The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 is starting to arrive in dealerships, and there’s one version of the car that Hyundai is claiming will go 361 miles on a single charge.
We get behind the wheel of the SE Long Range version and hit the road to see what type of range we can get out in the real world.
In an ideal world, we would’ve test the car with warm weather and no rain. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, it was 50°F (10°C) and it was raining.
Nevertheless, we persisted, and hit the road on Michigan’s I-94 to see what type of range we could get. We attempted to maintain an average speed of the speed limit, which is 70 mph, but construction zones slowed us down in a couple of places.
To hit the magic number 361 number, we would need to average 4.7 miles per kWh (212.7 Wh/mile).
After driving for 40 miles, we took at look at how we were doing and we were averaging 4 miles per kWh (250 Wh/mile).
Ultimately, we didn’t reach Hyundai’s claimed number, but there were a few factors at play. Obviously, the ambient temperature meant there was a bit of heater use. Even with a heat pump, climate use still uses electricity.
Additionally, we test at the speed limit, which is 70 mph in Michigan. Slowing down a little bit would’ve helped our overall efficiency.
With the 77.4 kWh battery pack, that means we would’ve been able to drive a real-world 310 miles on a full charge. That’s still an excellent number and far exceeds the real world of many new EVs on sale.
The efficient Tesla Model 3’s entry-level model is EPA rated for 272 miles, which ultimately is 4 miles per kWh.
The Lucid Air Pure rear-drive model, which is also incredibly efficient, is rated at 4.2 miles per kWh, but we haven’t been able to independently test that yet. It also starts at nearly $90,000.
Using some estimates on the upcoming Volkswagen ID.7, we expect the version we get in the United States to be rated at 336 miles, or 4.4 miles per kWh.
Right now, for the price and the real world numbers, the Ioniq 6 is a heck of a car. If you add in the fact you can recharge it from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes (something we independently verified on its cousin, the Ioniq 5), it should be a solid road trip machine.
Will it ultimately be the most efficient EV on sale? We’ll have to wait and see when the ID.7 comes out, but if you’re looking for an efficient electric sedan, the Ioniq 6 is definitely one to consider.
