Hyundai Ioniq 9 promises 385-mile range

Hyundai's new seven-seat electric SUV, the Ioniq 9, promises UK buyers a battery range of up to 385 miles.

Now on sale in Korea, the new Ioniq 9 is due for a European rollout in the second half of 2025. While UK specs and prices have yet to be confirmed, the details seen in its native market give us an idea of what to expect.

With modern looks and a high-end interior with some eye-catching features, the Ioniq 9 continues Hyundai's move upmarket. With a promised range of up to 385 miles on a single battery charge (in rear-wheel-drive) form, and with powerful electric motor options, the Ioniq 9 will be a rival for the likes of the Kia EV9 (with which it shares its mechanicall underpinnings), the Volvo EX90 and other large electric seven-seaters, such as the Volkswagen ID. Buzz.

The looks share much in common with Hyundai's Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, but the large size promises loads of interior space and boot capacity. Both rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive models will be available.

New 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9: price and release date

The new Hyundai Ioniq 9 is on sale in South Korea now, with a North American rollout in the middle of 2025 and a European release soon after that. UK dates and prices haven't been revealed yet, but we'd expect the starting point to be similar to the Kia EV9 at around £65,000.

New 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9: exterior and interior

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 is big, measuring more than five metres in length, which should mean loads of interior space for passengers over three rows. The exterior has a futuristic, aerodynamic design with the now-signature "Parametric Pixel" lighting style on both the headlights and taillights. Hyundai says the drag coefficient is as low as 0.259, although that's only with the optional digital side mirrors. A total of 16 colour options will be available, and the car rides on 19-inch, 20-inch or 21-inch wheels, depending on the spec.

Inside, words like "serene" and "lounge-like" have been liberally employed, with a flat floor to maximise passenger comfort and a panoramic sunroof to flood the cabin with light. Novel features include "Relaxation Seats" in the first two rows, which fully recline and feature an integrated leg rest, while swivelling seats in the second row can move to allow passengers to face each other.

A slidable console centre console can move up to 19cm to give storage to the front two rows, and it features numerous spaces for personal belongings (or general odds and ends), and the boot is huge, with 620 litres with all three rows of seats in place or 1323 litres when the third row is folded down.

The infotainment system combines a 12.3-inch digital driver display with a 12.3-inch central screen, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto included and a Bose 14-speaker sound system on high-end versions.

New 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9: motors and batteries

Three powertrain options will be available on the Hyundai Ioniq 9, catering for different performance and efficiency needs.

The entry-level model is the Long Range RWD (rear-wheel-drive) version, which uses a single electric motor with 218PS and 350Nm. This means a leisurely 0-62mph time of 9.4 seconds and a claimed range of up to 385 miles, although this hasn't been independently verified yet.

Next up is the Long Range AWD (all-wheel-drive) model, with two motors – one with 95Ps driving the front wheels and the 218PS motor at the back, for a total of 313PS and 60Nm. This drops the acceleration time down to 6.7 seconds to 62mph, and promoses a range of up to 346 miles.

The most powerful version is the Ioniq 9 Performance AWD, which uses the 218PS motors on both axles for a combined 435PS and 700Nm. That gives it a 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds, but the battery range drops to around 317 miles.

All models feature Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) tech that allows the car's battery to charge external devices using a power outlet in the boot. The big 110.3kWh battery supports 400V/800V multi-charging, which means a 10%-80% battery charge in just 24 minutes with a 350kW ultra-fast charger.