2026 Hyundai Elexio Review: Hyundai calls on China to help it invigorate its EV sales in Australia. Should you be tempted?
Don’t underestimate the importance of the Hyundai Elexio to the Korean giant’s plans to revive its EV fortunes in Australia.
It’s pitched into the most popular five-door five-seat SUV segment, priced pretty competitively (with caveats) and comes with a nice, long WLTP-rated range between recharges.
It’s also the first passenger car Hyundai has ever imported from China to sell in Australia. In fact Australia is the first export market for the brand new Elexio, which is the product of the Beijing Hyundai joint-venture.
For a company that’s previously admitted it’s done a “terrible job” selling its EVs in Australia, the Elexio is therefore a fresh start.
READ MORE: “I would hope it justifies that”: Hyundai explains higher pricing on Elexio versus BYD Sealion 7 and other Chinese rivals
READ MORE: The most crucial 2026 EV launch? Hyundai’s global EV strategy being stress-tested with Elexio in Australia
READ MORE: 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Base Review: Can this entry-level EV variant keep the cheaper BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y at bay?
2026 Hyundai Elexio price and equipment
The 2026 Hyundai Elexio launches in Australia as the upper-spec Elite, priced at $59,990 drive-away until the end of March, then it reverts to its usual $61,990 plus on-road costs pricing.
The standard Elexio is due within months and it is priced at $58,990 plus on-road costs. It too will have an introductory drive-away price somewhere in the mid-to-high $50K bracket before reverting to plus ORC pricing.
If Hyundai is really serious about this car making headway then it should rethink the price rises. With really decent cars like the BYD Sealion 7 starting below $50K, the Elexio already looks up against it.
Both Elexios come with a 160kW/310Nm e-motor powering the front wheels via a single speed reduction gear. They both also get the same large 88.1kWh LFP Blade battery sourced from BYD.
Claimed WLTP range is 546km for the Elite, which is a real selling point. But its 10kW AC charging and 150kW DC fast charging limits are not. At least there’s some games in the touchscreen you can play while you wait.
The lower charging rate is because the Elexio is based on a 400V version of Hyundai’s E-GMP EV architecture, whereas the big hitters like the Ioniq 5 use a faster charging 800v version. It’s also the first FWD E-GMP vehicle as far as we know.
And just to dispel a misconception that popped up in our own comments this week. The Kia EV5, which is also made in China, is not bult on E-GMP. Instead it uses N3 ek, which is derived from the Hyundai group’s ICE N3 architecture.
Exclusive Elite equipment includes 20-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, a smart power tailgate, leather (that comes across a bit vinyl in a choice of black or grey) appointed and heated/ventilated front seats, a driver’s seat with 14-way power adjustment with memory, side bolster and lumbar adjust, a four-way power adjusted passenger seat, a heated leather steering wheel and two wireless charging pads.
Items shared with the standard Elexio include LED headlights and taillights, rain sensing windscreen wipers, dual-zone climate control with heat pump, wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, embedded satellite-navigation, AM/FM and digital radio bands, six-speaker audio and a 4kW V2L outlet.
A huge 27-inch single piece touchscreen sits on the dash, but weirdly, not in front of the driver. Instead, a small head up display is located in the base of the windscreen. More on this strange set-up later.
Other standard tech includes over the air updates, Bluelink connected car services and NFC-type digital key entry and start.
Elexio has just been confirmed with a five star ANCAP raring based on 2023-25 protocols.
Safety equipment is shared equally across both models and includes a suite of driver assist systems led by autonomous emergency braking. There are also nine airbags, a comprehensive surround view monitor including transparent and 3D views, three child seat top tethers and two ISOFIX in the rear seat.
The Elexio can be smart parked into a tight space with no passengers onboard.
The Elexio is covered by Hyundai’s new seven year/unlimited km and has an eight-year/160,000km battery warranty. Capped price servicing is also offered.
Four of the five paint options are optional and cost $750. Brighter colours help the car’s only real styling flourish – a D-pillar slash – stand out.
2026 Hyundai Elexio: What we think
And so to the huge touchscreen. Hyundai calls it Connect-C and boasts this is its first system using the Android Auto operating system.
Well, the whole dashboard set-up seems daft to me. It’s like Beijing Hyundai forgot to swap the screen from the left to the right-side of the dashboard along with the steering wheel.
