2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Long Term Test Drive: What It’s Like to Own and Drive This Popular EV
This is one of the OG EVs on the road now, but will it charm as much now as it did in its first days?
In the world of EVs there are the popular girls, the also-rans and the brainy wall flowers: some appeal to buyers for their looks and fun features, others look good but don’t always measure up and yet others are the strong but silent type, filled with a lot of smart features but not a lot of flash.
That’s the Hyundai Ioniq 5: smart, fast, fast charging, roomy, cleverly designed and yet, not the flashiest car on the road. Even though this is the car I chose for my second long-term EV test drive, I had reservations: would it be stylish enough for me? Would its interior make me feel good? Would its smart charging infrastructure make up for its not-everyone’s-style modern, boxy appeal? And would I get over my shallowness and learn to appreciate this car for what it does well?
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
Getting to Know the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited
As is the habit of car companies, they pretty much prefer the media only drive the fully loaded models with all the sweeteners and spoilers. So my long term test Ioniq 5 is the top of the line Limited model, complete with AWD, a panoramic sunroof, leatherette seating ambient lighting and a sliding center console.
I do really love the interior for its wide, linear multimedia screen, voice-activated assistance, wireless Apple CarPlay, the ample storage in the center console, all the USB ports, head up display, the panoramic sunroof—with a retractable shade!—rear window sunshades, a large rear seat where my daughters can stretch out and relax, and all the fun horsepower tempered by one pedal driving. Overall this is a really well equipped car and that it’s an EV is really sort of a bonus. It promises to charge fast, go nearly 300 miles on a range and deliver a great drive experience.
Watch: We took the Hyundai Ioniq 5 Disney Addition to Disney Land!
What I Want to Learn From the Hyundai Ioniq 5
You’d probably think that taking an EV out for a spin over a week’s time will tell you all you need to know about it. But, nope.
It takes time to learn its nuances, to get to know the phone app, how to use Hyundai Pay, which this has, its charging quirks and benefits, how to get the most range out of it, how it performs in cold weather, what it’s like to take it on a road trip and what other drivers in your family think of it.
And, how it feels after driving it for a while. Where you put your stuff. What you learn to love about it and what you’d skip if you were buying it a second time. These are all the things I hope to learn about the Ioniq 5, and more over the next few months.
Read: I Took a Solo Road Trip in the Mustang Mach-E Using Public EV Chargers. This is How It Went
First Impressions: What I’ve Learned So Far
Its only been a few weeks, but I’m pretty encouraged by some of the things I’ve learned so far.
First, you have to pull the left paddle to put it into i-Pedal, which is one-pedal driving. At first I thought this was inconvenient; I like one-pedal driving and would leave it in that mode all the time. I did in the Mustang Mach-E when I had that for four months. But I quickly heard about it from my family, most of whom don’t love one-pedal driving. Is it worth developing that little habit to pull the paddle in order to not hear the complaining from other drivers when they have to search desperately for the off-button after they drop you off at the airport and they’re in heavy traffic? I think it’s a nice trade-off if you’ll share this car with someone else. I’ve gotten used to pulling the paddle each time and it’s no longer irritating me.
Read: 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9 All Electric 3-Row SUV: Everything Hyundai Does Well, Elevated
The Reverse Learning Curve: Using NACS Charging
And then, the Tesla-style NACS charger took some adapting on my part. I’ll have more to come on this. But I’ll just say for now that drivers who get a new EV with a NACS charger will find a learning curve ahead: most public chargers are still the old school J1772/CCS chargers, so you’ll always need an adapter.
The Ioniq 5 comes with two: One for DC fast charging (so, a plug that delivers 50 kWh or more) and one for level 2 charging, which is what I have at home. I can mostly leave the level 2 adapter at home and keep the level 3 adapter in the car, but when I road trip or plan to charge publicly, I will have to set a reminder to bring both. As with adapters, it can get clunky, so this will be something I’ll have to get used to.
Read: Will Tesla Chargers Power the Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium On a Southern Road Trip?
