2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 Consumer Reviews
Pricing
S (Editors' Pick) - $60,555 MSRP
Edmunds suggests you pay
$48,2676 for sale near you
Prices based on sales in VA thru 5/25/26
Final assembly in USA
My Fourth EV
Shane Nestruck, 10/19/2025
updated 04/22/2026
2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 Performance Calligraphy 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
I've owned two Leaf 2019 and 2020, and a Kia Niro EV. Loved them all at the time. Absolutely loved my Kia Niro. It was an immense improvement on the Leafs, and so efficient but I wanted more cargo room and range. Longer range means 'reasonable' range at higher speeds! My new Ionic9 is again a huge improvement... except that the 'climate' is done on a touch screen instead of buttons.... I hate touch screens when driving... But in every other way the Ionic 9 is "beyond my expectations.... One small complaint the "easy access"... moves the seat for easy entry-egress, does not move far enough for my needs/wants. Other than that FIVE STARS. Today after over 13000 km I'm even more impressed...... The HTRAC system. "Walked" up a steep hill that I could not climb even with my cleats on. It was beyond awesome feeling the HTRAC system find traction and seemingly climb the VERY STEEP hills if it didn't exist!!! :)
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SEL-abrating this Car
Coach Herb, 07/05/2025
2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 SEL 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD)
14 of 17 people found this review helpful
This a very early review having only 343 miles on the odo. Chose the SEL cyber gray with light gray interior as cost for features on higher trims lack value for me. I watched as many YouTube vids as I could and read all reviews from KBB, Edmunds, C/D, MT and others. Main comparison will be to friend's Tesla X PLAID and my own Toyo '24 GHH. Paid 1.5K below MSRP. Positives: *Hushed: Very quiet and a bit better than X and much more than GHH which I love. Smooth over all road bumps w/o lateral or vertical bobbing as some have reported. 20' Kumho's may help vs 21s on higher trims that most folks reviewed. *Awesome drivetrain: Autopilot lite is very good. It does lanes changes and hands off for about 20 secs before chirping to put hands on wheel. Averaging 3.5mi/kw and I drive 0-10 MPH over speed limits. I use 1 pedal driving but switch to none or level 1 when others in the car to increase smoothness. Wife describes it as gliding on zero level. Normal and sport mode really boosts accelerator response and I use it when I want some more fun. Typically stay in ECO which can have zoom zoom but requires more pressing to get there. Luxury comfort: 1st row comfort equal or slightly better than X or GHH. I enjoy having some buttons for climate and media features but enjoy that the screen or voice commands can do just about anything the buttons do. That choice is absent on X and GHH. Middle row much more spacious than X and moderately more than GHH. Foot rests in other trims seem tiny and gimmicky except for small kids; mine are all adults owning their own cars. Drove my X owning friend and his wife in 2nd row and they were shocked at the space, comfort and luxurious feel. The door is very big to match the huge opening. Sliding the seat a bit forward gives decent 3rd row space, but my wife and I typically keep 3rd row down for extra storage as we do in GHH. *Others: Hidden rear wiper increases vision. Headlights shine nicely at night and I love the rear pixelation and lights across the hatch. smallish frunk keeps charging cables and adapter. I have home charger and as this is the 2nd EV ['21 ID4 Pro S] we easily swap cars to use it. Adaptor works flawlessly and app is fantastic, giving current charge, time to full and charge rate. Areas to improve: Harmon Kardon stereo not very base-y so I boosted it manually and it sounds better. Acceleration no way near PLAID X in full throttle, but substantially stronger than GHH non-max hybrid. The gray interior scuffs easily so poor choice if you have young kids. Kumho tires not rated as high as Hankooks which come on higher trims but these are very quiet. Dealers had no hitch available and other places do not yet list the Ioniq 9 so will wait for this. Final thoughts on higher trims: Higher HP is a matter of taste but an excellent value as it loses few miles. It's the other features that lose value: they have memory seats which I would have liked but I will be main driver. We have it on GHH and my wife and I are similar height at 5'10-11' so we rarely use it. Window shades, as on GHH never get used. Rear ventilation rarely needed as typically just 2 people in it. Mechanical 2nd and 3rd row very slow - I prefer manual and get extra tilt feature on passenger side. We prefer bench seat vs losing it to captains chairs. Comfort is the same. We are tall and prefer to not have moon/sun roof to add head room. I9 looks sleek to us and is preferred over boxier EV9 which I agree is also a beautiful car. The Tesla X is really tight overall, lacks luxury feel and 3rd row barely usable but admittedly it is amazing in its own seriously fast way.
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Ioniq 9 SEL with tow package from dealer
Solat1, 07/23/2025
2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 SEL 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD)
10 of 12 people found this review helpful
Fantastic EV. In eco mode getting 350 range or more. Just did a 120 mile tow with 6 people and pulling a 5 x 8 cargo trailer. Averaged 1.8 miles per kwh. Trailer is 1345 empty. About 3000 loaded. Pulls really smooth. Trailer was auto detected and adjusted range estimate automatically. Took about 10 miles to get a good estimate. Dealer in salem installed hitch and harness. Very happy
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Feels High-End in Every Way
Amy S, 04/10/2026
2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 Performance Limited 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I recently leased the 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9, and I honestly couldn’t be happier with my decision. This SUV exceeded my expectations in almost every way. First off, the space is incredible. The three-row seating is actually usable, even for adults, and everything feels open and comfortable. It’s perfect for everyday driving but also great when I have family or extra passengers. The ride quality is super smooth and quiet, which makes a huge difference, especially on longer drives. It feels very refined and almost luxury-level without the luxury price tag. The interior design is modern and clean, and all the technology is easy to use once you get familiar with it. Charging has been much easier than I expected, and the range gives me a lot of confidence for daily use. I also love how quick it feels for a larger SUV — it definitely has more power than you’d expect. Overall, this car just feels well thought out. It’s comfortable, practical, and still fun to drive. I would absolutely recommend the IONIQ 9 to anyone looking for a spacious and modern electric SUV.
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Absolute Beast of a vehicle!
Ioniq9Driver, 01/15/2026
2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 Performance Limited 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Financed a 2026 Performance Limited from the dealer in Snow White color with gray interiors. Ive had it for over 5 months now and driven three long drives of 400 miles. It just is very smooth on the road and doesnt feel heavy at all. The advertised range is actually pretty conservative and I managed to get over 30 or 40 miles over 320 on my day to day use. The biggest pro is the NACS port which lets me charge it on the Supercharger network. The only con I can think of is the position of the port which makes it difficult to charge in some of the older supercharger. Its super comfortable for the entire family and long drives were a breeze. If Hyundai manages to give a software update to enable full self driving sometime in the future, this would undoubtedly be the best 3 row SUV with a massive value for money.
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