While Tesla may still make the most popular electric cars, the likes of Kia and Hyundai have also been firing on all cylinders, and their respective options, the EV6 and the Ioniq 5, have a lot going for them.
But the two cars are very similar. In fact, they’re built on the same platform, with Kia and Hyundai actually being sister companies under the Hyundai Motor Group. So which one is better? We put the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 head-to-head to find out.
Design
The EV6 and Ioniq 5 may be sister electric crossovers, but they actually take a pretty different approach to design.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5, for starters, plays on nostalgia. It makes use of Hyundai’s Pixel Light design ethos, which gives it a distinct ’80s feel — and it’s a pretty cool look. The Ioniq 5 is a hatchback, with angular lines across the body, and it comes in a few different colors.
The Kia EV6, on the other hand, is a little more sporty-looking. It has a large light bar across the back, with sloped headlights on the front and an angled roof. It looks a little more unique than the Ioniq 5 — however the Ioniq 5 is still quite distinct.
Both of these cars look great — however it really does come down to personal taste.
Winner: Tie
Interior and tech
There are lots of similarities between the interior designs of the cars too.
The Ioniq 5 has two 12.3-inch displays at the front — one for infotainment and the other serving as a digital instrument cluster. Lighter materials are used throughout, including for the seat materials. There are no physical climate controls, but there are capacitive buttons — so you won’t have to go digging through menus on a screen to find the climate controls.
The EV6 is quite modern too. It also has two 12.3-inch displays at the front, however unlike the Ioniq 5, the EV6 actually has physical knobs for the climate controls, which is handy for those who prefer a more tactile feel.
Both cars support CarPlay and Android Auto, however they’re not available through a wireless connection — you’ll have to plug in a cable to use CarPlay or Android Auto in both of these cars.
These cars have very similar tech in them — so this one’s a tie too.
Winner: Tie
Performance
The Kia EV6 and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 both offer a number of different performance options.
The Ioniq 5 is available in either a single- or dual-motor configuration, with up to 601 horsepower and 545 lb-ft of torque in the Ioniq 5 N model — however the lower-end models won’t get quite that oomph. It’s also important to note that the Ioniq 5 N isn’t available just yet — it’ll be launched in 2024. The Kia EV6, on the other hand, offers up to 576 horsepower in the EV6 GT model, which is available now in single or dual motor configurations.
Of course, most users won’t quite get that level of performance. In the base model of the Ioniq 5, called the Ioniq 5 SE Standard Range, you’ll get 168 horsepower — while the base model of the Kia EV6, called the EV6 Light, offers 167 horsepower.
These cars are very similar in overall performance. Their base configurations are almost identical, however, considering the fact that the Ioniq 5 N isn’t available yet, the EV6 does perform a little better on average.
Winner: Kia EV6
Range and charging
Because the EV6 and the Ioniq 5 are built on the same platform, they have a similar range and charging capacity. The range of the Ioniq 5 is between 220 miles (on the SE Standard Range) and 303 (on the rear-wheel-drive variants of the SE, SEL, and Limited trims). The Kia EV6 offers between 232 and 310 miles of range, which is a small improvement over the Ioniq 5.
They can charge at the same rate, though. Both cars support 350-kilowatt charging, which will get you a full battery in under 20 minutes. They’re the fastest-charging electric cars out there right now, which is quite impressive.
It’s a small difference, but the Kia EV6 does win considering its slightly higher range.
Winner: Kia EV6
Pricing and availability
Both the Kia EV6 and the Ioniq 5 are now available for purchase, except for the aforementioned Ioniq 5 N.
The Ioniq 5 starts at $41,450 for the SE Standard Range model, and ranges up to $52,600 for the Limited model — excluding options. The Kia EV6 starts at $42,600 for the EV6 Light and ranges up to $61,600 for the Kia EV6 GT — again, before additional options.
It’s important to note that while the EV6 GT is far more expensive than the Ioniq 5, the Ioniq 5 N will fill that upper price slot when it’s released to the public.
Still, considering the fact that the base Ioniq 5 is over $1,000 cheaper than the base EV6, it gets the win here.
Winner: Hyundai Ioniq 5
Overall winner: Kia EV6
Don’t let the title of this section fool you. Technically, the Kia EV6 wins this comparison, for its slightly higher range and slightly better performance.
But I would argue that you shouldn’t base your decision on that, considering how minor the differences are. Instead, if you’re deciding between the two cars, you can take this opportunity to actually buy a car based on how much you like its design. Do you prefer the sloped lines of the EV6? Buy it. Do you like the pixel lights of the Ioniq 5? Go with it instead. Really, you can’t go wrong with either of these cars.
