The Ioniq 5 N’s shocking performance will put many cars to shame.

I have to admit that I wasn’t on board with EVs at first for more than a few reasons. While EVs have been on the market since the early 2010s, I finally came around when models like the Ford Mustang Mach-e, Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 hit the streets. Here were EVs that people wanted and for the most part had usable range and could charge in a timely manner. I still wasn’t sold on performance EVs though. I was of the belief that you could have performance or electrification, not both. Boy was I wrong. 

Hyundai has done something remarkable with the Ioniq 5 N. Here’s a car that, let’s be honest, not many outside of true enthusiasts know exists (Hyundai says Ioniq 5 N sales make up just 2 percent of overall Ioniq sales). And yet it’s a performance slap across the face of everything else on the road. Before I get into the performance, you have to understand what the Ioniq 5 N is and what it means for Hyundai’s N brand. 

Hyundai shook up the automotive world when it debuted the Ioniq 5 N at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed. It was the third car to wear the brand’s N badge after the Veloster, Kona and Elantra. Hyundai set out to show that you didn’t necessarily need a gas powered engine to have a performance car. Taking what it learned from what Hyundai calls it’s ‘Rolling Labs’ (  RM20e, RN22e and N Vision 74 concept cars), Hyundai engineers made sure that the Ioniq 5 N’s performance met the 3 pillars of the N brand: ‘Corner Rascal,’ ‘Racetrack Capability’ and ‘Everyday Sportscar.’

Damn if Hyundai didn’t deliver. Riding on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, an 84 kWh battery powers a dual motor setup with 223 horses in the front and 378 horses in the rear. Total output is a supercar like 601 horsepower; an overboost function with the N Grin Shift feature ups that to 641 horsepower for 10 second intervals. The result is hyperspace/warp drive like acceleration. The great thing about EVs is that the power comes on instantly and it’s neck snapping in the Ioniq 5 N. Hyundai says it should hit 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. Independent testing with outlets like Car & Driver shows 3 seconds flat. My best run was 2.8 seconds which is insane. Even without trying I was still able to hit 60 in 3.7 seconds. You’re literally faster than 90 percent of the cars on the road. In stoplight races you can embarrass everything from a Honda Accord to a Ford Mustang GT and everything in between. 

It’s not just fast in a straight line either. That ‘Corner Rascal’ pillar that Hyundai N goes by isn’t just a gimmick. N engineers went above and beyond with the Ioniq 5 N’s handling with things like more welding points, structural adhesives, front and rear subframes, WRC inspired integrated drive axles and a rack mounted motor driven power steering system specifically tuned by N for a quicker steering ratio. An e-LSD helps put the power down through corners. The result is handling like it’s on rails. And powering out of a corner feels like someone is in front of you with a rope helping to pull you out of the corner. I don’t think I’ve ever been more confident behind the wheel of a car than how I was in the Ioniq 5 N. I know a lot of cars over the years have claimed to be able to attack a corner but you can literally do that with this thing. From the communicative steering that told me everything I needed to know to its braking aided by big (15.7-inches in the front and 14.2-inches in the rear) rotors, it reminded me of driving a grown up go-kart that’s fast as hell. 

There’s also a ton of tech backing up all this performance. Regenerative braking called N-Pedal allows for one pedal driving under normal circumstances or prioritizes cornering in performance driving by aggressively braking to shift weight distribution over the front axle. N Torque Distribution allows you to distribute torque front and rear by 11 levels; I had it sent to a 30-70 front/rear split on one of the many canyon runs I had in this thing for instance. N e-shift does a pretty convincing approximation of an eight-speed DCT. N Launch Control works with N Grin Shift to help deliver that chest crushing acceleration that results in those insane acceleration numbers. There’s even a drift mode. Called N Drift Optimizer it can help you drift like a pro. It even has a Torque Kick Drift function that lets you simulate a rear-wheel drive gas powered car’s clutch kick. Hyundai engineers truly spoiled us. 

All that tech overflows into the interior, which brings us to the first downside of the Ioniq 5 N. Or what some might consider a downside. The Ioniq 5 N is one of the most customizable performance cars on the market. But that customization may be overwhelming for some as nearly every level of the Ioniq 5 N can be customized. And even those levels have other levels that can be customized. Everything from the electric motors response to the steering and adaptive dampers can be set to three different levels. Torque distribution can be customized along with the aggressiveness of the regenerative braking (the aforementioned N Pedal). Even the launch control’s level of grip can be customized. If you aren’t tech savvy or just don’t want to be bothered with this much customization, it can be overwhelming. I didn’t mind it though.

The other downside to the Ioniq 5 N? Its range is kind of lousy. Hyundai and the EPA says the Ioniq 5 N is rated to get 221 miles of range on a full charge. I found that range to be more than enough for me but for many, that may not be enough. That range also highlights the catch 22 of the Ioniq 5 N. Let me explain. While the range is low, the Ioniq 5 N is also one of the fastest charging EVs on the market meaning you can charge from 10 to 80 percent in as little as 15 minutes; I once saw the deed done in 12 minutes. This also means that most people will likely only use 80 percent of the battery since that 10 to 80 percent range is also the peak for the Ioniq 5 N’s charging capabilities. This means that realistically, you’ll only get 180 miles or so of range. 

Lastly, the Ioniq 5 N’s price could be off putting to some. Including destination charges, the Ioniq 5 N starts at $67,800. It comes loaded, so other than a couple of $1,000 paint job options, there are no major options. My tester was $68,800. That’s a big ask for any car. And while Hyundai as a brand has made huge gains with its perception and quality over the last 15+ years, it’s a big ask for a Hyundai. But when you consider the tech and shocking performance of the Ioniq 5 N and then put that up against cars that cost the same or more from other brands, that price starts to look much better. What Hyundai has done with the Ioniq 5 N is nothing short of astonishing. Not only did the brand prove that EVs can be performance cars that are a force to be reckoned with, but you can get that supercar level performance for luxury car level pricing. We’ll likely never see anything like it from any other automaker, so those of you that can afford one of these things, please buy it and help to keep it alive.