The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Good range
- Spacious
- Most versions have good power
- Fairly luxurious
Dislikes
- Little base power
- Controversial styling choices
- Prices?
Buying tip
The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 electric SUV will serve families well with good range and lots of space for up to seven passengers.
What kind of vehicle is the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9? What does it compare to?
The Ioniq 9 is a new electric three-row crossover SUV with at least 300 miles of range and seating for up to seven. It competes against the Kia EV9, Rivian R1S, and Tesla Model X.
Is the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 a good SUV?
The related Kia EV9 is quite spacious and serves families well, and the Ioniq 9 promises more range and slightly more space. We’ll rate it when we drive it, but it should be a fine family EV. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9?
Everything, it’s new for 2026. Based on the E-GMP electric platform that it shares with the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, the Ioniq 9 is most closely related to the three-row EV9. It’s slightly larger in length and wheelbase and comes with a larger battery, but it doesn’t offer the EV9’s top power output. It promises 300 or more miles of range in every configuration, and it has completely different styling inside and out.
2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 styling
At 199.1 inches long, the Ioniq 9 is 1.9 inches longer than the related EV9, and its 123.2-inch wheelbase is 0.2 inch longer. It features much softer styling than the Kia, going with rounded lines rather than bold creases. The look is a slight update from the Seven concept vehicle that debuted in 2021. The nose is marked by a full-width line of daytime driving lights inspired by the square shape of pixels and set up high. Below are square vertically oriented LED headlights set in a darkened mid-section of the nose. The lower fascia forms a blacked-out frown that lacks cooling vents.
The profile features wide and flat wheel haunches that are body color on the top model and gloss black on other models. Aluminum is used for the fenders and quarter panels, a first for Hyundai. Wheel eyebrows set within the haunches are always body color, and Hyundai says they help break up some of the profile’s visual weight. The vehicle’s width tapers toward the rear for a bit of a boattail shape, and at the rear, those pixel-shaped lights make up the taillights and extend upward to outline the vehicle’s sides and roofline.
Wheel sizes will range from 19 to 21 inches. The flush surfaces of the Ioniq 9, active front shutters, an underbody cover, and aerodynamic wheels contribute to a 0.27 coefficient of drag. The Ioniq 9 will weigh between 5,500 and 6,000 pounds.
Inside, the Ioniq 9 features a large curved screen to house the digital instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen, both 12.0 inches across. It sits on a tiered dash with a panel for climate and infotainment controls below jutting out a half center stack. Below that is a cubby for small-items storage and a line of USB-C ports. The center console is separate and it slides fore and aft up to 7.5 inches to allow better access for those in the second row. Hyundai will offer a black interior as well as six two-tone color choices.
2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 motors, range, and charging
Hyunda will sell the Ioniq 9 in Long Range RWD, Long Range AWD, and Performance AWD configurations with available SEL, Limited, and Calligraphy trim levels. The Long Range RWD model will come with a single 215-hp rear motor that Hyundai says will propel the vehicle from 0-60 mph in 8.4 seconds. The Long Range AWD model adds a 93-hp front motor to increase output to 303 hp and reduce the 0-60 mph time to 6.2 seconds. The Performance AWD model gets two large motors for 422 hp and a 0-60 mph time of 4.9 seconds. Hyundai quotes a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds.
All versions use a lithium-ion battery with 110.3 kwh of total capacity (larger than the EV9’s available 99.8-kw battery), and Hyundai isn’t saying how much of that is used. Hyundai estimates a 335-mile range for the Long Range AWD model and says all versions will have more than 300 miles of range. Hyundai provides a Tesla-style NACS port and will include an adapter for J1772 charging. The Ioniq 9 will be able to charge from 10-80% in 24 minutes on a 350-kw fast charger, though Hyundai hasn’t said at what rate yet, and it will offer bidirectional charging to charge the home or another EV when needed. Drivers will be able to see the vehicle’s charge status at a glance via four dots on the steering wheel. One lit dot will indicate a 25% charge status and so on.
Hyundai isn’t employing any special suspension tricks. The Ioniq 9 uses a pretty standard MacPherson strut front suspension and a multi-link rear suspension with mechanical self-leveling at the rear. However, the motors will be able to provide torque vectoring for improved cornering. Drive modes will include Normal, Eco, Sport, and on the top model a programmable MyDrive mode. Hyundai will also provide Sand, Mud, and Snow off-road modes.
Several sound-deadening tricks promise to keep it quiet, including acoustic laminated glass in the first and second rows, triple-sealed glass, sound-absorbing tire inserts, and active noise control through the audio system.
2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 interior space
Like the EV9, the interior is spacious. Available Relaxation Seats will fully recline the first and second rows and provide leg rests to let occupants rest while charging or waiting while their kids play soccer. The second row has 41.0 inches of headroom and a generous 42.8 inches of legroom, while the third row has 39.7 inches of headroom and 32.0 inches of legroom, the latter enough to fit a pair of adults as long as they don’t have long legs. The second-row seats fold and slide with the touch of a button to allow occupants into the third row, or they can walk down the center in vehicles with the second-row captain’s chairs. From the cargo area, Hyundai will offer power-releases to fold the second-row seats quickly at the touch of a button, as well as controls to power down the third-row, albeit slowly.
The rear cargo area has 21.9 cubic feet behind the third row and 46.7 cubes behind the second row. Expect more than 80 cubic feet behind the first row, though Hyundai hasn’t released that figure yet. A small trunk can also be found up front.
The Ioniq 9 will come with a full slate of standard and optional safety features. The standard features include automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, safe exit warnings, rear occupant alerts, a driver-attention monitor, automatic high beams, rear cross-traffic alerts, and parking sensors. Hyundai will also offer a blind-spot camera, automatic parking, a parking collision avoidance system, and a surround-view camera system.
How much does the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 cost?
Hyundai has yet to announce prices, but expect the Ioniq 9 to reflect Kia EV9 prices, though perhaps not at the lower end as the Kia offers a version with a smaller 76.1-kwh battery. That means prices should start around $60,000 and range up to or past $80,000. Hyundai expects the Ioniq 9 to be eligible for the full $7,500 EV tax credit.
Standard and optional equipment also hasn’t been announced, but we know the Ioniq 9 will come standard with synthetic leather upholstery, seating for seven with a three-passenger second row and a two-passenger third row, a digital instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen under one piece of glass, an eight-speaker audio system, and 19-inch alloy wheels.
Available features will include second-row captain’s chairs, a panoramic roof, the first- and second-row Relaxation Seats, a massaging driver seat, and a 14-speaker Bose audio system.
The Ioniq 9 will be equipped for over-the-air updates, and Hyundai will even sell customers features via OTAs. Examples will include new display themes for the instrument cluster and different exterior lighting patterns. AI voice recognition will provide vehicle and infotainment functionality.
Where is the 2026 Ioniq 9 made?
In Georgia.