Is The IONIQ 9 The Best Value 3-Row EV? We Find Out.
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The IONIQ 9 is Hyundai's first three-row electric SUV, and it's built on the same platform as the well-received Kia EV9 — just stretched. The wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer, the overall length adds another 1.8 inches, and the result is a 199.2-inch SUV with a surprisingly slippery 0.269 drag coefficient. Every North American IONIQ 9 rolls out of Hyundai's Metaplant in Savannah, Georgia, and all of them share the same 110.3 kWh battery pack delivering up to 335 miles of range.
On the outside, the IONIQ 9 follows the same design language as the rest of the IONIQ lineup — pixel light bar up front, flush door handles, flared rear fenders — but it's a clear departure from the boxy IONIQ 5. The hood is more curvaceous, the D-pillar is tall and squared-off, and the taillights wrap around the rear in a way that's hard to describe without sounding like you're reviewing architecture. It's polarizing, but it's deliberate.
The lineup runs six trims from the base S at $60,555 to the Calligraphy Design at $78,090, all including destination. Hyundai is currently offering $10,000 off all trims. Here's how they break down:
S — $60,555 ($50,555 after incentive)
215 hp RWD · 335 miles EPA · 5,507 lbs
Cloth seats with heated fronts, wireless phone charger, HDA 2.0, 8-speaker audio, 19-inch wheels
Worth skipping — 215 hp moving 5,500+ lbs gives it the worst power-to-weight ratio of any new EV on sale in the US
SE — $64,365 ($54,365 after incentive)
303 hp AWD · 320 miles EPA · 5,745 lbs
Adds AWD, power passenger lumbar, cloth seats with heated fronts, 8-speaker audio, 19-inch wheels
The minimum spec worth buying
SEL — $67,920 ($57,920 after incentive)
303 hp AWD · 320 miles EPA · 5,902 lbs
H-Tex leatherette seats, ventilated front seats, heated second row, heated steering wheel, surround-view camera, 64-color ambient lighting, 20-inch wheels
Best buy in the lineup
Limited — $72,850 ($62,850 after incentive)
422 hp AWD · 311 miles EPA · 5,994 lbs
Captain's chairs (6-seat), relaxation seats in rows 1 and 2, ventilated front and second-row seats, Bose 14-speaker audio, HUD, panoramic vision roof, V2L, Smart Park Assist, fingerprint scanner, 21-inch wheels
Calligraphy — $76,590 ($66,590 after incentive)
422 hp AWD · 311 miles EPA · 6,008 lbs
All Limited features plus Ergo Motion driver seat with massage and side bolster adjust, digital rear camera mirror, Remote Smart Park Assist 2.0, alloy pedals, suede headliner, two-tone steering wheel, dynamic welcome lights, 21-inch 5-spoke wheels
Calligraphy Design — $78,090 ($68,090 after incentive)
422 hp AWD · 311 miles EPA · 6,008 lbs
All Calligraphy features plus unique turbine-design 21-inch wheels and matte exterior paint options (+$1,000)
On the charger, the IONIQ 9 does something unusual. Rather than peaking early and tapering, it actually climbs its charging curve as the session progresses — pulling 211 kW at 10% state of charge and continuing to rise all the way to a peak of 235 kW at 60%. We recorded a 10-to-80% time of 23 minutes and 19 seconds on a 400 kW charger, beating Hyundai's own 24-minute claim. By the 10-minute mark, 100 miles of EPA range were back in the battery. By just under 21 minutes, that number was 200 miles.
The IONIQ 9 is the fastest-charging EV we've tested, and the combination of size, range, and charging performance makes it one of the most capable road-trip vehicles in its class. Ground clearance is a modest 6.9 inches, so don't expect to take it off the beaten path — but for everything else, it's a genuinely impressive machine. The SEL hits the sweet spot on value, and with the current incentive it's hard to make a case against it.
00:00 Intro
00:36 Meet Ever.
01:01 Hyundai EV History
03:13 Design Elements
04:20 Pricing And Options
07:10 Trunk Tricks
07:54 Frunk Volume
08:08 Door Handles
08:36 3rd Row
09:13 2nd Row
10:14 Front Seats
11:25 Software
14:35 Charging
16:25 Driving
19:20 Verdict
#HyundaiIONIQ9 #IONIQ9 #Hyundai #ElectricSUV #ThreeRowSUV #EVReview #IONIQ #CarReview #AndrewLambrecht #EverCars #ChargingTest #EVLife #EGMP
Check out our inventory here: https://evercars.com/cars
The IONIQ 9 is Hyundai's first three-row electric SUV, and it's built on the same platform as the well-received Kia EV9 — just stretched. The wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer, the overall length adds another 1.8 inches, and the result is a 199.2-inch SUV with a surprisingly slippery 0.269 drag coefficient. Every North American IONIQ 9 rolls out of Hyundai's Metaplant in Savannah, Georgia, and all of them share the same 110.3 kWh battery pack delivering up to 335 miles of range.
