Skip to main content

Sticking to its value-driven model, Hyundai prices Ioniq to undercut rivals

hyundai-ioniq
Hyundai Ioniq Image used with permission by copyright holder
Hyundai’s Ioniq is just about ready to take on the hybrid and EV market. With sales of the standard hybrid beginning now, and the all-electric version arriving this spring, all we need is a price tag.

The entry-level Ioniq Blue starts at just $23,035 and promises a best-in-class (yes, even better than the Toyota Prius) mpg rating of 58 combined. From there, the SEL asks $24,785 and the Ioniq Limited retails for $28,335. At just about $5,000 more for the fully loaded hybrid, features like leather, HID headlights, a sunroof, premium audio, and safety technologies seem like a bargain. Most importantly, the cheapest Ioniq hybrid is $2,500 less expensive than the entry-spec Prius Two, which checks in at $25,575.

Recommended Videos

Regardless of trim, the Ioniq hybrid is powered by a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor for a combined 139 horsepower (again besting the Prius and its 121 hp combo). The Ioniq’s powertrain is mated to a six-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Next up is the Ioniq Electric. Like the hybrid, the pure EV is mighty attractive given the competitive set. Priced at $30,335 for the base trim, the Ioniq Electric’s 124-mile range is better than the Nissan Leaf’s 107-mile rating and the BMW i3’s 114-mile rating. The Ioniq EV is matched by Volkwagen’s latest e-Golf (124 miles) and seriously outclassed by the Chevrolet Bolt EV (238 miles), but the Ioniq is priced below every one of its direct competitors. For more convenience features, the Ioniq Limited is available at $33,335.

Don’t forget to subtract the $7,500 federal tax credit and any state incentives from these figures.

Hyundai will also introduce a plug-in hybrid version of the Ioniq this Fall to rival Toyota’s Prius Prime. There’s a good chance that model will be as aggressively priced and high-performing as the hybrid and pure EV versions.

Miles Branman
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Miles Branman doesn't need sustenance; he needs cars. While the gearhead gene wasn't strong in his own family, Miles…
Hyundai Ioniq 9: everything we know so far
Hyundai Ioniq 9 Front

Hyundai has been at the forefront of EV development for a while now, largely thanks to the success of the crossover-sized Hyundai Ioniq 5. But the company is readying another new EV that could be even more popular than the Ioniq 5 -- or at least more desirable in the U.S., the land of big cars.

The upcoming Ioniq 9, previously set to be called the Ioniq 7, will be Hyundai's take on an electric SUV. It will be to Hyundai what the Kia EV9 is to Kia. It will have three rows and carry over design elements from the Ioniq 5.

Read more
Tesla faces new rival as a tech giant launches its first EV
Xiaomi's first electric car, the SU7.

Previous

Next

Read more
I love my Ioniq, but I would never buy another Hyundai
The author's 2019 Hyundai Ioniq PHEV is pulled over to the side of a dirt road in the woods.

In many ways, my 2019 Hyundai Ioniq PHEV is one of the best purchases I've ever made.

Thanks to its 27-mile EV range, my wife and I can drive it for months on end around town without using any gas. Or we can drop everything and drive 10 hours to San Francisco without range anxiety, getting 45 miles per gallon the whole way. It has heated leather seats, room for a week’s worth of luggage and a 100-pound dog in the back, and Apple CarPlay, a feature I never wanted and now can't live without. The Little Plug-In That Could is the absolute perfect car for us in every regard, except for one little thing.

Read more