Our Hyundai Ioniq 6 Is Almost as Fast as a Porsche Taycan
It isn't in the way you’re thinking of, but it’s a big deal when it comes to EVs.
These days when it comes to analyzing performance, traditional metrics like 0 to 60 mph and quarter mile times often only tell part of the story. Sure, the likes of a 2025 Porsche Taycan S can easily pummel a fellow EV sedan such as our yearlong review 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE Long Range out at the test track. But when it comes to charge times, we recently found during our testing that the Ioniq 6 can more than hang with the Taycan S.
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It’s the type of result that further highlights how impressive Hyundai’s E-GMP platform-based EVs continue to be, even when matched against Porsche’s recently updated and equally impressive Taycan models.
Now that our Ioniq 6 is back at our Los Angeles HQ, we had a chance to subject it to our EV testing regimen, and not only did it outperform just about every other Hyundai Group EV we’ve tested to date, it’s the third fastest-charging EV we’ve ever tested when it comes to cumulative range added after 15 and 30 minutes at a DC fast charger, behind only a 2025 Taycan S (we tested the Taycan S in both its Normal and Range modes, and are listing the closer Normal results). It’s not quite a photo finish, but the Ioniq6 is in the Taycan’s ballpark. Here are the results:
MotorTrend’s Yearlong Review 2024 Ioniq 6 SE Long Range RWD
Cumulative Range Added @ 15 min: 200 miles Cumulative Range Added @ 30 min: 267 miles
2025 Porsche Taycan 4S Performance Battery Plus (Normal mode)
Cumulative Range Added @ 15 min: 207 miles Cumulative Range Added @ 30 min: 273 miles
The differences can be primarily chalked up to the fact that the Taycan S can ingest significantly more average power than the Ioniq 6 when charging from 5 to 80 percent (258 kW for the Porsche versus 195 kW in the Hyundai) and 5 to 100 percent (124 kW versus 105 kW), with total peak power also handily in favor of the Porsche (325 kW for the Taycan and 242 kW for the Ioniq 6). It also must be pointed out that the Ioniq 6 is considerably more efficient—153/127/140 mpg-e versus 89/85/87 mpg-e—so each mile of range added requires fewer kWh coming through the charger.
The numbers are also competitive when looking at baseline 5 to 80 and 5 to 100 percent charge times. The Ioniq 6 matches the Taycan to 80 percent at 19 minutes, and the electrons streak into its 77.4-kWh battery pack some six minutes quicker to 100 percent at 45 minutes versus 51 minutes for the Porsche and its 97.0-kWh battery pack. Note that the Taycan has a lot more battery to fill than the Ioniq 6 does.
When it comes to our signature MotorTrend 70-mph Road Trip range test, however, the Porsche simply took the Ioniq 6 out to the woodshed, sort of like they’d do if both cars were pitted against each other in a quarter-mile drag race.
At an official EPA combined range of 361 miles, the Ioniq 6 managed 292 miles in our test that runs a car at a steady highway route from 100 to 5 percent charge. That’s 19 percent off the EPA number and slightly worse than our overall average. It’s a good number for its $43K price, however, and it’s important to note that we don’t expect our test to match the EPA’s numbers (our real-world numbers have also normally been far lower). Interestingly, we tested our yearlong car with about 11,400 miles on the odometer, and the number we recorded was virtually the same as a new, mechanically identical 2023 Ioniq 6 we previously range tested, which speaks to the consistency of both our test and the Ioniq 6’s battery life to date.
It was a far different story for the 2025 Taycan S, which recorded better range test numbers than its official government estimate of 295 miles. In its default drive mode, the Taycan cleared 302 miles, and it cleared 314 miles in efficiency-maximizing Range mode. The Taycan is among the few vehicles we’ve tested that have bettered the EPA’s numbers. The Ioniq 6 does hold one other edge over its fellow EV sedan, with a slightly better drag coefficient (0.21 vs. 0.22), numbers that help both models with overall efficiency.
As our testing continues to make clear, nothing is certain, and everything is constantly changing with the charging, performance, and efficiency of EVs that often leads to surprising results, as these numbers illustrate.
More On Our Yearlong 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE Long Range:
- Our Hyundai Ioniq 6’s EPA-Estimated 361-Mile Range Remains Out of Reach
- The Hyundai Ioniq 6 Carried Us Through a Winter of Content
- ICCU: The Four-Letter Word Ioniq Owners *Hate*
- Are the Kids Alright in Our 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE Long-Range?
- Long Hauling in Our 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE Long-Range
- A Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE Long-Range Just Arrived for a Yearlong Test: Style or Substance?
- Our Ioniq 6’s EPA Estimates Appear Out of Reach
One of my seminal memories was the few months I spent helping my cousin Steve literally build me from the frame up a super sick 1970 Chevy Nova in his garage just off of 8 Mile (yes, that 8 Mile). Black with white SS stripes. 350 V-8. Blackjack headers. Ladder bars. Four on the floor. Drum brakes all around. Mainly I helped hand him the wrenches, the bondo, the buffing wheel, the beer. When it was finally done and I blistered the tires for the first time, plumes of smoke filling up my rear view, I felt like a true American Bad Ass (pre Kid Rock). That's what it was like for so many of us who grew up in The D back in the day. It was about muscle. Detroit Iron. So when I had an opportunity to get into this crazy business, you best believe I leapt like a bionic cheetah at the chance. Over the past three decades or so (carbon dating myself), I've been honored and privileged to be a part of four outstanding publications in Motor Trend, Automobile, Autoweek, and the Detroit Free Press. And while the salad days back in my cousin's garage seem a million miles away, my love for cars -- and my hometown of Detroit -- have never wavered. Neither has my commitment to delivering the best possible experience to the readers I've served and will continue to serve now and in the future.
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