Pros: Futuristic styling with utilitarian design; lengthy range; rapid charging; surprisingly fun to drive; excellent infotainment
Cons: Base model is less appealing; less useful cargo space than rival EVs; no federal tax credit
The electric car market is expanding and evolving rapidly, but the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 continues to hover high above much of the field despite its nameplate being three years old. It still wows with its digitalized retro looks and hatchback shape that disguise the fact that it’s actually quite big. That size grants it a degree of practicality and comfort that make it a great family vehicle, while Hyundai has tuned it to be surprisingly fun to drive.
The Ioniq 5 checks plenty of other key boxes, especially for the typical EV buyers. Electric range is above average and its 800-volt architecture makes it one of the fastest-charging EVs, period. Performance is quite strong, too, especially with the dual-motor model. Infotainment tech is top-notch – it looks cool and is easy to use. Safety tech is even better – it’s one of the most extensive and best-executed driver assistance suites on the market.
As much as we love the Ioniq 5, checking out the mechanically related Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 sedan is a must, as is the new Chevrolet Blazer EV (although its availability is limited in the coming year). One also can’t ignore the low prices and superior charging network offered by the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y. We’re not sure any of them are quite as cool as the Ioniq 5, though.
Note that the refreshed 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 is coming soon, and the hi-po 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is available now. We’re not totally sure what’s in store for the rest of the next model year, but we’ve driven the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (it’s incredibly fun), and have included it in this buying guide.
Interior & Technology | Passenger & Cargo Space | Performance & Fuel Economy
What it’s like to drive | Pricing & Trim Levels | Crash Ratings & Safety Features
What’s new for 2024?
There are a slew of added standard features that weren’t available at all last year. This includes rear seat side airbags, rear outboard seatbelt pretensioners, steering wheel haptic feedback added to the lane-keeping and blind-spot warning systems, and in-car Wi-Fi capability (subscription required). A digital rearview mirror is also now standard on the Limited.
And finally, in case you’re wondering about the wild, high-performance Ioniq 5 N, it’s here as a 2025 model year. You can read our Hyundai Ioniq 5 N review here.
What are the Ioniq 5 interior and in-car technology like?
The Ioniq 5’s cabin is big, bright and airy, with a minimalist design aesthetic that doesn’t lose sight of functionality. Everything isn’t controlled and displayed on one screen, and there are still conventional buttons and switches for things like the windows and climate controls where you expect them to be. Even the touch-sensitive buttons and electronic shifter, which can typically be a source of frustration, are well-executed.
In the Limited trim, the center console is moveable, sliding forward and backward. That console is home to a pair of cupholders, a large cargo tray, a slot for a phone — with an available wireless charging pad — and a pair of USB ports. It’s a clean and calming space that’s surprisingly spacious and airy. The color palette is limited: black monotone and two-tone gray with a two-tone green sadly only available with the Digital Teal or Shooting Star exterior Limited trim levels.
Every Ioniq 5 features dual 12.3-inch displays, with one serving as the instrument panel, the other as an infotainment touchscreen. It’s one of the better infotainment systems on the market (it’s also likely to be replaced with Hyundai’s updated one, as the Ioniq 5 N has, and we don’t like it as much). The menus make sense, simple tasks like changing a radio station are easy, responses are quick, and it looks good. We also like the 60/40-split screen functionality that lets you look at audio and navigation, for instance, at the same time. Unfortunately, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not available, which obviously means you have to plug in your phone to use them. Worse, the data USB port is under the dash down by your shin (below right), meaning your phone will end up stranded down there, too. The non-data USB ports and the available wireless charger are located in the center console (below).
The Limited trim gets a head-up display with integrated augmented reality. In addition to the usual HUD duties, it can also project images to highlight the car ahead of you, give alerts about lane safety and help indicate where and when to make the next turn on your route. If that sounds like a lot of visual information, it is, but you can tailor the content shown in your HUD through menu selections. This is the type of cutting-edge tech you can only find in upper-crust vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
How big is the Ioniq 5?
It’s way bigger than it looks. While it looks like a hatchback in photos, seeing it in person, you can better understand why the Ioniq 5 is better classified as a midsize crossover SUV. Its wheelbase is about 3 inches longer than that of the three-row Hyundai Palisade. As such, the Ioniq 5 is fabulously roomy inside. Back seat legroom is vast, but then that’s pretty much an EV given at this point. The front row is especially spacious and open, however. The available sliding center console opens that lounge-like space up even more, and if you really want to lounge, the Limited includes a driver seat footrest to use while parked/charging (both pictured above).
As for the cargo area, the footprint is big, but the aggressively raked rear window means taller items could impede the closure of the liftgate. The rear seats can slide forward to allow a little more luggage space, at the expense of second-row passenger space. The Ioniq 5 claims 27.2 cubic feet behind the second row, which is lower than the Ford Mustang Mach-E’s 29.7 and the Volkswagen ID.4’s 30.3. Its on-paper volume is greater than that of its Kia EV6 cousin, but in our Ioniq 5 Luggage Test, we found that the shape/slope of the hatchback impedes loading, shrinks usable size and ultimately makes the cargo less spacious than the EV6 and the other electric crossovers. There’s no front trunk (or “frunk,” if you prefer) under the hood apart from a small space (0.85 cubic feet) only big enough to stash the mobile charging cable or other small items. That’s at least better than needing to store them in the cargo area, and at this point, few EVs have useful frunks.
What are the Ioniq 5 fuel economy and range specs?
There are three drivetrain configurations for the Ioniq 5. The base standard-range version has a 58-kilowatt-hour battery good for 220 miles of driving. It is only available as a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive model with 168 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Its efficiency is rated at 110 miles-per-gallon-equivelent combined
Then there are two versions with the 77.4-kWh long-range battery. The single-motor rear-wheel-drive version provides 225 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. That’s good enough for a sprint from 0-60 mph in around 7 seconds, which would be an average time for a midsize SUV. With a driving range of 303 miles, it’s rated at 110 mpg-e combined.
The all-wheel-drive version adds a second motor that powers the front wheels. The resulting total jumps significantly to 320 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque, which is why there’s a larger price premium for all-wheel drive than you’d see in gas-powered cars, plus the Toyota bZ4X and Chevrolet Blazer EV. All that extra juice motivates the Ioniq 5 from a stop to 60 mph in about 5 seconds, but range drops to a still useful 260 miles. It’s rated at 99 mpg-e combined.
On the charging front, the Ioniq 5’s 800-volt battery architecture means it can take advantage of 150- and 350-kW DC fast chargers, the latter able to take the battery from 10% up to 80% in just 18 minutes. It’s one of the fastest-charging EVs, period.
The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N gets dual-motor all-wheel drive good for 601 hp and 545 lb-ft of torque, or 641 hp and 568 lb-ft for 10 seconds at a time with the “N Grin Boost” function engaged. It’ll do 0-60 in a claimed 3.25 seconds. Its 84-kWh battery has a range of 221 miles, and gets 72 mpg-e.
