Hyundai
Ioniq 5
Model Profile
From $69,990
Driveaway estimate · NSW · priced Aug 2026. Varies by state. Details →
For 2026, Hyundai did the unfashionable thing and made the IONIQ 5 simpler. A sprawling range of more than a dozen configurations became three clear grades, and every one of them now carries the big 84kWh battery that used to sit only at the top. The upshot is that the cheapest IONIQ 5 travels as far as last year's flagship did. Launched in 2021 as Hyundai's first car on the dedicated 800-volt E-GMP platform, the IONIQ 5 has spent five years quietly maturing into one of the most complete electric SUVs on sale in Australia, even if the sales charts still favour cheaper rivals.
What matters to you?
495–570km
Range168–239kW
Power520L
Boot space8years
Battery warrantyRange shown across the Ioniq 5 line-up. Pick a priority to see the numbers that matter to you.
Images are illustrative and digitally rendered. They may not reflect the exact variant, colour or trim. Details →
Living with the Ioniq 5.
The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is the electric mid-size SUV that keeps winning on the fundamentals while the market looks elsewhere. For 2026 Hyundai collapsed a confusing line-up into three grades and gave every one the 84kWh battery, so the cheapest IONIQ 5 now goes as far as last year's most expensive did. It is roomy, quick to charge and premium inside. The catch is a price that sits above the Tesla Model Y, and a ride the launch reviews consistently call firm.
Value lives at the bottom of the range. The $69,990 driveaway IONIQ 5 RWD, a promotional NSW driveaway offer running to 30 September 2026 rather than a permanent price, carries the same 84kWh pack and 800-volt charging as the grades above it, and its 19-inch wheels give it the longest WLTP range in the family at 570km. Step up to the Elite for the electric tailgate, head-up display and Bose sound, but its 20-inch wheels trim range to 530km. Ownership leans on Hyundai's seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and an eight-year, 160,000km battery guarantee, with capped-price servicing keeping the running maths predictable.
The N Line Premium is the one that looks the part. It swaps in a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system good for 239kW and 605Nm, and adds the Vision roof, a fixed glass panel with a power sunshade, along with projector LED headlights, ventilated front seats and a suede-and-leather cabin with red stitching. It is the quickest non-N IONIQ 5 and the best equipped. It is also the heaviest, its 20-inch wheels and second motor cut WLTP range to 495km, and at $85,490 driveaway (August 2026) it asks a lot for styling and pace. Ask yourself whether the sporty flavour justifies the jump; on range alone, the rear-drivers make the stronger case.
Underneath every grade is the 800-volt E-GMP architecture that still sets the IONIQ 5 apart. It enables a 10 to 80 per cent top-up in around 18 minutes on a 350kW-class ultra-fast charger, a rate most rivals on 400-volt systems cannot approach. The cabin backs it up: twin 12.3-inch displays, a standard heat pump for cold-weather range, vehicle-to-load power for running appliances off the battery, and Digital Key 2.0 that turns a phone into the key. The honest caveats, both flagged consistently in AU launch reviews, are a firm ride over sharp edges and driver-assist alerts that nag. For a buyer who charges on the road and values cabin quality, the IONIQ 5 remains one of the most complete electric SUVs on sale, provided the premium over a Model Y reads as money well spent.
2021
Hyundai's first 800V E-GMP car, and a TopGear Best Design winner at launch.
Ioniq 5 Range Walk
Every 2026 IONIQ 5 shares the same 84kWh battery and 800-volt charging, so stepping up the range buys comfort, styling and, at the top, a second motor, not more range or faster charging. In fact the pricier grades wear larger wheels that slightly shorten range. Prices below are promotional NSW driveaway offers running to 30 September 2026. Here is what each rung adds.
- 01
IONIQ 5 RWD
Best range for the moneyFrom $69,990
The $69,990 driveaway entry point, and the range champion: 168kW rear drive, 570km WLTP on 19-inch wheels, plus a heat pump, twin 12.3-inch screens, wireless Apple CarPlay, a 360-degree camera and Digital Key 2.0 as standard.
- 02
Elite
Comfort without the AWD premiumFrom $74,990
For about $5,000 more the Elite adds an electric tailgate, head-up display, eight-speaker Bose audio, heated front seats and a sliding centre console. Its 20-inch wheels trim WLTP range to 530km.
- 03
N Line Premium
Pace and kit over rangeFrom $85,490
At $85,490 driveaway the flagship non-N grade brings dual-motor all-wheel drive (239kW and 605Nm), the fixed-glass Vision roof with its power sunshade, projector LED headlights, ventilated front seats and N Line styling on 20-inch wheels. Range falls to 495km.