Charging is FAST and Smart
Hyundai includes an 800V charge architecture in the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9, so I was expecting it to charge fast at a public charge station. But this was impressive: It also has very smart software that communicate completely between the car and the charger. The charger reflected perfectly how much charge was delivered to my car’s battery—this is not always the case with public charging in which the car’s app isn’t used to initiate the charge. But without the app, instead just plugging the car in and tapping a credit card, the system powered up and charged easily. It was quite impressive.
Related: I Love Driving An EV. This Is Why You Will, Too
The Jury Is Still Out On Some Premium Features
The Limited model comes with all the goodies, but will I value them? I’m still deciding if I really like the video rear view mirror, ambient lighting and relaxation seats that recline completely and extend a small leg rest. I found that I can turn off the wireless phone charger, which I may leave off if it tends to overheat my phone. And I like that the center console slides back and forth, but I’m not sure I need it to do that.
I do like the HomeLink garage door opener, which I set up immediately. And I love all the storage space, including the open bin under the arm rest. I also love the comfortable seats, the minimalist design and the linear multimedia screen. At this point I think you might s kip some of the premium details and go for the SEL model, which will save about $6,000 over the Limited model, though it does not have the option of the panoramic sunroof which I might decide I need to have. It’s one of my favorite features in any new car.
What The Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited Costs
For this test drive I’m driving the top of the line LImited model outfitted with all the goodies, from a panoramic sunroof to heated rear seats, smart park auto parking and ambient lighting
- SE standard range 63 kWh battery with 245 mile range,168 HP single motor rear wheel drive powertrain, 800V fast-charge charge system NACS outlet , cloth seats power driver’s seat, heated front seats, 12.3” driver display, 12.3” touch screen with voice assistance, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android auto, Bluelink connected services, wifi hot spot, Hyundai Pay, Smart Sense suite of driver assist and safety systems including adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance, rear occupant alert, 5 year/60,000 mile warranty, 10 year/100,000 miles powertrain and EV battery warranty Priced from $35,000
- SE powered by a 84 kWh battery with a 318 mile range, rear wheel drive and 225 HP in the single motor version, or AWD, 290 mile range and 320 HP starts at $37,500; add for $3,500 AWD
- SEL adds leatherette seating, wireless phone charger, rear seat air vents, blind spot monitor, rear view mirror with HomeLink garage door opener, park distance sensors, forward collision avoidance with pedestrian and lane change sensors, price for $39,800
- XRT all-terrain model adds standard AWD, vehicle to load charging (reverse charging) capability, all terrain drive models, higher ground clearance, roof rails, adjustable head restraints, Bose premium sound, digital phone-as-key, remote smart park assist, surround view camera, blind spot camera, power folding side mirrors, advanced rear occupant alert system, priced from $46,275
- Limited adds AWD option, premium headlights, gloss black exterior accents, a panoramic sunroof, heated rear seats, vented front seats, front relaxation seats, head up display, sliding center console, heated steering wheel, rear window shades, ambient lighting, video rear view mirror with HomeLink garage door opener, rain sensing wipers
- SE, SEL and Limited can add a second motor for AWD and 320 HP for $3,500, though the driving range is slightly lower
- Delivery charge: $1,600
- Price for our Limited AWD model, about $51,325
What Do You Want To Know About the Hyundai Ioniq 5?
Interestingly, the price of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 has come down a bit since it’s debut; the Limited AWD model is about $3,000 less than it was in 2022 when it was introduced. And that trend may continue as components before more affordable and Hyundai needs to balance demand with its march toward the future, which will focus on EVs.
As I test drive the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and get to know it, I’d love to know what you’d like to know. What puzzles you about this car, or EVs in general? What would keep you on the EV fence that, when explained, might make a difference? What would compel you to buy an EV over a hybrid or a gas-only model? You can leave a comment here or pop a question into our social feed: @agirlsguide2cars on Instagram and @AGirlsGuidetoCars on Facebook. And, you tell me: do you see this car as a popular girl or a brainy wall flower?
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