2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Road Test and Review

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Big families often need big cars. Whether you’re picking up a load of kids from school or loading up everyone’s luggage for a family road trip, every bit of space counts. Unfortunately, as you idle in the school pickup line, dash back out to the store again for last-minute supplies, or drive across four states, your big car is probably burning a lot of gas. 

Unless your big car is a 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9, that is. This is a big three-row crossover SUV with a fully electric powertrain. Hyundai used its experience with the hot-selling gas-powered Palisade to create a luxurious yet family-friendly vehicle. Then it added its electric-vehicle magic from the award-winning five-passenger Ioniq 5. 

To see how well it all came together, we just spent a week testing the all-new 2026 Ioniq 9. Keep reading our review to learn more about this seven-passenger EV’s pros and cons to see if it’s the right big electric car for you. 

High-End Pricing

Now, let’s make one thing clear off the bat. A great three-row crossover isn’t cheap. The Ioniq 9 starts at $58,955, and our top-of-the-line test vehicle approached $80,000 with all the bells and whistles. Until September 30, the Georgia-built Ioniq 9 does qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit. The base S model is rear-wheel drive; the next-up SE adds a second motor for all-wheel-drive traction (plus more power) at $62,765. 

The heart of the Ioniq 9 lineup is the midlevel SEL model, with a sticker price of $66,320. This trim level has leatherette upholstery with heated, ventilated, and power-adjustable front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, a surround-view parking camera, and a blind-spot camera. It also includes other popular amenities shared with lesser Ioniq 9 models like adaptive cruise control, a power liftgate, and GPS navigation. A similarly equipped gas-powered Palisade SEL Premium AWD would cost $46,550 – so even the tax credit wouldn’t close that gap unless your dealership cuts you a big discount (which it might). 

For more powerful motors, a panoramic sunroof, Bose premium stereo, and second-row ventilated captain’s chairs (instead of a bench seat), you need the $71,250 Limited. The Calligraphy like our test vehicle starts at $74,990 with a head-up display, some trim upgrades, and tech toys like a remote parking feature that lets you reposition the vehicle without getting inside. 

These prices may sound like what you’d expect from a luxury car, not a Hyundai. But if you steer clear of the highest trim levels, you’re not paying an obscene amount. Plus, as we’ll discuss, the Ioniq 9 makes a compelling case for its high price. 

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Low Operating Costs and a Long Range

First off, you’ll spend a lot less to operate your Ioniq 9 than a Palisade. It gets the energy equivalent of 85 to 92 miles per gallon, depending on the trim level, versus the Palisade’s 21 to 22 mpg. That means using about 38 kilowatt-hours of electricity versus about 4.6 gallons of gas to drive 100 miles. 

On average, U.S. residential electric rates are 17.4 cents per kWh, while a gallon of gas costs $3.16 as we write. So that 100-mile drive would cost $6.61 in the Ioniq 9 but $14.54 in the Palisade. In other words, for every 10,000 miles you drive, the electric SUV saves you nearly $800 in fuel costs. You also don’t have to pay for oil changes. However, note that charging at public stations can cost as much as gasoline. 

You won’t have to recharge often, either. In EPA testing, the Ioniq 9 can travel between 311 and 335 miles per charge – better than many luxury EVs. Our Calligraphy test vehicle needed 63 percent of its battery to travel 208 miles, which would give it an excellent total range of 331 miles. 

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Fast and Easy Charging

We mentioned how the Ioniq 9’s most cost-effective charging is done at home. If you install a 240-volt car charger, you can recharge a near-empty battery overnight (in about 10 hours) and have your full range waiting for you again in the morning. But when you’re on the go, the Ioniq 9 can get from a 10 percent to 80 percent charge in just 24 minutes via a 350-kilowatt DC charger. 

