2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Aims at Luxury Three-Row Electric SUVs, Is Priced Better
Hyundai’s bigger all-electric SUV largely undercuts rivals from luxury brands, but costs more than mainstream options.
When it comes to electric vehicles, Hyundai is methodically working through adding models to its lineup where they make sense, rather than going all-out trying to replace its entire internal-combustion fleet at once. It also leaned hard into distinctive styling and driving fun—particularly in the Ioniq 5 N performance EV—and now it's going practical with the 2026 Ioniq 9 three-row electric SUV. And now we know how much the 9 will cost.
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The least-expensive 2026 Ioniq 9 is the S rear-wheel drive (RWD), delivering 335 miles of range and costing just $60,555. It gets a single 215-hp, 258-lb-ft electric motor driving its rear wheels along with the same 110-kWh battery as every other Ioniq 9, along with the same charging capabilities of up to 350 kW on a (CCS) DC fast charger.
To get that capability, you’ll need an adapter for the CCS plug as the Ioniq 9 comes with NACS (the Tesla connector) standard. If you happen to choose a V3 Tesla Supercharger, you will nearly double that time waiting on a charge. The 350-kW CCS rip will take 24 minutes to reach 80 percent state of charge (SoC) from 10 percent (or from 33.5 miles of range to 268 for the RWD S) while the V3 Supercharger will take 41 minutes for the same SoC. V4 Superchargers should offer three times the speed, so that disadvantage should only be temporary as more are built.
If you want more power, stepping up to a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Ioniq 9 will bring it. The first such version in the lineup is the SE AWD that starts at $64,325. Its second motor brings you another 88 hp (for 303 hp total) and only a 15-mile penalty in range (knocking it down to a still-solid 320 miles). There is also the addition of a eight-way passenger power seat (the same seat for the driver is standard on the S RWD) and 1,500 pounds of additional towing capacity (3,500 pounds for the S RWD, 5,000 pounds for all AWDs). Otherwise, the Ioniq 9 SE AWD is equipped exactly like the S RWD. You even get the same 19-inch wheels wrapped in 255/60R19 tires.
Next up is the Ioniq 9 SEL AWD that packs the same all-wheel power as the SE AWD and more standard features like 20-inch wheels with 275/50R20 tires, power folding exterior mirrors, H-Tex materials on the power front seats with ventilation, “premium” door sill plates, heated steering wheel with power tilt and telescoping, surround and blind spot monitoring, side and reverse parking distance, and rear collision warnings. This will come at a premium over the SE, ringing in at $67,920 (a $3,595 difference between the two trims).
If you want max power and aren’t concerned about range, there is the Ioniq 9 Limited AWD Performance. At $72,850, you unleash 422 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque from the performance-tuned motors—while also sacrificing some range, which drops from the regular AWD models' 320 miles to 311 miles.
You do get additional standard features over the SEL for this package with 21-inch in wheels on 285/45R21 tires, glossy black and body color insert wheel arches, panoramic sunroof, second-row power and ventilated captain’s chairs, power folding third row seating, the Bose Premium audio system, sliding center console armrest, and Hyundai’s vehicle to load on-board charger in the cargo area.
The (almost) penultimate Ioniq 9 is the Calligraphy AWD Performance trim that comes with everything mentioned in the Limited AWD Performance trim with more luxury-focused changes and additions like body color wheel arches (including the inserts), microfiber suede roof trim, a “premium” cargo sill plate, two-tone leather wrapped steering wheel, a 10-inch heads-up display (HUD), second-row auto up and down windows, an FDM interior rearview mirror with HomeLink, Hyundai Digital Key 2, forward and side parking collision avoidance assistance, and remote smart parking assistant two. This comes at an $8,670 price difference from the Limited AWD Performance thanks to its $76,590 price tag.
The ultimate version of the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 is the $78,090 Calligraphy Design AWD Performance; for $2,500 more than the “regular” Calligraphy, it gets a unique set of Turbine wheels.
The Competition
If nearly $80,000 sounds like a lot for a Hyundai SUV, even an all-electric one, consider its actual competition—namely, other three-row electric vehicles. Hyundai is charging about the same as Volkswagen is for the ID Buzz electric van, and a little more than Kia is for its similarly sized, three-row EV9 SUV, by a few thousand bucks across the lineup. But Hyundai is positioning the Ioniq 9 a little higher than the Kia, and it can plausibly reach into the luxury space—where you'll find the only other three-row electric SUVs available today.
At the top end, the 9 is just a bit more expensive than the entry-level Rivian R1S with its 270-mile range Standard battery pack. To equal the same build level, a 2025 R1S Dual would need to come with the Large battery pack and the Sound and Vision package for $86,400 and you would need to include a NACS DC adapter for Supercharger access for an extra $250 on top of that (they stopped being free in January). But the Rivian does get an extra 111 hp, 18 miles of range, and one-inch taller wheels over the Ioniq 9 Calligraphy Design.
Sort of the same story for the 2025 Volvo EX90—you’ll end up spending more ($86,140 for the EX90 Ultra with seating for six) for similar equipment, but end up losing 20 hp and one mile of range for the Ultra package and its standard motor output or gain 88 more horsepower but lose another $5,000 out of your pocket ($91,140). You also still need a NACS DC adapter, but Volvo includes that as part of the standard EX90 package.
While probably not a totally fair comparison, the three-row, non-electric 2025 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Night variant is cheaper. While you don’t get the same vehicle to load capability as the Ioniq 9 Calligraphy Design, you do get a standard 115-volt outlet and seating for seven for $55,975 along with a full tank range of 395 miles. If you charge up at home, the Ioniq 9 will probably deliver far lower energy costs over time than the gas-fed Palisade—even if it'd take a long time for it to offset the higher up-front cost of the Ioniq 9 itself.
Finally, if you’re worried that the seemingly daily tariffs changes could put an impact on the pricing of the Ioniq 9, you might not need to worry about it going higher for the moment. As it stands, Hyundai has pledged not to change prices through June of this year; and besides, the Ioniq 9 is built at Hyundai's new Metaplant America in Bryan County, Georgia, so it avoids tariffs that impact imported vehicles (though not those on imported parts and materials, of course).
2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Pricing
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he's had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He's best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
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