2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5 transcends EV pitfalls

Published 5:45 pm Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 is a standout compact electric SUV with ambitious driving ranges, earthly pricing, and friendly infotainment technology fit for normal people.

There are four trim levels in the Ioniq 5 lineup: SE, SEL, Limited, and XRT. All are available with rear-wheel or all-wheel drive except the XRT, which is off-road oriented and comes only with AWD.

I drove the Limited AWD trim that sees the plentiful standard features of the SE and SEL and raises the pot by adding a substantial number of extras in the comfort, convenience, technology, driver assistance, and safety categories. Just a sampling includes ventilated front seats, heated outboard rear seats, a premium eight-speaker Bose audio system, head-up display for navigation, Hyundai Digital Key 2.0 Premium, a 360-degree camera, integrated 120V household-style wall plug, and remote smart parking assist so you can order the Ioniq to automatically park itself, whether you are inside or outside the car.

The 2026 Ioniq 5 comes with a Tesla Supercharger-compatible NACS port, providing access to more than 25,000 Tesla Superchargers with no adapter required. It also comes with a CCS adapter for other networks like Electrify America and ChargePoint. All told, that means access to tens of thousands of DC fast chargers in the United States, including 250kW Level 3 options.

Beyond the initial outlay for the higher base pricing, there’s a bit of sacrifice in opting for the Ioniq 5 Limited AWD model. With rear-wheel drive the range is 318 miles. With AWD the range drops to 290 miles for the SE and SEL trims, and 269 miles for the Limited. But those are still high numbers.

I engaged in some shameless self indulgence during the test week. When Snohomish County’s outside temperatures were in the 80s, I switched the drive mode from Eco to Normal, cranked up the AC to just above hypothermia, and threw Eco Guilt to the wind.

I expected range anxiety to rear its ugly head, but it never did. When I started the car the next day, the DTE gauge showed approximately the same distance as when it was turned off.

No range anxiety and a DTE that doesn’t give you false hope? That alone makes the Hyundai Ioniq 5 a standout. Yet there’s still so much more.

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited AWD

Base Price: $48,975

Price as Driven: $52,050