Hyundai Ioniq 9 - long-term review

Four months and almost 5,000 miles later, and the big green Hyundai has returned from whence it came. Top Gear is a broad church that welcomes all, EVs to V12s, hatches to hefalump SUVs, but if we’re being honest the Ioniq 9 could be labelled as everything wrong with the modern car industry – it’s massive, heavy and inconveniently electric.

However, that’s not the lasting impression it’s left. Even the most enthusiastic enthusiast knows that a 911 GT3 RS or Lotus Elise isn’t the answer to all of life’s driving questions, and sometimes (a lot of the time, actually) a car that’s comfier than your sofa, bigger than your lounge and works relentlessly well is just the ticket. The Ioniq 9 made my life easier, was a sanctuary to look forward to, and when family and work life is a bit of a whirlwind, there’s value in having an isolation chamber on wheels.

I’ve had a run of spectacularly large cars – Defender 130, ID. Buzz 7-seat – but even so the Ioniq 9 really has all the space a family could reasonably need. Weirdly, the six-seat configuration with captain’s chairs in the second row might have space for one less bum, but the sense of space is even greater. For a family of four it’s undoubtedly the sweet spot – with the rear row (electrically) folded down you have a business class van, with them up a minibus for six.

But there are quirks – on a recent fishing trip with a few mates we discovered the swivel function on the second-row seats. Essentially, the ability to twist them through 90 degrees so, with the door open, you can… sit awkwardly and stare out the side of the car. Also, the 100W USB-C sockets for the second row are usefully powerful, but weirdly placed in the side of the front seats so wiggling feet on long journeys accidentally kicked and bent more than one cable. But we’re nitpicking here - the space and general airiness is the 9’s true trump card.

As is the quality we’ve long become accustomed to from the Koreans. Some of the interior material choices, like the faux stone dash are of questionable taste, but that’s trim dependent… the rest is solid and unpretentious. It feels luxurious because everything from the door pulls to the screen has a solidity to it, not because it’s draped in the finest nubuck suede. Although the charging flap cover did fall off - the body coloured trim bit that covers up the black plastic beneath. At least I think it fell off and I wasn’t targeted by a very-specific thief, one day it was there, then next it was gone.

Straight-line performance was predictably impressive (421bhp and 4WD will do that), but range was a worry, given the physics of moving something this size through the air. But it’s a more slippery shape than the blockier Kia EV9 and once (very) warm weather arrived the battery thrived. I was seeing an indicated 330-miles+ on the range predictor and didn’t need to adjust my driving style to achieve it. Impressive. And that faith in the readout taught me to use the battery properly in a couple of ways. Firstly, shorter, more frequent charging stops will always get you there quicker on a long drive to the French alps (old news, I know, but I’ve been a pig-headed charge to 100 per center up to this point).

Secondly, if you have a home charger, get yourself on an EV-friendly tariff that delivers super-cheap electricity in the early hours. Ours is discounted between midnight and 5am to just 7p per kWh – enough to top up about 30 per cent of the battery, or add 100-miles, for pennies. You simply feed it a little every night and you’ll be surprised how you’re rarely you need more. Even the slightly-odd styling – which I talked about at length last time – grew on me in the end. I’d always rather drive something that courts opinions over a generic blob.

Which all in all is a glowing report card, but the Ioniq 9 has issues. Mainly that its near-£80k price tag in this top-spec trim puts it into a bracket with a lot of choice. If you’re design led, the Kia EV9 has the edge, if you're price led the Skoda Peaq will be kinder to your wallet and if you’re not yet a full-EV convert then a hybrid Sante Fe will do a similar job with less faff.

Which isn’t to take anything away from the 9, it’s one hell of a family car but one that feels destined to remain a niche choice.