When it comes to personality, spunk, and tech in the EV ranks, few can beat the Hyundai Ioniq 5. The Ioniq 5 is a unique vehicle, and while it might not look like a traditional CUV due to its strong resemblane to a hatchback, it has still proven to be a strong seller for Hyundai.

Hyundai chose to keep things simple for the 2026 model year with updates that focus on improving usability as well as some of its finer charms. But is it enough to help this spunky EV stay fresh?

A charging cord makes a world of a difference

One of the updates Hyundai has made for 2026 is one that we most often take for granted, and that’s the charging cord. This cord is now compatible with Level 1 and Level 2 charging stations and it aims to simplify the ownership experience by removing one less thing (an extra cord) for owners to keep track of when charging their EV.

The rest of the updates focus on colors, but our Limited tester did not have any of these new colors and instead had the familiar silver hue that’s a common shade on Ioniq 5s across the bulk of the lineup. The front and rear ends benefitted from a small refresh awhile back and the front end in particular looks crisper and smoother but you’ll need a magnifying glass to spot the changes Hyundai made to the rear of the Ioniq 5.

A comfortable interior continues to embody Ioniq 5 tradition

A key pillar for the Ioniq 5 is its comfortable interior and our tester was eager to show that Hyundai didn’t forget about that key detail when it came time for us to slip inside. The cabin is carried over mostly unchanged and the front seats continue to offer plenty of room and space, with leg and foot room in particular being standout items thanks in part to the flat floor. The second row seats also have copious amounts of room, but when you’re not hauling people, the seats can be folded down to boost cargo room up to 59 cubic feet with the 5 having 30 cubic feet with them up.

A 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system is standard on the Ioniq 5 and is paired with a matching 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Hyundai’s funky column mounted shifter takes some getting used to, but the screen’s layout is thankfully easier to master and you can find many menus and features with only a few taps of your finger. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is standard with wireless phone charging also being standard on nearly every model (except for the SE.)

A comfortable ride for any occasion

With the N model being the one to go for when it comes to outright performance, lower trims like our Limited model have less pressure on themselves to try and be something they are not. While a single front-mounted electric motor is available, our tester arrived with the dual-motor configuration that bumps power to 320 hp and also gives the 5 standard all-wheel drive.

This amount of power is more than enough for most people and allowed our tester to make the sprint to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Ride quality is smooth and very comfortable even when our tester was placed into Sport mode. Our one lingering gripe about the Ioniq 5 is its steering. We wished there was more feedback and there were times where the tiller felt a bit too mushy for our tastes even when the car is placed into “Sport” mode. Again, the N is the one to go for if you’re looking for outright track satisfaction, but we just wish lower trim levels can do a better job of telling you what’s going on out on the open road.

The EPA says a single motor Ioniq 5 can go up to 318 miles on a single charge when properly equipped, but dual-motor models like our tester make you pay a small price for the added power with these models delivering 259-290 miles of range depending on setup with our tester having the latter. This is still a usable amount of range, but rivals are evolving and the Ioniq 5 need to stay on guard to avoid falling behind.

A price cut? Yep you heard that correctly

With some of the relatively minor updates the company made with the car itself, one of the biggest they did was pricing, with Hyundai slashing the price of nearly all Ioniq 5 models. This price cut corresponded with the end of the Federal EV tax credit late last year and these cuts continue to benefit customers well into 2026.

This revised pricing now allows a standard SE Long Range to start at $35,000 before taxes and fees with the standard SE starting at just over $37,000. Move into a Limited model like our tester and you’ll be greeted with a base price of $45,075. Light options and a few pesky fees helped push the final as-tested price to just over $50,000 with over $3,900 of it coming from the optional AWD system.

The reworked pricing works the best with certain trims and while it may be hard to see the benefit in fully loaded versions like the Limited or even the rugged XRT, the SE family becomes a better value play especially when you take into account the high amount of standard equipment you get, as well as its strong lineup of standard safety features.