2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

While based on the same architecture as the Ioniq 5 (as well as the Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60), the Ioniq 6 goes in the complete opposite direction when it comes to styling.

Hyundai based the Ioniq 5 on its 45 concept car, a tribute to the Hyundai Pony, the first production model the automaker developed in-house, and which started production in 1975. That meant lots of flat edges and a hatchback body style. The Ioniq 6, on the other hand, is a productionized version of the Hyundai Prophecy concept, a sleek streamliner sedan with no nostalgic ties.

The forward-looking design carries over with a few alterations. The Ioniq 6 has the same distinctive silhouette as the Prophecy, with a rounded greenhouse and short front and rear overhangs. But where the concept was as smooth as a riverbed pebble, the production Ioniq 6 looks a bit fussier. Vertical elements at the corners of the front fascia, a more complex headlight design, and a black bar (which houses sensors for the driver-assist systems) break up the otherwise-clean design.

Importantly for maximizing range, the Ioniq 6 has a drag coefficient of 0.22—the lowest ever for a Hyundai production model. The overall shape of the body, with its low nose and Saab 92-like rear end, helped achieve that, according to Hyundai, along with active air flaps, a rear spoiler, underbody tray, and "flow separation traps" on the rear bumper. Details matter too: Hyundai reduced the wheel arch gaps with small trim pieces, used aerodynamic 18-inch and 20-inch wheel designs, and even redesigned the front and rear badges.

The interior carries the pixel design theme of the Ioniq 5 cabin forward. It still looks like a modern interpretation of a 1980s car interior, and still has a pair of display screens prominently placed on an otherwise unadorned dashboard. But the dashboard has sprouted pronounced winglets (which house screens for camera mirrors in other markets), and the door panels have elaborate carve-outs that the optional dual-colour ambient lighting can play off of.

Hyundai used some sustainable materials, including recycled fishing nets for the carpets. The focus on sustainability also means no real leather upholstery; RWD models have cloth seats, while AWD models have H-Tex leatherette upholstery, with standard heated and optional ventilated front seats.

The RWD Long Range model gets a 77.4-kWh battery pack and power specs of 225 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque from a single electric motor. The dual-motor AWD model adds a second motor powering the front wheels for a combined output of 320 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque. The smaller standard battery pack sold in the U.S. was initially on the Canadian menu but is no longer offered.

The Ioniq 6 isn't as sporty as the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2, but it's a big improvement over the Ioniq 5 in both handling and comfort. It seemed more able to absorb bumps, and with less body jiggling. Superior body control also helped handling, giving the Ioniq 6 a planted feel in corners. While the steering wasn't particularly quick, and weighted up unnecessarily in Sport drive mode, the Ioniq 6 also felt eager to change directions, and responded smoothly to small steering corrections. Instead of attacking corners, as in a proper sports sedan, the Ioniq 6 gracefully flows through them — a very nice experience.

Hyundai also provides a few options for regenerative braking that should cover all bases. Drivers get four levels of regeneration, selectable with steering-wheel paddles, ranging from a minimal setting that allows the Ioniq 6 to coast and creep forward in traffic, to true one-pedal driving. A "smart" setting will also use the built-in radar to increase or decrease the amount of regeneration when following another car, helping maintain a consistent distance. BMW offers similar tech, but it's nice to have the ability to opt out and manually set the level of regen.

It's unusual to see an electric sedan that isn't a Tesla, Lucid, Polestar, or the product of a German luxury brand. Most of Hyundai's rivals have opted for crossover SUV body styles, assuming that what works for gasoline-car sales will also work for EVs. The Ioniq 6 proves that a conventional sedan can be plenty practical, though.

Despite the low roof, the Ioniq 6 doesn't give up much headroom compared to the current crop of electric crossovers. If you don't get the optional sunroof, it has more headroom in both rows than a Toyota bZ4X, in fact, and more rear-seat headroom than a Kia EV6. Thanks to its long wheelbase, the Hyundai also boasts more legroom in both rows than a Volkswagen ID.4, and slightly more front-seat legroom than its Ioniq 5 sibling. The Ioniq 6 also offers substantially more rear-seat legroom than the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2.

Cargo space is really the limiting factor. The 316 litres of trunk space is less than even the tiny cargo area of a Chevrolet Bolt EV, and it's less than you get in the rival Model 3 and Polestar 2. The latter is also a hatchback, which makes loading and unloading cargo easier than with the Ioniq 6's fairly small trunk opening, and unlike the Ioniq 6, both offer useful frunks. A 60/40 split-folding rear seat is standard, but Hyundai doesn't quote a cargo-space figure with the seat folded.

