We Asked Someone Who Owns a Hyundai Ioniq 6 Like Ours What They Think
It never hurts to get some added real-world perspective.
While EVs are becoming far more commonplace, for a wide swath of American drivers out there, cars like “our” Hyundai Ioniq 6 remain something of an enigma. We put the “our” in quotes in this context because although we use the word a lot in our yearlong review test reports, the Ioniq 6 isn’t ours, of course. Rather, it’s a chance for us to evaluate a vehicle for a year to get a more nuanced, in-depth view of its broader capabilities and relay that experience to you.
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Recently, however, we had a chance to get some additional perspective from someone who actually owns one, a colleague of ours on our product and technology team who has leased (smart move when it comes to EVs right now) a 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 for a three-year stretch.
That someone is Jesse Javors, who resides in Tennessee. He took delivery of his Ioniq 6 SEL Long Range rear-drive model in mid-2023 and has since put some 35,000 miles on the odometer, a significant amount for how long he’s had it. The Ioniq 6 is the first EV he’s purchased. Unlike many folks who have decided to go EV, Javors didn’t add a Level 2 charger to his home garage, as it would have been too cumbersome to do so. But as luck would have it, there’s a bank of Electrify America 350-kilowatt fast chargers just down the road from his place, and given that Hyundai threw in free charging with Electrify America as part of the lease, on balance he’s paid very little to keep the Ioniq 6 powered up.
(Mostly) Stress Free Experience
Save the fortuitous charging situation, Javors has been the most impressed by how trouble free the Ioniq 6 has been. Other than a couple of minor recalls we’ve also had, plus the annual $350 registration fee, which he says is “kind of a deterrent” to him getting another EV (Tennessee presently adds $200 on top of the base vehicle registration fee for EVs as a way to recover some of the gas taxes they avoid), it’s been a stress-free experience thus far.
“What surprised me is that there’s effectively zero maintenance on these cars,” he said. “They are literally plug and play.” (His pun, not ours).
As for how it’s gone from a charging and range perspective, that's been more of a mixed bag. He usually only charges to 80 percent in order to maximize battery health, which normally translates to 250 or slightly more miles to a charge, numbers on par with our experience. Like most EV owners, Javors would like to see more real-world range from his car in general: “I do think it is annoying to not get 400 miles to a full [charge] and in some cases it’s very limiting.” Hear, hear.
Despite the limitations, however, it hasn’t stopped Javors from driving the car near and far, with several 700-plus-mile trips under his belt. And while he’d like to get more usable miles to a charge, stopping along the route and smelling the electrons a bit has had its benefits.
“I actually think it’s a better way of driving, as it forces you to stop and be refreshed and take a little breather,” he said. While he’s been charging and otherwise, the car has also garnered plenty of positive attention, with several folks asking him if it’s a Porsche given its Panamera-esque profile.
Digging What EVs Do
As for how the car drives, like many, Javors digs the instant on torque feel EVs provide, part of an overall experience that he said felt special at first, akin to when he got his first BMW. And although he had some envy when he felt how much more powerful his friend’s dual-motor Tesla was, the Ioniq 6 isn’t exactly an accelerative slouch from his perspective.
He’s also been duly impressed with the car’s regenerative braking and one-pedal driving features, which he believes offers “a superior driving experience to most non EVs.” We’d second that emotion.
There have been a few niggling negatives, primarily around the weird USB-A only way to plug in to enable Apple CarPlay, and the lack of a 360-degree camera for his car (the USB CarPlay issue is being addressed with the 2026 Ioniq 6), but on balance he’s got mostly love for his Hyundai.
Would he buy another EV after this? Probably, but with one big BUT: the seeming growing hostility toward electric vehicles and perceived lack of commitment to building out the infrastructure that needs to develop around them. To be sure, there are many contentious issues to solve around how the electrified future will shake out here in America—issues that if not addressed may ultimately turn Javors and countless others away from EVs like the Ioniq 6.
More On Our Yearlong 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE Long Range:
- Our Hyundai Ioniq 6 Is Almost as Fast as a Porsche Taycan
- 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?
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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