It doesn’t help the HUD is small and somewhere far off in the distance. You can clearly see the speedo but little else.
And how annoying Hyundai has followed the Chinese trend to a buttonless dashboard. Too much has to be done through the screen, even if Hyundai boasts how quick it is to respond.
And there’s so much to drill into here with lots of set-up options for all sorts of things including screen appearance and tile placement.
It’s very distracting, especially as you have to keep glancing away from the road to see what you’re doing
And that includes the round-the-houses route to switching off annoying bing bongs and steering interventions. Hey Hyundai, go and check out a variety of Chinese brands that have figured out how to short cut this with a single button press. Or just tune the assistants properly so we don’t want to turn them off.
And so to the driving. Hyundai is proud of the fact the Elexio’s independent suspension and electric-assist steering has been tuned for local conditions.
Sorry fellas, better go back for round two, because the Elexio still needs some time in the oven. On its 20-inch wheels the Elite was surprisingly coarse in its ride. Maybe the base model with 18s will do better.
The steering was pretty quick, feeling a bit mismatched with the basic conservative handling traits of the car. It was just a bit too darty. There’s also some kick back through the system on bumpy corners.
Look, it sounds like a litany of complaints, but the Elexio isn’t a dynamic basket case. It’s just not as good as we suspect it could be and should be.
Despite its modest outputs, the Elexio feels strong in its powertrain. There’s some initial torque limiting from a standing start, but then it’s strong and responsive enough to spin up an inside wheel if you’re too enthusiastic with the throttle at low speeds.
It has four drive modes including snow, as well as set-up modes such as camping and baby rest.
Our driving took us on some challenging roads with plenty of climbing, so no surprise the economy took a took a bit of a battering, hovering in the 20kWh/100km mark. That’s not too far over the 18.2kWh/100km claim. So not the most efficient of powertrains.
But plaudits to Hyundai for the adjustable regen paddle son the steering wheel. It’s a great feature that helps claw back energy and keeps the driver more involved with the task at hand.
Weighing in around 2100kg, the Elexio is hardly a heavyweight by EV standards. And measuring up at 4615mm long it’s right in the pocket for a medium electric SUV.
The quality of the interior presentation is up to the usual impressive Chinese trim and build standard. The suede and alloy are fake but look good.
Up-front, helped by locating gear selection and the ignition on a stalk, there’s plenty of storage opportunities, including a clever flippable gate that turns a bin into an extra cupholder.
The driver’s seat is supportive but the steering column doesn’t extend far enough for me.
Jump in the back seat and you’ll find the Elexio does a great job of releasing space ensuring taller people are comfortable. With the battery under the floor, knee position is slightly raised.
There’s also a decent amount of storage including two map pockets in each seats and a drawer in the console. There are two USB-C ports and adjustable air-con vents located in the B-pillars.
The big rear windows are great for the view out and wide opening doors make it easy to get in and out.
The boot is very generous at 506 litres, expanding to 1540 litres when the rear seat is folded. Just a pity there’s no spare tyre in there. Every new car sold in Australia should be fitted with some form of spare tyre!
2026 Hyundai Elexio: Verdict
The Hyundai Elexio Elite is a little bit anonymous. A little bit vanilla. Without any special something making it stand out it’s going to be a hard ask to convince many people to opt for it over the best of its many rivals.
Its biggest asset may well be the solid nationwide dealer network backing it and the brand’s hard-won reputation for decent quality. The cheaper Chinese brands can’t match that, at least not yet.
As stated earlier, Hyundai has struggled to cut through in the EV market in Australia. It just hasn’t quite got the mix right with any of its models.
The oh-so-important Elexio is the closest yet, but it still isn’t quite on the bullseye.
SCORE: 3.5/5
2026 Hyundai Elexio Elite price and specifications
Price: $59,990 drive-away (until March 31), then $61,990 plus on-road costs
Basics: EV , 5 seats, 5 doors, SUV, FWD
Range: 546km (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 88.1Wh LFP
Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km
Energy consumption: 18.2kWh/100km
Motors: 1 front, 160kW/310Nm.
AC charging: 10kW, Type 2 plug
DC charging: 150kW, CCS combo plug
0-100km/h: N/A
