New Hyundai Ioniq 9 Coming Soon: Specs, price and release info

Having impressed us with its cute and affordable Inster city car Hyundai has made a dramatic pivot the other way with this Ioniq 9. A massive and unashamedly premium seven-seat electric SUV, the Ioniq 9 introduces what Hyundai calls ‘Aerosthetic’ design to set its new offering apart from the similarly enormous Kia EV9 with which it shares foundations and much of its tech.
• Hyundai’s Ioniq range has won fans for its cool design, the Ioniq 5 a firm favourite while the Ioniq 6 stands out for its quirky looks; the 9 is recognisably part of the same family but also something fresh • The Ioniq 9 uses its massive size well, with the option of family-friendly seven-seater layout or a more luxurious six-seat arrangement with reclining centre row seats that can rotate to create a lounge arrangement when parked • Still early days on performance but Hyundai says the ‘projected’ WLTP combined figure for the Long Range model will be 385 miles, or about 30 miles more than the equivalent Kia EV9 • Three motor configurations will be available – a single-motor Long Range RWD, dual-motor Long Range AWD and a Performance AWD with two 217 horsepower motors • Hyundai says the Ioniq 9 will be on sale in the US and Korea from the middle of next year with other markets to follow • Price-wise Hyundai is clearly pitching the Ioniq 9 as a premium product – for context the Kia EV9 starts at just over £65,000 and we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Ioniq 9 priced above that

While outwardly a conventional large SUV the Ioniq 9 still stands out through its distinctive design touches and unapologetically premium style. While all the Ioniq cars have their own distinct looks there are certain common features like the pixelated lights, these set into a strip-like grille at the front and running up the sides of the square-cut rear end while flared wheelarches give it a muscular stance. It’s more aerodynamic than you might think as well, this helping the range and efficiency. At over five metres long it’s a big old unit but uses the space efficiently, a long wheelbase like the EV9 meaning loads of room inside for six or seven people depending on which seating configuration you choose.

A combination of pale colours, ambient lighting and the large paired screens up front contribute to the Ioniq 9’s premium feel, though it will depend on the materials and whether they can match the likes of Range Rover for tactile quality or even smell! In this respect Hyundai is going big on recycled materials rather than trad woods and leathers so we’ll have to see how that plays out. Practicality is good, with a ‘Universal Island’ centre console that slides back and forth and the option of a six-seat layout with two recliners for the middle row. These can stretch out flat or rotate to create a face-to-face lounge style arrangement with the third row, though these options are only for when parked up and not when driving. In keeping with industry trends Hyundai will be offering Features on Demand where you can pay for additional functionality like fancy dynamic lighting or streaming entertainment.

A big car needs a big battery and the one in the Ioniq 9 is a whopper, the 110.3kWh capacity double that of a standard Kona Electric and capable – Hyundai claims – of up to 385 miles with the single-motor Long Range model running on the smaller 19-inch wheels. That will drop as you work your way up through Long Range AWD and Performance models and experience of the EV9 running versions of the same tech and a slightly smaller 99.8kWh battery suggests those figures may be on the optimistic side. But we’ll test that theory when we finally get to drive it.

The Ioniq 9 has been unveiled in America, which remains the prime market for massive SUVs of this type. No surprise this, along with Hyundai’s home market in Korea, will be the first places to get the Ioniq 9, with sales starting in “the first half of 2025” according to the press release. Europe and other markets will come “later”, with more information about trims, pricing and specification to follow.

The Ioniq 9 couldn’t be more different from the compact and affordable Inster we’re fresh from driving, but credit to Hyundai for developing electric cars to suit all tastes and budgets!

It feels like we’ve been waiting a long time for the fully electric Range Rover but this is, finally, on its way. Fully electric seven-seat SUVs are a rarity at the moment as well, but with Kia and now Hyundai taking the lead you can be sure others will be following.