Hyundai IONIQ 5

In the interest of keeping the asking price competitive, Hyundai India has chosen to offer the Ioniq 5 with a 72.6kWh battery pack and rear-wheel drive only. Globally, you can specify a smaller battery (58kWh), as well as all-wheel drive. Interestingly, AWD is offered in the Ioniq 5’s cousin — the Kia EV6. The ARAI-certified range is 631km which seems far-fetched. In the real world, you could expect the range to be in the whereabouts of 500km.

217PS and 350Nm sounds juicy — it’s the equivalent of what a large diesel SUV puts out. It’s quite a lot quicker to 100kmph than your average SUV though, taking 7.6 seconds. Admittedly, it does not feel like it’s in a super hurry to reach that speed. The acceleration is not ‘violent’ as we’ve experienced in other EVs, it’s progressive rather. You could get up to dizzying speeds quite easily too if you aren’t paying attention to the speedometer. And yes, since there’s power going only to the rear wheels, you can be naughty and slidey with it if you wish.

There’s no real ‘learning curve’ with the Ioniq 5 when you transition from a petrol- or diesel-powered vehicle. Braking usually takes some getting used to in most EVs given regeneration is involved, but Hyundai has done an impressive job of making this process run seamlessly in the background. There are three selectable levels, but none feel intrusive or harsh. You can also switch the vehicle to a single ‘i-Pedal’ mode, that will let you commute using just the accelerator. Letting go of the throttle will have the Ioniq 5 gradually roll to a dead stop.

Charging Your Ioniq 5

*As of February 2023, the highest available charging speed in India is 240kW

Most malls and public charging stations offer 50kW DC charging these days. An hour is sufficient to add ~300-350km of range to your drive. For a 50km daily drive, the Ioniq 5 will comfortably last the whole work week with some range to spare. It can be topped up overnight and be ready for the next week.