Hyundai Ioniq 5: Five reasons why we love it…and five why we loathe it

Loaded with technology and rocking an exterior design that looks as if it has been taken from a futuristic sci-fi movie, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is one of the best electric cars on sale today.

While its looks are distinctive, its proportions are equally mind-bending, because even though its dimensions make it look like a hatchback, it is in fact much larger and is more aligned with SUVs and crossovers. 

This means there more room inside for passengers and a bigger boot for all your luggage. But while its looks have caught the attention of prospective EV owners, the Ioniq 5 isn't perfect. Let's take a closer look. 

We LOVE the Hyundai Ioniq 5 because…

Because of its large proportions, there’s heaps of room inside for both children and adults. You would have to be seriously tall to have any issues with leg room, and there is plenty of head room for six-footers, too. 

Rear leg room is very generous – in fact we’d go as far to say it's limo-like in this regard. Even with the driver's seat pushed back there is plenty of room to stretch out. Head room meanwhile isn’t as good as the Tesla Model Y, but even six-footers will be able to get comfortable in the back.

We LOATHE the Hyundai Ioniq 5 because…

It’s not as sharp to drive as the Kia EV6 or Genesis GV60. The softer suspension setup of the Ioniq 5 makes it feel a bit woolly on more rural roads, and tends to lean more when cornering quickly. 

That is not to say that the Ioniq 5 is uncomfortable, far from it in fact as it deals with bumps well. The steering is also less communicative than the EV6, with the handling feel of the car more delicate than its rivals. 

We LOVE the Hyundai Ioniq 5 because…

It can be charged up at super-fast speeds which means you don’t have to wait long at a public charger before you can get back on the road. The 77kWh models can be charged at a maximum rate of 238kW, meaning you can boost the battery from 10-80% in just 17 minutes.

We should point out that super-fast charging points are hard to come by in the UK, which means you will more likely charge at between 50-150kW as these are more commonplace at motorway services, supermarkets and restaurants. Still, numbers are on the rise and a sub-20 minute charge for an EV is worthy of praise. 

We LOATHE the Hyundai Ioniq 5 because…

Even though there is plenty of room inside the car for adults, less praise can be awarded to the boot, which isn’t as generous as the Volkswagen ID 4 or Tesla Model Y. You can only fit seven carry-on suitcases in the back of the Ioniq 5, whereas the ID can take nine. 

The Ioniq 5’s frunk is also pretty small, with even less room if you opt for the all-wheel-drive model. 

We LOVE the Hyundai Ioniq 5 because…

It’s cheaper than both the Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60 – and thanks to its commendable 315-mile range, it’s good value for money, too. The 77kWh 228 Ioniq 5 in Premium trim costs £46,945, which is £1300 less than the EV6 and £6960 less than the GV60. 

It's also worth noting that all models share the same E-GMP electric platform. 

We LOATHE the Hyundai Ioniq 5 because…

Inside, the Ioniq 5 is very well laid out, with modern screens and a minimalist feel, but the quality of the materials could be better. The plastics used on the dashboard and lower doors don't feel particularly tactile and some elements don’t feel as well screwed together. 

The Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y have better quality interiors, while the Genesis GV60 feels the most premium of the lot due to its use of soft-touch materials and overall refinement. 

We LOVE the Hyundai Ioniq 5 because…

It’s laden with cool technology that makes it even more appealing. There are a number of standout features, such as the 5’s Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) function. This means you can plug an adapter into the charging port, which turns it into a three-pin plug socket, with the car able to charge appliances at up to 3.6kW. 

The front seats also feature a nap mode: at the touch of a button the seat automatically slides backwards and reclines into a more relaxing position – although we wouldn’t recommend you do this on the move. 

We LOATHE the Hyundai Ioniq 5 because…

You don’t get a rear windscreen wiper. The car has apparently been designed so that water is pushed off by the airflow at high speeds, but during the colder, wetter months of the year the screen is still blocked by dirt. A reversing camera helps to assuage the lack of rear wiper, but it would be nice to see one on the next-generation model. 

We LOVE the Hyundai Ioniq 5 because…

A hot N-badged version of the 5 will hit the road later this year, boasting a 641bhp power output, a drift mode, and a suite of new technological additions to make it more track focused. The Ioniq 5 N also trumps the technically related Kia EV6 GT for power and torque, and was developed at the Nürburgring, as well as on British roads, to offer the best possible driving experience. 

Set to cost from around £65,000, the Ioniq 5 N will also feature a fake gearbox and exhaust not, to help provide greater communication between the car and the driver. 

We LOATHE the Hyundai Ioniq 5 because…

The digital instrument display is snazzy, but when driving along (and dispensing on your driving position) the top of the wheel can block some of the graphics. 

The climate controls are also touch sensitive which can be more challenging to operate when on the move; the physical buttons in the GV60 are far easier to use. Still, the buttons for the AC are below the central touchscreen on a separate panel, rather than hidden in a sub-menu like in the Tesla models.