I didn’t think the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N could get much better — until I drove its bigger brother

The same simulated shenanigans, but better

22 Mar 2026, 13:00 · TechRadar

Features By Leon Poultney published 22 March 2026

(Image credit: Hyundai)

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The world sat up and took notice when Hyundai introduced its game-changing Ioniq 5 N.

Here was a big, heavy electric vehicle — bereft of snarling engine notes and an engaging manual gearbox — that somehow reintroduced the joy of driving to a genre that has been described as “soulless”, “utilitarian” and “devoid of any emotion” by those that love internal combustion engines.

Hyundai’s small team of dedicated engineers worked tirelessly for years to produce simulated engine noises, synthetic gear shifts and a stiffened platform that could handle the monumental amount of torque and horsepower produced by a race-tuned electric powertrain.

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Using all of its experience in endurance racing and the World Rally Championship, Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N delivered fun, thrills and smoky drifts by the bucketful, with the South Korean marque arguably beating far more established sports car manufacturers to the unofficial title of ‘their first genuinely fun EV’.

(Image credit: Hyundai)

Not one to rest on its laurels, Hyundai has once again put its N Division to work, using its knowledge and experience to fine-tune the marque’s Ioniq 6 EV and inject a similar amount of grin-inducing juice into the slightly madcap sedan.

Arguably a more ‘mature’ option than the hot hatch Ioniq 5 N, the 6 N has to be able to handle those more mundane trips between business meetings and offer a level of comfort that executive types expect.

Dr Jekyll has to be able to suppress Mr Hyde to a great degree, if you will. No mean feat, considering Hyundai decided to imbue the 6 N with 650hp, 770Nm of torque and a top speed of almost 160mph.

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