What kind of vehicle is the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6? What does it compare to?
The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 is a slippery electric sedan with exceptional aerodynamics that give it class-leading efficiency and range. It shares its core with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, but takes on the Tesla Model 3 and other electric sedans.
Is the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 a good car?
Initial impressions from a prototype drive are positive, and the stunning style, exceptional efficiency, and overall value favor it until we drive it this spring. We’ll withhold a rating until then. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What’s new for the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6?
The Ioniq 6 is new for 2023, though the sedan shares its platform with the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Genesis GV60. Their shared identities lurk deep with their 800-volt electrical architecture, and aside from the badging on the outside, each member of this family projects its own distinct identity.
Review continues below
Guided by aerodynamics but driven by daring design, the Ioniq 6 sedan carves out the most aerodynamic production car in the brand’s history with a super-low 0.21 coefficient of drag. The one-curve design rises from a rounded front end that bumps into a coupe-like roofline before rounding out over the rear platypus spoilers. That rounded rear carries automotive evolution in its haunches, from a Stout Scarab or a Saab 92 into a Porsche Panamera or even a 911. Its rounded ends and balanced proportions give mainstream electric car shoppers an answer to the Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan.
The interior opens up to a more familiar space, with twin 12.3-inch displays that curve toward the driver under a single pane of glass. The horizontally stretched dash and steering wheel could’ve been ripped from an Ioniq 5, but the fixed center console with tiered storage creates a wall bridge between front and back, driver and passenger.
Passenger space is similar to that of the Ioniq 5 up front, though the sedan stretches nearly nine inches longer yet sits more than four inches lower, with only half an inch lower ground clearance. Despite the extra length, the 116.1-inch wheelbase is 2.0 inches shorter than the Ioniq 5, so there’s less passenger space overall, especially when it comes to rear headroom. Even though it looks like a fastback or hatch, it has a sedan trunk limited to only 11.2 cubic feet of storage, and the frunk’s 0.4 cubic feet doesn’t help much.
Performance and range
The packaging concessions in the name of aero enable an EPA-estimated range of up to 361 miles—more than the Tesla Model 3 Long Range—and an efficiency rating that ties the most efficient electric cars on sale now at 4.2 miles per kwh.
The base SE Standard Range—the only Ioniq 6 offered with a 53-kwh battery pack—has a single-motor rear-drive unit with an output of 149 hp and a 240-mile range. All other Ioniq 6 use a 77.4-kwh battery pack and the choice of either a single permanent magnet synchronous motor with rear-wheel-drive or a dual-motor setup with all-wheel drive. The 168-kw rear motor makes 225 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, while the dual-motor setup uses a 75-kw motor up front and a 165-kw motor at the rear that combine to make 320 hp and 446 lb-ft, same as in the Ioniq 5. We’ll report back on its performance after we test it this spring, but we know its charging rates lead not just the segment but all electric vehicles.
A 350-kw DC-fast charging connector allows a peak rate of about 235 kw under ideal conditions, enabling a charge of up to 80% in just 18 minutes. With an 11-kw onboard charger, the Ioniq 6 gets a full charge from a Level 2 240-volt home outlet in six hours with the Standard pack or about eight hours with the Long Range pack. A heat pump and battery heating system come standard to help reach peak charge rates quicker in cold climates. And it’s wired with bidirectional charging with a Vehicle to Load (V2L) connector that allows owners to power appliances or camping equipment, or to slow-charge another EV.
That charging capacity, as well as its exceptional range and efficiency, make the Hyundai Ioniq 6 stand out as much as its design.
Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, active lane control, and adaptive cruise control down to a stop.
How much does the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 cost?
The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 can be optioned with one of two battery packs, single- or dual-motor layouts, and in SE, SEL, or Limited trims. The entry-level SE Standard Range model with rear-wheel drive, the smaller 53-kwh battery pack, and a 240-mile range starts the bidding at $42,715, including a $1,115 destination fee.
All other Ioniq 6 models will come with a 77.4-kwh battery pack, and the cheapest one, the SE RWD Long Range with 361 miles of range, costs $46,615. That’s where we’d start. Adding a second motor for all-wheel drive adds $3,500 across the Long Range lineup, and the Limited AWD tops the listing at $57,215 and has a 270-mile range.
Each Ioniq 6 has a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. It also has a five-year/60,000-mile warranty, with three years or 36,000 miles of complimentary scheduled maintenance.
Where is the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 made?
In Asan, South Korea.