The Ioniq 9 comes with an NACS charging port, the style you’d find in a Tesla Supercharger station. Charging at a Tesla station takes longer (40 minutes to get from 10 percent to 80 percent), but Superchargers are often easier to find. You can use an adapter to plug your Ioniq 9 into a CCS charger like you’d find at Electrify America or EVGo stations. 

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Speedy but Relaxed Driving

Even a slow electric car can feel peppy and smooth. Electric motors make peak torque off the line and produce very little noise. While a gas engine might groan and strain as it labors to overcome the forces of gravity, there’s no such experience in an EV. 

The rear-drive Ioniq 9 S makes 215 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, which is nothing remarkable for a big, heavy vehicle. It’ll mosey to 60 mph in a painless but less-than-swift 8.4 seconds. The SE and SEL make 303 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque, which is enough to whip them to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds – quicker than most mainstream-brand three-row SUVs, and once again nearly silent, but not wildly fast. The Limited and Calligraphy make 422 hp and 516 lb-ft for a 0-60 run of 4.9 seconds. That’s not as crazy as a top Tesla or Rivian, but it’s quite fast by normal standards. 

The Ioniq 9 builds speed smoothly and serenely, and its suspension sailed gently over bumps that many three-row crossovers take as hard slams. It tended to wallow over speed humps, though. Don’t count on sporty handling like many EVs, either. The Ioniq 9 is comfortable and relaxing to drive, but it doesn’t encourage you to swerve fast. The steering isn’t quick or precise; it feels natural to drive this SUV around a curve at speeds of “don’t wake the baby” more than “hold on tight, guys.” It also has a wide 41-foot turning circle. 

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Advanced but Functional Cabin

America’s best-selling EVs, from Tesla, have famously minimalist dashboards with a big touchscreen in the center and as few physical controls as possible. Some rival EV makers have tried to follow Tesla’s example. But others have kept things more conventional for folks who prioritize ease of use over cutting-edge fashion, or who simply prefer a more traditional aesthetic. That’s the case of the Hyundai Ioniq 9. 

The Ioniq 9 doesn’t have the same interior as the gas-powered Palisade, but it might as well. The overall aesthetic between this electric model and the upcoming 2026 Palisade is just about the same: a central touchscreen shares a single panel with a digital instrument cluster mounted behind the steering wheel, while the rest of the well-finished dashboard is sculpted with a mix of straight lines and curves. A control panel lives below the 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, rather than burying all audio and climate controls into the digital display. And the screen itself is easy to customize to present different mixes of information, while also supporting wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration. It’s upscale and modern, but it’s from the present rather than from the future. 

That doesn’t mean everything about the Ioniq 9’s controls is perfect. Some of the climate controls are touch-sensitive buttons that take some extra concentration to tap. And as on other recent Hyundais, we’re frustrated by the infotainment system’s unwillingness to say the song playing on the radio in most of its available views. But compared with EVs that make you use the touchscreen to work the windshield wipers, the Ioniq 9 has no learning curve at all. 

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Three Real Rows of Seats

The Ioniq 9 also leans on Hyundai’s experience with family-friendly crossovers to create three real rows of seats. The front seats and second row have ample space on comfortable cushions. And while the third row won’t be an adult’s favorite place to sit – or to scramble in and out of – it’s habitable in a pinch. 

We do wish Hyundai had made the Ioniq 9 an eight-passenger vehicle like the Palisade. Instead, the base trim level seats seven passengers with a three-passenger second-row bench seat and a two-passenger third row. And the Limited and Calligraphy offer only second-row captain’s chairs, cutting total seating capacity to six.

The Ioniq 9 has ample cabin storage. Second-row passengers get a pull-out bin from the front seats’ center console, plus access to the top center console bin. The latter is set up to open from either the front or the back. However, it was stiff to open in our test vehicle, making us wish Hyundai had just kept things conventional. 

