2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Review: Smooth Ride, Swoopy Looks, Crazy Efficiency

Kinda brilliant and kinda weird, this Hyundai may be the most mature Tesla Model 3 competitor we’ve seen yet.

Published July 7, 2023

Hyundai and Kia live under the same corporate umbrella. But besides sharing tech and platforms (and, well, price points), the two are different brands. Kia followed up their E-GMP standout EV6 with the no-brainer EV9 — a conventional three-row family crossover destined to sell. Hyundai — though it has an EV9 sibling called the Ioniq 7 en route — took a less intuitive route after the Ioniq 5, with the Ioniq 6.

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is a new sedan — launching at a time few want to buy sedans. Penchant for pixel-detailing aside, the Ioniq 6 darts off in a different design direction from the Ioniq 5 with a distinctive, hyper-sleek swooping body; the 6 almost looks more like a Porsche. The Ioniq 6 arrives at virtually the same price point as the Ioniq 5 — to compete for the same customers. It was a weird decision for Hyundai to bring the Ioniq 6 instead of fast-tracking the 7. But weird is intriguing — especially from a Hyundai brand that has been rolling out bangers with all types of powertrains lately.

The looks may inspire double takes. But the Ioniq 6’s slippery shape creates a super-low drag coefficient of 0.219, which rivals the likes of the Lucid Air, Tesla Model S and Mercedes EQS. Its aerodynamics makes it one of the longest-range EVs on the road with top ranges of 361 miles for rear-wheel-drive and 316 miles for all-wheel-drive. We can’t call those range numbers Tesla-esque because they beat the Model 3 at the same price point. That efficiency feat was impressive enough for the Ioniq 6 to snag Hyundai a second-straight World Car of the Year award.

I tested the Hyundai Ioniq 6 twice, for a day at the initial launch event in Arizona and for a week as a family car at home in Michigan. And it intrigued me more every time I drove it.

The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6: What We Think

hyundai ioniq 6 charging in a parking lot

Like the Ioniq 5, the Ioniq 6 is an unerringly pleasant everyday driver. And with the SE trims and the long-range battery pack, you get some of the best range and charging tech on the EV market for about the average price Americans spend on a new car. We’ve waited for legacy manufacturers to come up with a Tesla Model 3 killer, and the Ioniq 6 is it.

I do wonder whether buyers will find the Ioniq 6 too weird and stylized. Hyundai used phrases like “confident in their choices” and “comfortable standing apart” to describe its target millennial Ioniq 6 buyer — a tacit admission the car may not be for normies. And many — like my wife — may flat-out reject the prospect of buying a sedan.

Slippery aerodynamics are the Ioniq 6’s superpower

hyundai ioniq 6 streetside front quarter angle

The Ioniq 6’s form has a function. The sedan has a drag coefficient of just 0.219 — slipperiness only just shy of electric supercars like the Lucid Air, Tesla Model S and Mercedes EQS. The absence of drag (and some tricks like a dog clutch that disconnects the front motor) means more range from the same E-GMP setup we’ve seen before.

The Air and the Model S are the only vehicles that can beat the Ioniq 6’s 361-mile range (for the long-range battery, RWD, 18-inch wheel configuration). The dual-motor AWD Ioniq 6 (with 18-inch wheels) still gets 316 miles, more than the single-motor Ioniq 5. That’s enough juice for both cars to get from my home in Birmingham, Michigan to Chicago without charging. Even the top-tier, compromised Limited AWD trim with 20-inch wheels is rated for a respectable 270 miles.

Hyundai placed us in about as favorable of conditions as possible for range. It was 68 degrees and dry that day in Arizona. Hyundai kept us off major highways — so our speeds were limited, and we were using regenerative braking a-plenty. And we also stayed off super-twisty roads that would have enticed us to get our Sport Mode on.

Cruising at moderate speeds — often in a dead straight line for miles at a time — the Ioniq 6 was highly efficient. My drive partner and I averaged about 3.9 miles/kWh over the trip, giving us an effective range of more than 300 miles. And that was without trying to drive abstemiously.

And the range is only part of the equation. As an E-GMP vehicle, the Ioniq 6 features at or near the best charging tech available. On a 250 kW fast charger, its 800V system can perform a 10-80 percent charge in only 18 minutes (or add 65 miles of range, if you only have five).

