyway.

The graphics are slick enough, and fairly responsive too. You might find the massive, portrait-orientated screen in the Ford Mustang Mach-e to be a bit more visually impressive, but the Hyundai’s set-up is still good overall. You get satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, DAB radio, a wireless charge pad, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity all included as standard.

Range-topping models get a head-up display that can project directional prompts from the satellite navigation into your field of vision using augmented reality.

There are USB sockets in the front and back, although somewhat strangely they are the older versions, rather than the more modern USB-C connections.

The Ioniq 5 also comes with a Vehicle-to-Load charging function. Basically, this means you can use it as a massive mobile battery pack to charge up e-bikes and scooters, camping equipment, laptops – practically anything you can think of. It should, theoretically, be able to charge another electric car, but you’ll be waiting some time if you go down that route.

Hyundai has kept things pretty straightforward here, so you’ve only got a choice of three different battery and engine combinations for your Ioniq 5.

The entry-level model has a 63kWh battery that’s paired with a single electric motor. This sits at the back of the car, and generates a modest 170hp and 350Nm for a fairly brisk 0-60mph time of 8.5 seconds. With that smaller battery in place, Hyundai says you’ll be able to cover up to 273 miles on a single charge - quite a lot better than the older, smaller-battery model.

Sitting above that car is the single-motor, 84kWh model (up from 78kWh for the pre-2024 version). This car gets a slight power boost (up to 228hp for a 0-60mph time of 7.4 seconds); but the main attraction here is that it gets considerably more range than the 63kWh model – up to 354 miles from a charge, and that's way better than the older 78kWh version.

Then, there’s the range-topping model. This version has the same 84kWh battery, but instead of just one electric motor it has two – one at the back and one at the front.

Together, these motors produce 325hp and 605Nm, which means this version of the Ioniq 5 can really get a shift on. The run to 60mph takes just 5.2sec – which is practically as quick as some of the faster hot hatchbacks you can buy these days, and our tests managed even quicker than that

The additional performance is certainly nice, but because there are two electric motors for the battery to keep running instead of just one, range takes a bit of a hit. Hyundai reckons you should be able to do up to 307 miles on a charge.

And as for charging? Well, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 can charge at up to 260kW, making it one of the fastest charging cars on sale right now. That means a 0-80% charge will take about 18 minutes if you can find one of the few chargers that can hit this speed. Plugged into a 7kW home wallbox you’ll top the biggest 84kWh battery up overnight very comfortably. On a 100kW public charger you can expect to get 80% of charge back in around 35 minutes. Regardless of which model you go for, you will get fast charging capability included as standard.

It is worth noting that some alternatives have a claimed range that's better than that of the 84kWh Hyundai Ioniq 5. The Skoda Enyaq Coupe claims 365 miles on one charge, for instance, while the Polestar 4 claims up to 385 miles.

As an electric vehicle, you don't have to pay Vehicle Excise Duty because it doesn't produce emissions. With that in mind, the Ioniq 5's company car tax rate is very low - making it a smart option if you have a regular place to charge it.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has the full five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, which means it not only performs well in a crash versus its rivals but it also comes equipped with the sort of safety kit that is required to get a high score these days.

It scored well in the adult and child crash tests and also got a high rating on the technology front too. Lane-keep assist, intelligent speed limit assist, emergency braking, navigation-based cruise control and a driver fatigue warning system are all included as standard.

Security-wise, all versions get much the same kit including an alarm and remote locking and a smart key with keyless entry and a power on/off button. Said key can also be used to remotely park the Ioniq 5 slowly without anyone in it.

The Ioniq 5 gets Hyundai’s standard warranty cover, which, at five years, isn’t as long as the Kia’s cover but it is above the three years most manufacturers offer, and you get the added bonus of unlimited mileage. It's also fully transferable so you still benefit if you are the second owner.

Hyundai finished a disappointing 17th out of 32 manufacturers in the most recent Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. The Ioniq 5 didn't feature in the top cars to own, but the closely-related Kia EV6 placed seventh out of 75 cars.