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Ample Cargo Hold

As with passenger space, the Ioniq 9 has a big cargo hold. You get 22 cubic feet of luggage space behind the third row – enough space for some groceries or a few suitcases. It folds easily to open up a big 47 cubic feet behind the second row. And you can also easily fold down the second-row seats for 87 cubic feet of total cargo room. That’s similar to what you’d find in the Palisade or another similar three-row family-friendly crossover. 

Hyundai also provides a 2-cubic-foot front trunk (“frunk”), which is enough space to hide a couple of small valuables or stash a charging cable. And you can tow up to 5,000 pounds, similar to a gas-powered three-row crossover. Just know that towing a trailer cuts sharply into an EV’s range. 

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Ioniq 9 vs. the Competition

The Ioniq 9 doesn’t face much competition for a spacious three-row electric SUV. The best-selling Tesla Model Y has an optional third row, but it’s tiny even for kids. Even the larger Tesla Model X is designed for speed and aerodynamics before third-row space.

You might compare a top-trim Calligraphy with a base Rivian R1S, Volvo EX90, or Cadillac Vistiq. The Rivian is fast and capable off-road, and you can option it with up to 410 miles of range (the base model goes 270), but it doesn’t ride as smoothly as the Hyundai. The Volvo is beautifully finished and great to drive, but it suffers from hard-to-use controls and buggy software, and it's not as roomy. The Vistiq handles better than the Ioniq 9 and offers advanced hands-free highway driving, but it has a bumpier ride. The Rivian and Cadillac also lack Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and all three cost more than the Ioniq 9. 

Another compelling option is the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, a funky and fun-to-drive electric minivan that’s priced similarly to the Ioniq 9 and has even more room. But it can’t go as far on a charge, its controls are harder to use, and its seats are clumsier to fold down. 

You might also shop the Ioniq 9 against a plug-in hybrid SUV like the Mazda CX-90 PHEV, Lexus TX 550h+, or Volvo XC90 T8. They can travel about 25 to 35 miles using only electricity, then they have a gas engine kick in for easy refueling on longer trips. They don’t drive as smoothly as an EV in either their gas or electric modes, but some folks may find their fueling flexibility invaluable. 

2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz Pro S Plus ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Ioniq 9 vs. the Kia EV9

The Ioniq 9 faces one more top rival among three-row EVs – its own corporate cousin, the Kia EV9. The EV9 and Ioniq 9 share many parts and many advantages. But each has its own notable strengths and weaknesses. 

First, the Ioniq 9 has a bigger battery with a longer range than the EV9. The Hyundai goes about 30 miles farther than the comparable Kia. However, this bigger battery is also heavier and more expensive, and the EV9 feels a little quicker, more agile, and fun to drive than the Ioniq 9. 

Second, the EV9 is styled like a big flashy box, while the Ioniq 9 looks lower and sleeker. You might find yourself more drawn to the adventurous, purposeful Kia or the graceful, elegant Hyundai. 

Finally, you might find that your Hyundai or your Kia dealer might have a better discount available. The EV9 has a lower sticker price than the Ioniq 9, but electric vehicles often go for thousands less than sticker price or are available at cheap lease rates. Shop carefully if you aren’t certain you want one versus the other. 

2024 Kia EV9 Land ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Final Thoughts

Electric vehicles aren’t for everyone. If you can’t recharge at home or take frequent long trips, you’ll spend a lot of time and money at public charging stations. And they’re not cheap to buy. But otherwise, EVs have super-low fuel costs and zero tailpipe emissions – say goodbye to burning gasoline on the school grounds while you idle in the pickup line. And they’re typically better to drive than equivalent gasoline models, with ample low-end torque and near-silent acceleration. 

The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 provides these benefits along with three rows of seats and ample cargo space. It’s a smooth, comfortable, and graceful luxury vehicle with space for the whole family – and much smaller fuel bills. Some folks might wish it were quicker, more agile, and less expensive. And we’d have changed a few details about its dashboard controls and provided eight seatbelts. But overall, it’s a well-executed family-friendly EV with few alternatives at this size and price. 

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy ・ Photo by Brady Holt