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is a smooth daily driver

My initial Ioniq 6 drive experience bored the shit out of me. Suburban Phoenix — a land of cameras, speed traps, traffic and staked-out cops — isn’t the optimal place to thrash out a car’s performance limits. And our drive route consisted of dead straight roads that lasted for an eternity.

But having the Ioniq 6 at home for a week helped me appreciate why Hyundai chose that route. The Ioniq 6 is really great at the boring driving you do every day.

The Ioniq 6 is a touch more driver-oriented than the Ioniq 5. The 6 feels more planted and tuned for driving business; the steering is a hair crisper; and it can be super quick in a straight line if you want it to be, with Hyundai clocking it from 0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds (same as the 8-speed Elantra N). But you also feel the heft — the Ioniq 6 AWD checks in at north of 4,600 pounds — and it feels more controlled than sporty. Think luxury sedan (at least until Hyundai’s N division gets working on it).

What the Ioniq 6 is, instead, is notably comfortable. The damping balances handling the bumps and keeping the car in line superbly. You get five levels of adjustable braking regeneration — from nothing to total one-pedal driving. And each works smoothly and intuitively.

The Ioniq 6 doesn’t quite put you in a Lexus sensory deprivation tank. But it is luxury car quiet — at least when you don’t engage Hyundai’s Electronic Active Sound Design. My drive partner and I lasted about a minute and a half and one spurt of acceleration before diving back into the sub-menus to make the jarring spaceship sound go away. I tested the Electronic Active Sound Design again when I had the car on my own; it’s still terrible.

The Ioniq 6 interior is a “mindful cocoon”

Hyundai described the Ioniq 6’s design as a “mindful cocoon.” But cocoon makes the 6 sound more cramped than it is. With its long 116.1-inch wheelbase and flat floor, the Ioniq 6 feels anything but tight horizontally with ample leg room front and rear. Rear headroom was fine for me at 5’11”. But taller passengers may find themselves more restricted.

The Ioniq 6 swaps out the Ioniq 5’s floating console for a more traditional one, which can serve as a laptop platform while charging. Hyundai added some unique design elements like airplane wings at the sides of the dashboard and carved-out door sills that provide extra elbow room and (counterintuitively) move the door and window controls to the center console. The Ioniq 6 also offers customizable dual-zone ambient lighting with six preset themes and 64 color options, top and bottom.

The seats were comfortable and supportive over a long drive. And door/window aside, the cabin felt ergonomically designed and usable. I like Hyundai’s commitment to using physical buttons for essential functions like climate control. However, some switches and the steering column stalk PRND shifter felt cheap.

11.2 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk is less than competitors — and Americans aren’t getting the larger Ioniq 6 frunk available in other markets. But the trunk is deep and arranged horizontally, so you get the most from that space and can fit multiple suitcases. The seats also fold flat. The main issue would be the narrow opening for slotting in bulkier items.

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 can’t power your home

The Ioniq 6 does have vehicle-to-load charging capability; Hyundai exhibited the sedan powering neon lights and a breakfast smoothie blender, among other items. And the Limited AWD trim does have a standard 110-volt outlet beneath the rear seats.

However, the Ioniq 6 can only send out 1.9 kW, compared to the F-150 Lightning’s 9.6 kW. That’s enough to jerry-rig a hookup for your refrigerator but not to serve as a de facto backup generator for your home during an outage. (Hyundai is offering a Hyundai Home program that can integrate a Level 2 charger with solar panels and a backup battery.)

How much does the Ioniq 6 cost?

Nominally, the Ioniq 6 starts at $41,400. But that’s going to be a 149-hp base model with a short-range 240-mile battery pack. The Extended Range pack starts at $45,500 with the SE RWD trim. The dual-motor AWD starts at $49,000 with the SE AWD trim. Both SE trims have the longest range.

The top-tier Limited AWD trim I drove starts at $56,100. My tester worked out to $57,425 with a destination and handling charge and floor mats.

What are some Hyundai Ioniq 6 alternatives?

parking lot filled with hyundai ioniq 6s with one in foreground

Hyundai believes the competition is two sedan (or at least sedan-like) rivals: the Tesla Model 3 ($42,990) and Polestar 2 ($48,400). Both of those cars can hit performance heights the Ioniq 6 can’t. But the Ioniq 6 has them beat for range and cabin space. And the Ioniq 6 also offers a more conventional, less touchscreen-dependent interior.

And as noted previously, Hyundai Motor Group offers different flavors of this car with the Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. You could also level up to a Genesis GV60.