On the outside, the IONIQ 9 follows the same design language as the rest of the IONIQ lineup — pixel light bar up front, flush door handles, flared rear fenders — but it's a clear departure from the boxy IONIQ 5. The hood is more curvaceous, the D-pillar is tall and squared-off, and the taillights wrap around the rear in a way that's hard to describe without sounding like you're reviewing architecture. It's polarizing, but it's deliberate.
The lineup runs six trims from the base S at $60,555 to the Calligraphy Design at $78,090, all including destination. Hyundai is currently offering $10,000 off all trims. Here's how they break down:
S — $60,555 ($50,555 after incentive)
215 hp RWD · 335 miles EPA · 5,507 lbs
Cloth seats with heated fronts, wireless phone charger, HDA 2.0, 8-speaker audio, 19-inch wheels
Worth skipping — 215 hp moving 5,500+ lbs gives it the worst power-to-weight ratio of any new EV on sale in the US
SE — $64,365 ($54,365 after incentive)
303 hp AWD · 320 miles EPA · 5,745 lbs
Adds AWD, power passenger lumbar, cloth seats with heated fronts, 8-speaker audio, 19-inch wheels
The minimum spec worth buying
SEL — $67,920 ($57,920 after incentive)
303 hp AWD · 320 miles EPA · 5,902 lbs
H-Tex leatherette seats, ventilated front seats, heated second row, heated steering wheel, surround-view camera, 64-color ambient lighting, 20-inch wheels
Best buy in the lineup
Limited — $72,850 ($62,850 after incentive)
422 hp AWD · 311 miles EPA · 5,994 lbs
Captain's chairs (6-seat), relaxation seats in rows 1 and 2, ventilated front and second-row seats, Bose 14-speaker audio, HUD, panoramic vision roof, V2L, Smart Park Assist, fingerprint scanner, 21-inch wheels
Calligraphy — $76,590 ($66,590 after incentive)
422 hp AWD · 311 miles EPA · 6,008 lbs
All Limited features plus Ergo Motion driver seat with massage and side bolster adjust, digital rear camera mirror, Remote Smart Park Assist 2.0, alloy pedals, suede headliner, two-tone steering wheel, dynamic welcome lights, 21-inch 5-spoke wheels
Calligraphy Design — $78,090 ($68,090 after incentive)
422 hp AWD · 311 miles EPA · 6,008 lbs
All Calligraphy features plus unique turbine-design 21-inch wheels and matte exterior paint options (+$1,000)
On the charger, the IONIQ 9 does something unusual. Rather than peaking early and tapering, it actually climbs its charging curve as the session progresses — pulling 211 kW at 10% state of charge and continuing to rise all the way to a peak of 235 kW at 60%. We recorded a 10-to-80% time of 23 minutes and 19 seconds on a 400 kW charger, beating Hyundai's own 24-minute claim. By the 10-minute mark, 100 miles of EPA range were back in the battery. By just under 21 minutes, that number was 200 miles.
The IONIQ 9 is the fastest-charging EV we've tested, and the combination of size, range, and charging performance makes it one of the most capable road-trip vehicles in its class. Ground clearance is a modest 6.9 inches, so don't expect to take it off the beaten path — but for everything else, it's a genuinely impressive machine. The SEL hits the sweet spot on value, and with the current incentive it's hard to make a case against it.
00:00 Intro
00:36 Meet Ever.
01:01 Hyundai EV History
03:13 Design Elements
04:20 Pricing And Options
07:10 Trunk Tricks
07:54 Frunk Volume
08:08 Door Handles
08:36 3rd Row
09:13 2nd Row
10:14 Front Seats
11:25 Software
14:35 Charging
16:25 Driving
19:20 Verdict
#HyundaiIONIQ9 #IONIQ9 #Hyundai #ElectricSUV #ThreeRowSUV #EVReview #IONIQ #CarReview #AndrewLambrecht #EverCars #ChargingTest #EVLife #EGMP
