NZ Hyundai Ioniq 5 pricing a guide for what to expect in Oz

Which would you prefer? A Hyundai Ioniq 5 or a Hyundai Kona Electric. In New Zealand their base price is exactly the same.

That price is NZ$79,990 ($74,400) for the latest and greatest piece of Hyundai battery electric tech or the Kona, which has been around since March 2019.

UPDATE: Hyundai Ioniq 5 Australian pricing and specifications confirmed

The first vehicle to be revealed on the Hyundai Group’s new E-GMP architecture when it broke cover last February, the Ioniq 5 is a five-door SUV hatchback that is due to go on-sale in Australia in September or October.

While Hyundai Australian Hyundai sources describe the NZ pricing as a “decent” guide, the word is there is still a lot of work to go on both local price and spec. That info is not being revealed any time soon.

In Australia, the base model front-wheel drive 64kWh Kona Electric Elite starts at $62,000, rising to $66,000 for the Highlander. Either way, it’s an indication the Ioniq 5 could undercut the Tesla Model 3, by far the top-selling EV in Australia.

Interest is certainly ramping up in the Ioniq 5, with former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull sampling both it and the Nexo fuel cell electric vehicle in Sydney yesterday (June 16). Hollywood actor Zac Efron is also tipped to be getting behind the wheel of one of the first Ioniq 5s to come into Australia.

The NZ price for both Hyundai EVs just undercuts the new EV rebate announced last weekend, which drops up to NZ$8625 ($8000) off the price of a new EV. That resets the Ioniq 5 at NZ$71,365 ($66,400).

No doubt Hyundai’s product planners will be looking at the modest but improving EV incentives that include the recent $3000 subsidy in Victoria.

However, whereas New Zealand offers two battery capacitites for the Ioniq 5, there’s a chance we may just get the bigger of the two for Australia – as Hyundai does with the Kona Electric – which would step the price up slightly. Sister brand Kia has already announced the EV6 – which uses the same architecture as components as the Ioniq 5 – will only be sold in Australia with the long range battery pack.

In New Zealand, Hyundai has announced a five model Ioniq line-up. It starts with the rear-wheel drive 58kWh base model, while all others employs a larger 72kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

Second model up is the NZ$89,990 ($83,700) Extended Range 2WD, then comes the NZ$94,990  ($88,400) Extender Range AWD, the NZ$96,990 ($90,200) Elite 2WD and the NZ$109,990 ($102,300) Limited AWD. Add NZ$3000 ($2800) for a solar roof that supplies charge for the heating and air-conditioning.

The entry-level model comes with a 125kW/350Nm motor and can reach 100km/h in 8.5 seconds. Long-range two-wheel drive models with an 160kW/350Nm motor reach 100km/h in 7.4-seconds. AWD models, with two motors putting out a combined 225kW/605Nm get to that mark in 5.4 seconds.

The base model has a 370km range according to WLTP testing, while the extended range 2WD ups that to 470km between charges. The AWD models deliver a 460km range. Top speed is 185km/h for all models.

The Ioniq 5 supports both 400-volt and 800V charging infrastructures, along with up to 350kW of input. At max capacity, the Ioniq 5 charges from 10 percent to 80 percent in 18 minutes, with five minutes netting 100km of extra range.

Ioniq 5 will be offered in New Zealand with the choice of nine exterior and two interior colour options. Key features include a 12-inch full-touch infotainment screen and customisable 12- inch digital gauge cluster, a full suite of driver assist systems marketed under the Hyundai SmartSense brand, a ‘Universal island’ sliding centre console and eco-frendly interior materials.

The Ioniq 5 measures 4635mm long, 1890mm wide and 1605mm tall with a 3000mm wheelbase. That makes it shorter, wider and substantially taller than the top-selling Tesla Model 3 BEV passenger car.