This electric car took Hyundai to unexpected heights. Although the Hyundai Ioniq was initially created as a tick, it has evolved into one of the best.
When Hyundai launched the Ioniq, it wasn’t meant to be an electric car. There were plans for plug-in hybrid, but purely electric was not considered. However, the people demanded and Hyundai obeyed. In this way, one of the best electric cars of its time was inadvertently created.
The Hyundai Ioniq Electric can be counted among the pioneers along with the Tesla Model S, Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i-MiEV (and its brothers from Peugeot and Citroen), BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf. Although Hyundai has stopped making the Ioniq, its name lives on – Hyundai decided that the Ioniq was so good that it would use the name for all its future electric cars. The only exception is Hyundai Konawhich managed to get a name even before this decision was made. Hyundai Ioniq 5 won the love of the people in an instant for its retro futuristic look and from Ioniq 6 new efficiency records are expected.
However, before the Hyundai Ioniq 6 comes to us, we can look back at the original Ioniq, which, despite being built on a platform designed for internal combustion engine cars, managed to beat the Tesla Model 3 in its efficiency. The Hyundai Ioniq in 2016 was equipped with a 30.5 kWh (28.0 kWh net) battery and the ability to charge with a power of 69 kW, which seemed crazy for those times. There wasn’t really anyone charger in Latviawith which to test such power.
Competitor buttons
In terms of price, it competed with the Nissan Leaf, BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf of the time, which were equipped with batteries of similar energy capacity. However, when it came to actual driving distance, charging speed and people+stuff capacity, it was able to offer a much better combination than its competitors of the time. For example, a Nissan Leaf with a 40 kWh battery can travel as far in real-world conditions as an Ioniq with a 28 kWh battery.
All thanks to efficiency. Even the Tesla Model 3, which is one of the best cars in this aspect, conceded. Another example of efficiency from Hyundai – when charging the battery, the heat generated in the battery was directed to the cabin, which meant less heat consumption in winter, which meant better overall efficiency.
In 2019, Hyundai gave the Ioniq a slightly larger battery (40.4 kWh gross, 38.3 kWh net), but reduced the charging capacity to 44 kW and, although still excellently efficient, consumption increased slightly (from 11.5 (NEDC cycle) to 13.8 (WLTP cycle) kWh/100 km). This gave the Tesla Model 3 the title of king of efficiency.
Rare sedans
There aren’t that many sedan-type electric cars at all. The EV-database shows that there are currently 53 sedan electric cars in circulation, while there are 133 crossovers. Back in 2016, Ioniq’s only sedan competitor was the Tesla Model S. You would really want to put them in one basket.
Hyundai got a lot of things right from the start and in the years that followed didn’t hang up. For example, the multimedia interface and the amount of buttons. One of the rare cars that didn’t require you to turn on Android Auto right away so you wouldn’t have to look at its multimedia. The Hyundai Ioniq is just the kind of thing that makes you wonder what you could get your hands on. Perhaps the relatively narrow rear view? However, if there is a rearview camera, why would you need a bigger one? Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have a front trunk. There must be an electric car that comes from an internal combustion engine platform!
A reasonable choice
This electric car is a very smart choice. Especially for those who live in the suburbs. Of course, like a sedan, it is not designed for off-road (15 cm ground clearance), but it cannot be said that modern crossovers are better suited for this. Comfortable seats finished with environmentally friendly materials, a large trunk (357 liters), a bright and spacious interior and a pleasant driving feeling are the first things that come to mind when describing this electric car. This was also the first electric car I saw with ventilated seats. The rain came in handy on a hot August day.
Hyundai Ioniq Electric
Hyundai Ioniq Electric
Hyundai Ioniq Electric
Hyundai Ioniq Electric
Hyundai Ioniq Electric
Hyundai Ioniq Electric
With a 100 kW front-wheel drive motor, the Ioniq accelerates to 100 km/h alone in 9.7 seconds. Not impressive, but it’s one way to get that damn good efficiency. On paper, it may not look exciting, but the driving feeling, like a proper electric car, is the right one. And I will repeat about efficiency – no attempt was made to drive economically during the review. On the contrary, it was even driven more aggressively for a few moments. However, the average was 13.0 kWh/100 km, which is below the WLTP results. It is typical of Hyundai in general to cheat on the data sheet for the benefit of the owners.
| Hyundai Ioniq Electric | Nissan Leaf | |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy (WLTP) | 311 km | 285 km |
| Battery | 40.4 kWh (gross) 38.3 kWh (net) |
40 kWh (gross) 39 kWh (net) |
| Energy sharing (V2L, V2H, V2G) | no | V2H, V2G (abi 7.0 kW DC) |
| Dedicated EV platform | no | Yes |
| Drive | FWD | FWD |
| Seats | 5 | 5 |
| 0-100 km/h | 9.7 sek | 7.9 sek |
| Trunk capacity | 357 l (1417 l, with seats folded down) |
435 l (1176 l) |
| The rear seats fold down | 1:2 | 1:2 |
| Charging speed (slowly) |
Type 2 max 7.2 kW (40 km/h) |
Type 2 max 6.6 kW (32 km/h) |
| Charging speed (fast) |
CCS max 44 kW (220 km/h) |
CHAdeMO max 46 kW (230 km/h) |
| Location of charging port | Above the rear left wheel | Front, middle |
| Driving comfort* | 8 | 7 |
| Transparency* | 8 | 7 |
| Modernity* | 7 | 5 |
| Practicality* | 7 | 8 |
| First impression* | 9 | 8 |
| Driving silence* | 8 | 6 |
* subjective opinion subject to mood and the amount of tea thickness in the cup, on a 10-point scale
Although new Ioniqs are no longer in production, they are still available at dealers until stocks last. Charged for review gave it This is Riga. They also promised to offer the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and KEEP EV6 with a small battery, which are not available at official dealers in Latvia. Therefore, it would be worth taking a look at what is happening with these.
If you notice an error in the article, let us know about it by highlighting the reverse text and pressing Ctrl+Enter. Thank you!
