Hyundai Ioniq 6 Review

Hyundai’s ‘electric streamliner’ takes inspiration from aerodynamic pioneers but wraps its smooth shape in an ultra-modern, forward-looking design. Its low-drag bodywork helps the Ioniq 6 cut through the air like a molten knife, and increases range over the Ioniq 5 it’s based on.

While the Ioniq 6’s slug-like shape is completely different to the Minecraft-inspired Ioniq 5, there are some shared details – such as the pixel rear lights and confident surfacing. You’ll find plenty of similarities inside, with a pair of intuitive, clear and tech-filled screens taking centre stage in a light and airy cabin.

Named the ‘best in class’ in Euro NCAP’s 2022 results, the five-star Ioniq 6 is an incredibly safe car – it scored an unbeaten 97% for adult occupant protection, 87% for child protection and 90% for its on-board safety features. What’s more, it should be a doddle to live with thanks to the brand's strong reliability record – and the balance of Hyundai’s five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty if anything does go wrong.

With such a focus on range and efficiency in electric cars, the Ioniq 6 isn’t alone in this class. Rivals come from a broad church – options include the Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2, BMW i4 and i5, and Volkswagen ID.7, plus newcomers like the BYD Seal.

If you want something comfortable and high-tech, with strong range figures and a brand you recognise, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is well worth testing out. Oh, and we haven’t even got to the best bit yet – lightly used Ioniq 6s are deliciously affordable. A two-year-old, sub-20,000-mile example is half the cost of a new model but, as our guide to electric car depreciation shows, it won’t continue to lose money at the same rate.

Besides annoying driver assistance aids that are fitted in every new car, we’ve only got good things to say about the Ioniq 6’s interior.

The twin 12.3-inch screens look very modern, and the graphics and responses from the touchscreen back that up – there’s no waiting around for menus to load. You’ll use the infotainment screen for a lot of the car’s features, so it’s a good job that it’s slick and easy to understand. It won’t take you long to remember where the menus are, and you shouldn’t find that you’re having to take your eyes off the road for too long.

Unlike the Ioniq 5, the Ioniq 6 gets a full-length centre console – perhaps because the window switches have moved there. It gives a slightly more traditional feel than the Ioniq 5, but there’s still a massive storage area underneath that’s big enough for a rucksack or for enough travel sweets to feed an army.

Where it finishes, you’ll find a proper climate control panel featuring solid-feeling switchgear – which is much easier to use while driving than the on-screen controls in the Tesla Model 3 and VW ID.7. In fact, the majority of materials look and feel premium, and build quality is strong too.

Only two very high-spec trim levels are available – Premium and Ultimate. The former includes a vast array of kit, including wireless phone charging, keyless entry, a heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats with electric front seat adjustment, matrix LED headlights and 20-inch alloy wheels. Upgrade to Ultimate and you’ll get vegan leather upholstery with cooled front seats, a sunroof, a head-up display, a Bose sound system and parking assist.

Don’t bother speccing the door mirror cameras (pictured) in place of conventional door mirrors. They might add a couple of extra miles onto the official range estimate, but they’re far less intuitive to use than proper mirrors. The view they give is a bit skewed, making parking more difficult than it needs to be – not ideal when the Ioniq 6 is over 4.8 metres long. The position of the camera displays takes some getting used to, as well.

From the Ioniq 6’s swoopy shape, you can probably guess that rear headroom isn’t great. And you’d be right – tall adults will find their quiffs jutting up against the roof, although there’s enough space for average-sized folks.

The Ioniq 6’s sheer length means any adult, regardless of their height, will have free air between their knees and the seat in front. Foot room is decent enough too, and it shouldn’t be too difficult to convince three adults to sit side-by-side for a short journey. Rear-seat passengers get cupholders, air vents and USBs, and the outer rear seats are heated so everyone on board can get comfortable.

Considering the size of the car, the 401-litre boot is small – albeit not a million miles away from the space you get in a Model 3 or a Polestar 2. The Ioniq 6 is also hindered by its saloon-style bootlid, with an opening that’s not big enough to be really useful. Hatchback rivals such as the Polestar, VW ID.7 and the BMW i4 are much easier to load bulky items into.

The Hyundai’s split-folding rear seats can be usefully flicked down from the boot while, up front, there’s a 45-litre frunk for cable storage on two-wheel-drive cars. Because of the second e-motor on all-wheel-drive cars, this reduces to just 14.5 litres.

In terms of practicality, the related Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6 are better choices than the Ioniq 6. Both the 5 and the Kia have extra rear headroom and bigger, more usable boots than the 6. 

Every Ioniq 6 comes with a chunky 77kWh battery, enabling a maximum range of 338 miles for rear-driven cars and 322 miles for all-wheel-drive ones. Those figures are strong and should prove enough for any buyer, although range-conscious buyers might gravitate towards the ID.7 Pro S and its claimed 435-mile range.

But the Hyundai’s trump card is its 800V charging system, which enables much faster recharging than its rivals. At a 350kW charger, the Ioniq 6 can eat up 80% of battery charge in just 18 minutes, while a BMW i4 would be still plugged in 10 minutes later. Or, if you charge at home, a full charge (0-100%) takes under 12 hours from a 7kW wallbox. Simply plug it in overnight and you can wake up with a full ‘tank’.

Neither the 228hp rear-wheel-drive powertrain or the 325hp dual-motor all-wheel-drive one are short of power, with plenty of overtaking pace even at motorway speeds. From a standstill, the RWD takes a nippy 7.4 seconds to get to 62mph. The AWD version drops that to just 5.1 seconds. We’d stick with the slightly more efficient RWD model, but the sports car performance of the AWD is undoubtedly tempting.

Like its rivals, any Ioniq 6 registered after April 2025 will be subject to the luxury car tax, meaning a £620 annual tax bill until the car is six years old. Cars registered before this date will cost £195 a year. Similarly, insurance is a cost you’ll have to bear in mind. An entry-level car sits in group 36 out of 50 (AWD versions are in group 41), which is on a par with the BMW i4 and some versions of the Polestar 2. A Tesla will be even more expensive to cover, however.

Even though the Ioniq 6 boasts plenty of power, it’s not a corner-hungry sports car. Hyundai has kept company-car drivers in mind, so high-speed refinement and comfort are the order of the day.

At speed, it’s comfortable and quiet, although rough sections and potholes do spoil the ambiance a little. In this respect a Volkswagen ID.7 is a little better, but the Hyundai beats the Model 3 and i4 for comfort. As is often the case in heavy EVs, the ride at lower speeds can be patchy and bobbly, not helped by the standard-fit 20-inch alloy wheels.

Super light, twirly steering makes the cumbersome Ioniq 6 actually quite easy to manoeuvre around town. It’s not a chore to park or to execute a quick three-point turn.

Along with the light steering, the fact that the Ioniq 6 rolls through corners a little more than the focused i4 shows that the Hyundai isn’t really keen on sporty, white-knuckle driving. Calm and composed is what it’s best at.

The brakes are excellent, with a good transition between the regen from the electric motor and the physical discs. Speaking of the regen braking, you can adjust the strength of it using the paddles behind the wheel, so you can choose no regen for motorway coasting, full regen for one-pedal driving or something in between.