The all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 6 sedan is Car and Driver’s 2023 EV of the Year, following in the footsteps of its hatchback/crossover/SUV sibling, the Ioniq 5, which won the same award last year.
This is far from the first award received by the South Korean zero-emissions, banana-shaped sedan: it previously won the 2023 World Car of the Year, 2023 World Electric Vehicle, and 2023 World Car Design awards, so Car and Driver’s prize comes to confirm once again that Hyundai must be doing something right when it comes to EVs.
Among the praises sung by the publication, the Korean automotive group’s E-GMP platform was right and center, with nice words describing the sufficient power figures that range from 149 horsepower for the base rear-wheel-drive version to 320 hp for the dual-motor all-wheel drive variant.
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The driving range is also an important part of the award, with up to 361 miles (EPA estimate) on a full charge provided by the single-motor SE trim, although Car and Driver notes that it observed only 260 miles on its 75-mile-per-hour highway test. But even if the projected range wasn’t as long as the official figure, the Ioniq 6 managed to hit an efficiency figure of 140 MPGe combined, topping the rear-wheel-drive Tesla Model 3’s 132 MPGe.
But specs are just one of the talking points that convinced the publication to give its prize to the Hyundai sedan:
“The Ioniq 6’s solid structure is imperturbable, lending the car genuine composure over lumpy pavement on the most challenging sections of our test loop,” Car and Driver says. “The ride is taut and well damped, and the car stays flat and secure during cornering. Hyundai has also mastered the “whoa,” with good brake-pedal feel and easy customization of lift-off regen via steering-wheel paddles, including the option of none at all.”
It’s not all good, though, with C&D saying that Hyundai hasn’t mastered the EV soundtrack, which led its editors and testers to silence the artificial noise generator, which allowed the Ioniq 6 to show off its sound isolation.
Here is the publication’s conclusion regarding the all-electric Hyundai:
“The Ioniq 6 is both a well-executed electric and a car we want to drive. This polished EV makes few missteps as it puts Hyundai’s E-GMP platform in the winner’s circle. Again.”
This year, Car and Driver tested 14 contenders for its third EV of the Year award. Besides the Hyundai Ioniq 6, the other 13 vehicles tested were the Audi Q4 e-tron, BMW i7, Cadillac Lyriq AWD, Genesis Electrified GV70, GMC Hummer EV SUV, Kia EV6 GT, Kia Niro EV, Lexus RZ450e, Lucid Air Pure AWD, Mercedes-Benz EQE350 4Matic+, Nissan Ariya, Toyota bZ4X, and VinFast VF8.
As you can see, there are no Tesla models on the list, but that’s because C&D only considers new or significantly updated cars for its annual comparison test of EVs, and Tesla doesn’t have an all-new vehicle on sale for the 2023 model year. It also didn’t heavily update any of its models this year, but is expected to reveal the facelifted Model 3 “Highland” and all-new Cybertruck toward the end of the year.
In the United States, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 starts at $41,600 for the base SE Standard Range trim that comes with a single rear-mounted 149-hp electric motor and an EPA estimated range of 240 miles. The most expensive variant, the Limited, goes from $52,600 and includes a rear-mounted 225-hp electric motor, as well as an EPA-estimated range of 305 miles. The all-wheel drive option which increases the power output to 320 hp costs an extra $3,500.
