Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs Volkswagen ID.4

The ID.4, and it comes better equipped for the saving. As of August 2026 the ID.4 Pro opens at $64,990 drive-away against the Ioniq 5's $69,990 on a Hyundai offer, both promotional drive-away prices running to 30 September 2026. For the lower figure the Volkswagen throws in heated seats, a heated steering wheel and a panoramic roof as standard, kit the base Ioniq 5 holds back until you climb its range. The Hyundai's answer is a longer seven-year warranty against five and its faster charging, so it is not simply dearer for nothing. But on the sticker and the standard kit, the ID.4 is the cheaper way into a well-equipped mid-size EV.

The ID.4 is the quicker car. Its rear-drive Pro makes 210kW and 545Nm against the base Ioniq 5's 168kW and 350Nm, and claims 6.7 seconds to 100km/h. Step up to the 250kW GTX and its 4MOTION all-wheel drive cuts that to 5.4 seconds. The mainstream Ioniq 5 tops out at a 239kW dual-motor grade, quick enough but short of the GTX, and its 478kW Ioniq 5 N is a separate, far pricier model outside this comparison. So across the grades these two share a bracket with, the Volkswagen has the pace advantage, though neither is slow and both make easy, instant EV progress in town.

The Ioniq 5 wins charging clearly. Its 800-volt architecture takes the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in about 18 minutes on a strong DC charger, a speed still rare at this price. The ID.4 peaks at a respectable 175kW on DC, but Volkswagen does not publish a 10 to 80 per cent time, and it is the slower system of the two in practice. On range the pair is close: the Ioniq 5 claims 570km WLTP to the ID.4 Pro's 547, a small Hyundai edge that everyday driving will blur. Home AC charging is line-ball at around 11kW. For fast, predictable public top-ups, the Ioniq 5 is the better road-trip tool.

The ID.4 Pro is the more generously equipped entry car. It ships heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a fixed panoramic roof, three-zone climate control, rear air-conditioning, wireless charging and a 360-degree camera as standard. The base Ioniq 5 RWD covers the essentials, dual-zone climate, wireless smartphone mirroring, a 360-degree camera and the full active-safety suite, but it holds back heated seats and a head-up display until the Elite grade and a roof until the top grade. The trade is elsewhere: the Ioniq 5 base adds built-in navigation and digital radio the ID.4 leaves out. For comfort kit without climbing the range, though, the Volkswagen gives you more at the entry point.

The Ioniq 5, comfortably. Hyundai fits twin 12.3-inch screens, a crisp driver's display alongside the central touchscreen, plus built-in satellite navigation and digital radio. The ID.4 takes a different path: it has a larger 12.9-inch central touchscreen, but pairs it with a tiny 5.3-inch driver's display that Australian reviewers consistently flag as too small, and the ID.4 goes without onboard navigation or digital radio, leaning on your phone for both. Both cars include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging and a reversing camera, so the basics are covered either way. But for a complete, self-contained cabin-tech suite, the Ioniq 5 is clearly ahead.

It splits. The ID.4 has the bigger boot, 543 litres to the Ioniq 5's 520, and a famously tight 10.3-metre turning circle that makes it a doddle in car parks and U-turns, nearly 1.7 metres tighter than the Hyundai's 11.98. The Ioniq 5 answers with a 3,000mm wheelbase, 234mm longer than the ID.4's, which shows up as noticeably more rear legroom, plus a 57-litre front boot the Volkswagen does without. So the ID.4 is the easier car to manoeuvre and load in the main boot, while the Ioniq 5 is the roomier one to sit in with more total luggage space. Both seat five comfortably.

Both wear a five-star ANCAP rating, so the headline is even. The ID.4 posts the stronger crash-protection scores, leading adult occupant protection 93 per cent to 88 and rating higher for vulnerable road users. The Ioniq 5 leads on the safety-assist measure, 89 to 76, reflecting a broader suite of active-safety features. Both come standard with autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring on the grades most buyers choose. The differences cut both ways and neither is a weak performer, so there is no clear safety winner here, and it comes down to the other factors.

It comes down to what you weight. Buy the Volkswagen ID.4 if price and equipment lead: it undercuts the Ioniq 5 at the door, adds heated seats, a heated steering wheel and a panoramic roof as standard, makes more power, and parks more easily thanks to that tight turning circle. Buy the Hyundai Ioniq 5 if the EV fundamentals lead: it charges far faster on 800 volts, claims a little more range, carries a much stronger cabin-tech suite with a proper driver's display and built-in navigation, and backs it with a longer seven-year warranty. The ID.4 is the value pick; the Ioniq 5 is the more complete EV.