Driveaway estimate · NSW · priced Aug 2026. Varies by state. Details →
Under the skin.
How much can the Hyundai Ioniq 5 tow?
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is rated to tow up to 1,600 kg with a braked trailer and 750 kg without trailer brakes.
Heaviest braked trailer allowed, quoted as ATM: the loaded trailer including ball weight.
1,600 kg
Limit for trailers without their own brakes.
750 kg
Gross vehicle mass: the most the loaded vehicle may weigh, ball weight included.
2,590 kg
Gross combination mass: vehicle and trailer together. Hyundai does not publish one.
Not published
The vehicle as delivered, before people, cargo and accessories.
2,075 kg
Everything you may add: people, cargo, accessories and ball weight.
620 kg
Downward load on the tow ball; it counts toward GVM.
100 kg
What's left once the van is hooked up
Hook up 1,600 kg with 100 kg on the ball and the Elite has 415 kg of payload left for people, cargo and accessories.
Hyundai does not publish a GCM for the Ioniq 5, so the tow rating and the GVM are the governing limits shown here.
Assuming 10 per cent of the trailer weight.
Two adults plus luggage is roughly 400 kg.
Over a limit. This combination does not comply.
Tow rating
0 kg under the 1,600 kg braked rating
Vehicle GVM
Over GVM by 45 kg. Lighten the load or the ball.
Combined GCM
GCM not published for this vehicle
Tow ball limit
Over the 100 kg ball limit by 60 kg
The rules and the fine print
Figures are manufacturer maximums for the Eliteand can change with model year; the compliance plate and handbook of your exact vehicle govern. In Australia, trailers over 750 kg GTM (the loaded weight on the trailer's own wheels) need their own brakes, and over 2,000 kg they need brakes on all wheels plus a breakaway system. Ball weight typically runs 8 to 12 per cent of ATM. Axle loads and tyre ratings are not modelled here. Checking a different car against your van? Use the towing calculator.
How it protects.
ANCAP · Tested 2021
This vehicle achieved the highest possible ANCAP safety rating, with strong results across occupant protection, pedestrian safety and safety-assist technology.
Buy the IONIQ 5 if charging speed, cabin quality and long-trip range matter more to you than the lowest sticker. The rear-drive base grade is the pick: it holds the full 84kWh battery, 800-volt charging and 570km of range for the least money, and standardising the big pack makes 2026 the strongest value the range has offered. Cross-shop the Tesla Model Y if price and outright acceleration lead your brief, since it undercuts the Hyundai by real money and taps the Supercharger network, or the platform-sibling Kia EV6 if you want the sporty all-wheel-drive flavour the N Line Premium chases. Few electric SUVs, though, make a more complete case once you have charged one on a road trip.
- Class-leading 800V charging, 10 to 80 in about 18 minutes
- 84kWh battery now standard across every grade
- Up to 570km WLTP range on the base RWD
- Premium, spacious cabin with real tech depth
- Seven-year warranty plus eight-year battery cover
- Priced above the Tesla Model Y
- Ride can feel firm over sharp bumps
- Driver-assist alerts are persistently intrusive
- N Line Premium adds pace but cuts range
Where the Ioniq 5 has been.
Past generations. Context, not the car on sale today.
The IONIQ 5 launched globally in 2021 as Hyundai's first car on the dedicated 800-volt E-GMP electric platform, and quickly became a design landmark, winning Best Design at the TopGear Electric Awards. Five years of steady Australian updates have added the physical buttons and rear wiper that early cars lacked, and simplified a once-sprawling range. Its one notable ownership chapter concerns early-build charging hardware.
2021 to 2024: The ICCU chapter
Early IONIQ 5s built between April 2021 and February 2024 were caught up in a known fault with the Integrated Charging Control Unit, which could drain the 12-volt battery and cause a loss of drive. More than 3,500 Australian IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6 cars were recalled twice in 2024 (register REC-006224) for a free software fix. In May 2026 Hyundai extended the ICCU warranty on affected builds to 15 years or 300,000km, easing a lingering used-buyer worry.
2025 to 2026: The refinement years
Later updates answered the early criticism. Hyundai re-added physical climate buttons and a rear wiper, refreshed the wheels and badging, and for 2026 dropped the small 63kWh battery so every grade runs the 84kWh pack. Digital Key 2.0 arrived, letting owners unlock and start the car with a phone or smartwatch. Current MY26 cars sit outside the ICCU-affected build window.
Asked about the Ioniq 5.
By Yuri Cartland, Editor