After Driving the Hyundai Ioniq 5 For Six Months, I Know Why People Love It
Hyundai
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is an odd animal on the automotive landscape. Squat, boxy and modern, it looks like nothing else on the road. An EV, this once hot-topic car was a bit out of favor as EVs lost luster with buyers in the wake of an end to EV tax incentives. Then, the price of gas soared and the Ioniq 5, packed with nice features and a new lower price, was once again in demand.
In the years since it launched, the Ioniq 5 built a large fan base and won a number of awards from automotive critics. Wanting to know more, I signed on for a long-term test drive, making it my daily driver for work, errands, family outings and road trips. As timing would have it, I took delivery last year just as interest waned and I thought, well, this will be fun for me, but will anyone else take any value from it?
Turns out, this car made huge waves in my life and that of my family, who all drove it and learned the charm of EV driving.
The interior of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 with the sunroof screen open
Scotty Reiss
Before I started my Ioniq 5 long term test drive, I joined a number of chat groups to learn more. While there are a lot of complaints—which tend to be amplified in groups like this but are helpful to know what to expect if things go wrong—there were also lots of solutions and tips for a wide variety of things, from storage hacks to apps, charging and more.
Probably the thing people like most is how fast the Ioniq 5 charges. Hyundai was one of the first to use an 800V charge system (Porsche was the other original) though more and more EVs have moved to this fast-charging infrastructure. That means drivers spend less time at the charge station, especially on road trips, because it can accept a higher voltage charge.
But here’s what else they love: steering wheel paddles for regenerative braking, another industry standard that Hyundai was early to adopt. They also love the style of the car, which is my least favorite part, though I do like the square headlights and pixel design motif, which is seen throughout the car. One owner called it “love at first sight.“ Its shape and style are what allow a roomy cabin with a large rear seat, another detail many owners cite as a favorite feature. One owner said it’s her “favorite car I’ve ever owned.”
The view from the driver's seat in my 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 long-term test drive
Scotty Reiss
Many owners complain loudly about the Ioniq 5’s ICCU failures, or integrated charging control unit, which has impacted as much as 10% of Hyundai and Kia EVs, according to Consumer Reports. Still that’s not a lot of owners, and relatively, not a lot of recalls. These are covered under Hyundai’s 10 year/100,000 mile warranty as well as the 15 year/180,000 mile warranty on the ICCU and roadside assistance.
And while a warranty is great, apparently having the issue diagnosed and fixed can be a challenge. Owners complain about poor customer service at dealerships, lack of replacement parts and frustration with Hyundai’s corporate customer service when things don’t go as planned at the dealership. This was a good-to-know bit of information in the event that the car stops working and I need to call roadside assistance.
So now, on to what it’s like when everything is working just fine.
The rear end of the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5 shows its modern, digital-inspired design
Hyundai
This might be my favorite thing about the Hyundai Ioniq 5: the drive experience. Hyundai really captured the magic of EV driving, which one owner called “scoot and zoom.” Floor the accelerator and the Ioniq 5 zooms away thanks to near instant torque, something we’ve come to expect from EVs. But it’s that ‘scoot’ aspect that really changes things. It’s more pronounced when using iPedal one-pedal driving; essentially, it eliminates the need to brake when approaching a turn, from higher speed turns in traffic to low speed turns in parking lots, so it keeps you keeps your pace more consistent.
Its turning and handling feels incredibly precise, especially for a tall-ish, block-shaped SUV-esque EV. That is probably what surprised, and delighted, me the most. This thing is fun and easy to drive.
My family heartily agrees. Not only do they all love driving it, and vie for the chance, but our gas-powered cars feel so heavy and lumbering in comparison even though the Ioniq 5 is actually heavier than our VW Tiguan and Infiniti QX50.
Head up display with integrated navigation in the Hyundai Ioniq 5
Scotty Reiss
This is a great time to drive an EV—not just for avoiding big bills at the gas pump, but for the added value that EV makers put into their cars to help them appeal to buyers. Hyundai added features typically only found in luxury cars to the Ioniq 5 Limited, which has a retail price of about $45,000 and the company is offering purchase incentives of up to $7,000, making this luxe-filled EV a true bargain (the base model starts at $35,000). For that, you get:
A large, easy to see driver's display with i-Pedal indicator in the lower right corner and the charge level clearly shown, with minimum and maximum range estimates
Scotty Reiss
This is probably the biggest hurdle for most people and one I had to coach my family through: Charging. EVs are best charged at home for daily driving and at level 3 fast chargers when traveling. I installed a level 2 charger in my garage and can fully charge in about 8 hours; it costs about $7 to charge the car to 80% and it was about $400 for an outlet and a charge cord; I decided not go with a fancier, pricer system.
With a level 2 charger I can charge the car about once a week and have enough miles to do all the week’s errands; I don’t commute to work or school and drive about 150-200 miles a week. If I realize mid-day or at dinner time that I need a full charge the next day I can run out to the garage and pop the plug into the rear charge port. That’s nice.
On road trips charging is a bit more of a chore in that it takes planning. While Hyundai’s native navigation system and MyHyundai app will help with trip planning, I always use a backup app like Plugshare or A Better Route Planner to plan my trip so I can pick my my stops..
The iconic front face of the Hyundai Ioniq 5
Hyundai
The range on my Ioniq 5 Limited is about 270 miles, though I only charge it to 80% to preserve the life of the battery and to avoid extra charges at public chargers, which can cost $1 a minute for that last 20 percent of charge, which can take up to an hour. This means I typically only have a range of between 200 miles, or 80%, and 55 miles, or about 20%.
This also means that I have to constantly keep tabs on my range, which is easy thanks to the MyHyundai app, and plan my charging.
But “range” can be a fuzzy concept. Turning off the air conditioning or heat and using the heated or vented seats uses less power; driving in Eco mode and using iPedal is even more efficient. In heavy city traffic the system is very efficient. On the highway and driving the speed limit in Texas, where I live, it’s less so; speeds over 65 MPH impact the range.
I asked a number of owners how they plan for a road trip. They plan their stops and only charge as much as they’ll need to comfortably get to the next stop, reducing wait time at a charge station. And, they tend to keep an eye on speed so they’re not paying for it with added charge time. It’s a strategy that takes some getting used to, but for the privilege of driving an EV that’s fun and filled with luxury features, it’s worth it.
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