The Ioniq 6 has a low floor like the Ioniq 5, but in this case Hyundai also included a traditional centre console, leaving some handy storage space below. The sculpted door panels don't leave as much room for stashing water bottles as some other cars, but that also leaves more space between the doors and seats, making the interior feel less cramped. Rear-seat passengers also get climate-control vents and a pair of USB-C charging ports; a rear power outlet is optional with the AWD model.

Hyundai carried over the steering-column-mounted shifter, which takes some getting used to, as do the door-lock and window switches, which are located on the centre console rather than the door panels. With its short hood and traditional sedan ride height, the Ioniq 6 also has a different driving position than most other EVs, giving you a feeling of being closer to the road.

The infotainment system includes dual 12.3-inch displays, one serving as the instrument cluster, the other as the central touchscreen, placed alongside each other to create the appearance of one continuous screen. Bluetooth and a Wi-Fi hotspot are standard, along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but only wired versions are available. A head-up display isn't available due to packaging issues, but we didn't miss it.

Like other recent Hyundai infotainment systems, the Ioniq 6's interface offers pleasing graphics and a sensible layout. However, the voice-recognition system in our test car had trouble interpreting certain commands, such as changing the temperature or finding a certain genre of music on SiriusXM satellite radio.

A perk of the E-GMP platform is bidirectional charging, which Hyundai calls Vehicle-to-Load (V2L). This means the Ioniq 6 can output power at up to 1.9 kilowatts to run devices or help charge other EVs, either using an adapter for the charge port, or the available in-car outlet.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rates the Ioniq 6 a Top Safety Pick+, its highest ranking. Crash-test ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are not yet available as of this review’s publication.

Standard safety features and driver-assist tech includes forward collision warning, lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. Optional features on the AWD model include blind-spot collision avoidance assist, which intervenes instead of merely warning the driver, Highway Driving Assist 2, Remote Smart Parking Assist 2 automated parking, a surround-view camera system, and Blind-Spot View Monitor blind-spot cameras.

Previously seen on other Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis models, Highway Driving Assist 2 essentially adds automated lane centring to adaptive cruise control. For the Ioniq 6, a new sensor suite also enables automated lane changes, vehicle cut-in response, and will automatically shift the car over in its lane if another vehicle gets too close. You still have to keep your hands on the wheel at all times, though.

Automated lane changes are executed with the flick of a turn signal, but we found the system was a bit slow. It also didn't accelerate or decelerate as quickly as we would have liked when vehicles ahead sped up or braked. Like other driver-assist systems with automated lane centring, Highway Driving Assist 2 also wasn't able to hold the car dead centre, especially when the road wasn't straight.

The Ioniq 6 offers up to 581 kilometres of estimated driving range in Preferred Long Range form, while that drops to 509 km of range with the all-wheel drive version and 435 kilometres if you opt for the 20-inch wheels. Our AWD test car also achieved impressive real-world average efficiency of 15.9 kWh per 100 kilometres over a day of driving, a better figure than Natural Resources Canada estimates (14.9 kWh/100 km combined for Preferred Long range; 17.4 for Preferred Long Range AWD; 20.5 when you opt for the latter with 20-inch wheels).

Thanks to 800-volt charging hardware that's part of the E-GMP package, the Ioniq 6 can handle a DC fast charger rate of up to 350 kW, allowing for a 10% to 80% fast charging time of 18 minutes, Hyundai claims. For a Level 2 AC charger, the maximum charge rate is 10.9 kW, and Hyundai says a full recharge takes seven hours and 10 minutes.

The 2023 Ioniq 6 comes with a five-year, 100,000-kilometre, new vehicle warranty and a 5-year, 100,000-kilometre, powertrain warranty.

New car pricing starts at $57,652 for the base Preferred Long Range (all prices include a mandatory $1,925 destination charge and other fees). The Preferred Long Range AWD is priced at $60,652, while adding the Ultimate Package adds $6,000. All versions of the Hyundai Ioniq 6 qualify for the full $5,000 amount of the federal iZEV rebate program as well as provincial incentive programs where they exist. This means you can expect to pay between $5,000 and $12,000 less than the listed prices, depending on where you live in Canada. That pricing structure is competitive with the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2.

No matter which version you choose, however, the Ioniq 6 stands out with a daring design, a pleasant driving experience, and well-integrated tech.

Note: Images show a US model.