Hyundai Ioniq Electric Review

Performance

This is a car which is designed for efficiency rather than excitement, but with 134bhp and the instant oomph you get from an electric motor, it still feels quite perky when pulling away from a standstill, even compared to the hybrid versions of the Ioniq. 

This makes it great around town, where you can nip into gaps on crowded roundabouts and zip away from traffic lights with ease. If you are used to a turbodiesel taking time to build up its pulling power, this will be a pleasant surprise.

But like many electric cars the performance starts to tail off once you are above 50mph or so. At motorway speeds it doesn’t feel any more strained than a small petrol or diesel-engined car, and of course it’s much more refined. But driving at fast-lane speed for any length of time will hurt the range so it’s best to ease off and let the Ioniq find its comfortable place at a more relaxed pace. 

Drive

Some cars feel like they have been developed by engineers who have a passion for driving. They can put a smile on your face when there’s a twisty road by having controls which feel alive and connected to the road. The Ioniq is not one of those cars. It feels like a car which has been designed to do a job as efficiently as possible. 

That might be exactly what some drivers want, and we wouldn’t blame them. After all, cars like the Ioniq are often used for work and are basically a tool which needs to get the job done. Other drivers might not be enthusiasts and just want light controls and simplicity, and that’s exactly what the Ioniq delivers.

The only real noteworthy point in the driving experience is the adjustable regen braking, which uses steering-wheel mounted paddles to choose between three modes. In the strongest setting you’ll hardly ever need to use the brake pedal except in an emergency.