In our First Drive report on the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, our penultimate paragraph included the line, “This won’t be some stripper-spec sports car. Nor should it be, considering the Ioniq 5 N will likely be priced in the $65,000 to $70,000 range when it goes on sale next March – an educated guess based on current Ioniq 5 MSRPs.” The final number landed almost dead center of the prediction, Hyundai announcing what it calls “the new benchmark for high-performance, all-electric driver engagement” will cost $66,100 before a $1,375 destination charge. Put those two numbers together to get $67,475 for a single trim that should have every substantial option built in, only leaving empty boxes for small beer like a cargo net or wheel locks, if that.
Yeah, that figure makes the Ioniq 5 N the most expensive Hyundai product on the U.S. market, about $5,000 above the Nexo fuel-cell SUV, about $25,000 above the entry-level Ioniq 5 N, and roughly $7,000 over the Ioniq 5 Disney 100 limited-edition trim that celebrates the mouse gang. The newest N outdoes its corporate sibling, the Kia EV6 GT, by about $5,000. The Ioniq 5 N is also more powerful than the EV6 GT, quicker to 60 miles per hour, packs a larger battery, and offers a range of features the Kia doesn’t. The verdict is out on range for now, with neither Hyundai nor the EPA ready to offer an estimated figure.
And yeah, the Ioniq 5 N is about $14,000 more than a Tesla Model Y Performance, though that is before comparing like-for-like. Any paint other than Stealth Gray on the Tesla adds $1,000, and Full Self-Driving — to compare with Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist 2 — adds $12,000 to the price, making this a dead heat before turning to the matter of incentives: The Tesla qualifies for a $7,500 federal tax credit, the Ioniq 5 N does not.
Mind you, Hyundai threw a ton of engineering at the hatch that sold just shy of 34,000 units in the U.S. last year. The structure’s stiffer thanks to additional welds and bonding and stouter connecting points for powertrain hardware; the steering is quicker and more communicative; the N Grin Boost function plumps power from 601 to 641 hp for 10 seconds, to go with 545 of torque; the N e-Shift feature reads like questionable theater but actually improves enthusiast enjoyment; the heated and ventilated front seats sit lower in the cabin; 21-inch forged aluminum wheels in Pirelli P Zero tires are reined in by an e-LSD and a gaggle of programmable N-branded software; and Highway Driving Assist 2 comes with the price.
Bring on the comparison tests. We think they’re going to be good.
