A great alternative to an EV and a high-quality vehicle to boot.
Introduction As I suggested in my previous review of the Hyundai Ioniq EV, I’m more impressed with alternative fuel vehicles. On market today, you can choose between Hybrid, Plug-in Electric Hybrid and pure Electric Vehicles. This review covers the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid.
And there’s more and more being offered in the market place. Mitsubishi was the first to offer an EV – the iMiev, back in 2010 and then Toyota started seriously in the hybrid market with Prius and subsequently, more of their models are offered in Hybrid mode – Corolla, RAV4 and Camry as well as the Prius. Mitsubishi has the Outlander PHEV, but neither Toyota nor Mitsubishi have pure electric vehicles available yet, at least not in Australia.
From an EV viewpoint, at least from the volume manufacturers, Hyundai has been quick off the mark now offering Kona (small SUV reviewed soon) and this car, Ioniq.
As far as Plug-In Electric Vehicles, Mitsubishi has the world’s largest selling vehicle with Outlander PHEV and will soon offer Eclipse Cross in the same PHEV system.
Hyundai chose to go with a ‘normal’ design with the Ioniq – unlike some other manufacturers whose early designs were confronting
What is it? Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid is a small/medium hatchback. The Ioniq is available in hybrid, plug-in hybrid (this one) or a pure-electric car (last review), and it’s the first model in the world to make all those three powertrain options available.
Hybrid tech is a stepping stone between internal combustion and electric cars, and the plug-in hybrid offers a blend of standard hybrid and EV qualities. You can charge the Ioniq from a mains socket in around six hours, but a 3.6kW domestic wall charger does the job in less than three.
What Hyundai Says The new and improved IONIQ range continues its unique positioning in the marketplace as the only vehicle with the choice of three eco-friendly powertrains – Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid, and Electric. Your drive to a greener future.
How Much? Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid is one of three vehicles available in the Hyundai Ioniq Eco range. Starting at $39,029 for the Hybrid, The Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In as to offerings, the Elite for $46,519 and the Premium for $51,914. Metallic paint is an extra $510. The Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid is the lowest entry point into the alternative range.
Competitors? Hyundai is the only manufacturer to offer 3 real-world choices. Other offerings in the Australian market are from Toyota, Mitsubishi and recently Subaru and Mazda. First to market always gets the early adopter advantage and Toyota did it with Prius. However, the South Korean manufacturer is making serious inroads into Toyota’s market share.
On the Road What can I say about the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid? It’s roomy, comfortable and has all the tech you’d expect in an alternative fuel vehicle. Driver and front passenger room, whether leg or shoulder is fine for me – rear-seat passengers are well accommodated. The boot space isn’t best in class for the size of the vehicle, but the first thing you’d do is remove the charging cable container.
It’s an easy matter to leave that at home and use it when you need to top up. I did that last night and it took the distance to empty from
Economy It’s interesting to watch the economy on the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In. When I hit 100klm, the economy was showing 1.1 litres per 100klm.
Now to explain that in simple English, a full electric charge allowed me to travel about 50 kilometres The next 50klm was using the Internal Combustion Engine. So the 100 kilometres cost me about $1.54 in fuel and about 75c in electricity. So that’s about $2.20 per 100 kilometres. (I hope my maths is correct, but I think so)
MY VERDICT
A very impressive alternative to a petrol car (ICE) and a full-blown electric vehicle (EV). Well presented, comfortable and well equipped
AT A GLANCE
Price: $51,490 as tested
Engine 1.6 Atkinson GDi Plug-in Hybrid
Warranty/Service 5-years, unlimited kilometres with an 8-year warranty on the battery.
Pre-paid servicing is the best way to lock in savings. A 5 year/75,000 kilometre plan is just $1,525 or $305 per service. And that’s a fixed price with no change in price due to CPI or other charges.
Safety 5 Stars tested in October 2018. ANCAP has not tested a current vehicle to 2020 criteria
Economy 1.1 Litres per 100 kilometres
Boot Space 341 litres to the top of the rear seats or 1,401 litres with the second row folded
Which Dealer?
Whenever I’m looking for a new car dealer, I always search on Google.
In this case, I’d search for “Hyundai Dealers” and then the city (Brisbane) or even the suburb I live in. For Hyundai, here are the 6 dealers I’d consider visiting. Google provides a star rating and I suggest that you look for dealers who score more than 4 stars in the Google rankings.
| Brisbane Northside | Grand Prix Hyundai Caboolture | 4.7 Stars |
| Brisbane Southside | Bartons Bayside Wynnum | 4.8 Stars |
| Brisbane Eastside | Bartons Hyundai Capalaba | 4.9 Stars |
| Brisbane Westside | Springfield Hyundai | 4.8 Stars |
| Gold Coast | von Bibra Hyundai | 4.6 Stars |
| Sunshine Coast | Noosa Hyundai | 4.5 Stars |
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Hello. I’m Bob Aldons, the owner and editor of The Car Guy.
The Car Guy is an independently owned car review website. I’m currently testing cars for Mazda, Nissan, Kia, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Renault, Subaru, and Hyundai. Through Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport I’m also writing about the 2020 Formula 1 season
I’m not paid by any car company for my opinion and my companies don’t receive advertising revenue to say nice things about them. I call it as I see it.
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Other Links: Hyundai Ioniq Electric Vehicle
