It was once the case that EVs were small little dinky cars that were only suitable for single people or at least couples with no children. However, as the owners have grown up and acquired families, EVs have moved with them, providing room for all the family, and one great example of a five-door all-electric SUV that can seat five comfortably and in style is the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Of course, even if you’ve decided that the Ioniq 5 is the way to go for you because you like the idea of a family-sized vehicle with no tailpipe emissions, you’ve still got a choice ahead of you, as there are three variants in the lineup, all of which feature the letter Q, just like “Ioniq” itself: Epiq, Techniq and Dynamiq. The Dynamiq is the rear-wheel-drive variant of the Ioniq 5 lineup. With a 168 kW electrical unit, this is the smallest of the three variants. The larger and more sophisticated offerings, the Epiq and Techniq, have an on-demand 4×4 drivetrain and a 239 kW electrical engine.

No matter what sort of Hyundai Ioniq 5 you prefer, the battery range is pretty reasonable. In the Dynamiq, the best range figure is 507 km. However, the charging time for the 77.4 kW lithium ion battery is a bit on the slow side, with AC charging using a 230-volt 10.5-kW Type 2 wallbox taking 11–12 hours, although DC fast charging can take 73 minutes to get to 80% with a 50-kW charger or a measly 18 minutes with an ultrafast 350 kW charger. The charging times are the same for the 239-kW engine in the Epiq and Techniq, but the extra power (a 0–100 km/h time of 5.1 seconds versus 7.3 in the Dynamiq) comes at the cost of less range.

In terms of styling, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 may seem conservative at first glance, but closer inspection reveals some subtle styling details, especially in the alloy wheels (19 inches in the Dynamiq; 20 inches on the other two variants). In fact, the more you look at it, the more you notice about the clever placement of lines and angles, with the styling having an overall linear theme. This is especially noticeable in the light-sensitive LED headlights, which have swung away from the traditional eye-like rounded lights for rectangles. In fact, if your first glimpse of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 SUV is at nighttime, it won’t seem quite so conservative. The roof spoiler is another nice touch.  The colour palette has a selection of eight shades (or seven, if you can’t distinguish between Abyss Black and Phantom Black), with the Teal Green and Gravity Gold being quite pleasant and something I haven’t seen for quite a while.

Inside the Ioniq 5, you’ll find a quite roomy-looking interior that has something of a minimalist vibe to it. Some may love this; others may find it too stark.  The dash and the instrument panel are clearly laid out and straightforward to read, and the details in the interior styling echo the linear theme of the exterior.  The cloth trim is reasonably family-friendly, which is suitable for this size and type of vehicle.  The seats in the Epiq and Techniq provide heated seats, and also have full memory function for the front passenger’s seat as well as the driver’s. Multizone climate control keeps things comfortable, and the cupholders are placed handily. GPS navigation comes as standard on all models, as does handsfree tailgate operation.

On the safety front, all of them have the full set of airbags and high-quality seatbelts – and a handy seatbelt reminder in case some child in the back seat has decided to liven things up by unbuckling their seatbelt as a change from asking “Are we there yet?”

In terms of driver aids, it’s not so much a question of what it’s got; it would be better to ask what it hasn’t got, as the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 has got so much.  Of course, it’s got the basics that should be standard on every modern car (and, in fact, on any car you are thinking of buying, new or second-hand), such as ABS brakes with brake assistance, an electronic stability system and traction control.  Hill hold and rollover stability are also excellent additions to this department.  However, the Ioniq 5 also boasts a bunch of warning systems: it can alert you to imminent collisions ahead of you, cross-traffic at the front or at the side, the presence of vulnerable road users (meaning bikes and pedestrians), lane departure, and driver fatigue or inattention, and who’s in the rear seat (the rear seat occupant warning and side door exit warning).  Front and rear parking assistance, as well as front, side and rear cameras make negotiating a busy mall carpark a breeze, and the active lane keeping assistance is also there to give you a helping hand.

Regarding the differences among the three variants, on top of what you’ll find in the base model Dynamiq, the Techniq (the next one up the hierarchy) throws in memory function in the second row of seats, and the ventilated driver and front passenger seats, as well as the features mentioned above, such as the size of wheel and the capacity for 4×4 motoring.  In fact, it’s in the seats, the engine and the wheel size that you’ll find most of the differences, although the Epiq adds in a digital display on the mirrors.

The current 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 models include:

• 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Dynamiq
• 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Techniq
• 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Epiq

For any more information on the new 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5 or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Hyundai dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!