Latest News
2026 Honda Ridgeline ReviewThe 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 is the Future of Family EVs
EVs are facing a transformative year in 2025, Hyundai is ready to take on the challenge with its all-new flagship Ioniq 9 EV.
Hyundai’s Drive to Innovate
If you were to look at one automotive marquee that’s impacted the industry more than any other in the 2020s, it wouldn’t be GM, wouldn’t be Ford, and, for once, it wouldn’t be Toyota. Rather, Hyundai’s all-electric Ioniq sub-brand is a top contender. But let’s be real, the Ioniq 5 hatchback and Ioniq 6 sedan are great. But those market segments will never sell like an SUV. If Ioniq wanted to compete with Tesla, they needed a crossover, and fast.
The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Revealed
This is the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9, and it’s possibly the most important Hyundai product of the 21st century, full stop. In a world still primed to go full-electric, the Ioniq 9 aims to be Hyundai’s bread-and-butter vehicle. One that can lead the way forward when Hyundai eventually gives up building gas-powered vehicles, along with the rest of the industry, sooner than later.
Dubbed the Ioniq 7 during development and then changed to the Ioniq 9 essentially last-minute, it was only a matter of time before a mid-size crossover SUV joined its smaller siblings.
Aerosthetic Design Adds Efficiency and Style
With bold “Aerosthetic” design cues with a streamlined front fascia and swooping body lines, the Ioniq is stately and dignified in ways few mid-size crossovers can convey effectively.
Its drag coefficient of 0.259 Cd, combined with funky digital side-view mirrors available in some markets, helps this bulky cheese wedge fight for every mile of electric range possible. A styling dynamic clearly borrowed from the enigmatic Hyundai Seven concept from a short while ago has translated to production scale nicely with the Ioniq 9. In a sea of EV SUVs that more or less look the same, the Ioniq 9 manages to add fresh style to the formula.
With a curb weight in the area of 5,000 to 6,000 lbs, the Ioniq 9 needs to be this aerodynamic to get out of its own way. Even with standard side mirror glass, aerodynamic figures are undoubtedly favorable. With dimensions of 199.2 inches long, 78 inches wide, and a 123.2-inch wheelbase, the Ioniq 9 is within the margins of more typical full-size SUVs like the Dodge Durango.
The Ioniq 9 and Kia EV9 Share Innovation
Under the same Hyundai E-GMP platform architecture as the Ioniq 5 and 6, plus the Kia EV6, EV9, and Genesis GV60, the Ioniq 9 has a sprawling lineage. One backed by a 110.3 kWh lithium-ion battery and electric motor jetting 215 horsepower in a rear-wheel-drive long-range layout, 208 horses in a long-range all-wheel-drive layout, and a healthy 428 horsepower out of the range-topping, all-wheel-drive performance battery pack.
The Ioniq 9 has Range for Everyday Needs
With a zero to 60 time as high as 4.9 seconds in the most powerful Ioniq 9 variant is enough to do the job. Lesser-equipped examples won’t exactly be slow, either. With a range exceeding 335 miles in the entry-level rear-drive configuration, it’s as much a serviceable long-haul trip taker as an everyday school and grocery run warrior.
Charging shouldn’t be too much of a hassle either, with a claim of a 10-to-80 percent battery recharge in just 24 minutes when a 350 kW DC fast charger is at hand.
Interior Options Add a Modern Flair
Depending on the drivetrain layout, three rows of seating and room for either six or seven passengers keep the Ioniq 9 competitive with similar crossovers of this size.
Inside, a proverbial sea of synthetic vegan leather and polished metal melds with a 12-inch configurable digital gauge cluster, itself flanked by a prominent capacitive center infotainment screen on the right. A standard eight-speaker audio system should be fine for most, but a premium Bose 14-speaker unit should at least bring a touch of class to an otherwise normal family crossover.
Many interior options like vehicle pre-heating and security features are available in the palm of your hand through Hyundai’s Bluelink service on the MyHyundai mobile app. Add an impressive nine USB Type-C charging ports, plus a wireless phone charging pad; the Ioniq 9 can charge an entire family’s worth of devices while delivering solid drivetrain performance from the same lithium-ion battery.
The interior space is very solid, with 22 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row of seats and 46 cubic feet with the third row stowed away. Plus, you get a front trunk that makes quick work of weekly shopping, athletic gear for multiple children, or both simultaneously.
The Hyundai Ioniq 9 Pricing and Availability
As a testament to how far Hyundai has come in the crossover SUV space in the last 25 years, the Ioniq 9 is nothing short of an impact statement. Better still, with a projected entry price starting in the low $60,000 range, it undercuts rivals like the Tesla Model X and the BMW iX by a significant margin. This price point will net you a long-range rear-drive example, with all-wheel-drive expected to fetch around $5,000 extra. The performance-minded AWD is anticipated to be pricey, as high as the low-to-mid $70,000 price point.
Still, it’s a bargain compared to electric SUVs from Tesla and elsewhere that may be more powerful and possibly better equipped. However, at a price point this competitive, Hyundai is gambling on the bargain the Ioniq 9 brings to the table to attract crossover drivers through their dealerships. Should they succeed, Hyundai will have asserted itself as a force to be respected in yet another automotive market segment. As a genuinely cheaper alternative to more trendy luxury EVs of this form factor, the Ioniq 9 appears to have some serious credentials.
Expect Ioniq 9s to hit showroom floors fairly soon after New Year’s Day 2025, just in time to catch the last of those ever-tempting year-end sales events that melt your brain through the TV screen every year. Will it sell more than the equivalent Tesla? That’d probably be a tall order, but even a fraction of the same sales volume in that critical first year could pay major dividends for Hyundai, a company with more EV advancement than perhaps any automaker in the world. Rest assured, when it hits the streets, we’ll be there to check it out.
