Hyundai Ioniq 9 Impresses As The Best Affordable & Roomy 3-Row Electric SUV In The US

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Last Updated on: 19th May 2025, 12:49 pm

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 offers 335 miles range, starting at $58,955. It sets a new standard in affordable large 3-ow electric SUVs in the US.

I was invited recently to come to beautiful Savannah, Georgia, to both tour the new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) and drive the new large and luxurious Ioniq 9 SUV. Hyundai Motor Group means that Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis (which all 3 have separate designers and marketing organizations) can use the factory to build their cars their to sell into the US market (and export if they wish). It’s good timing that they opened the factory about the same time Trump was elected as we are now seeing him increase tariffs on many imported goods, including vehicles and auto parts. The situation is quite dynamic, but Hyundai Motor Group is glad to have 3 factories in the US. It built a factory in Montgomery, Alabama, in 2005, a Kia plant in West Point, Georgia, started in 2006, and the newest factory that this article is about in Savannah, Georgia.

Introduction

As someone who’s been following the electric vehicle (EV) market closely since 2015, I was excited to explore the all-new Hyundai Ioniq 9. As a parent of 3 children, I remember how much easier it was to keep my kids from fighting each other if I could give them their own seat, and their own row is even better. This 3-row electric SUV is Hyundai’s latest offering, designed for families looking to embrace clean mobility without sacrificing space or comfort. Having owned a Nissan Leaf, a Tesla Model 3, and a Tesla Model Y, I’m always eager to see how automakers are pushing the envelope. The Ioniq 9, with its impressive range, advanced technology, and family-friendly design, seems like a game-changer. In this article, I’ll break down everything you need to know about the Ioniq 9, compare it to its gasoline-powered sibling, the Hyundai Palisade, and analyze lease costs and fuel savings to help you decide if it’s the right fit. I’ll share my driving impressions, as real-world experiences are invaluable. Let’s dive in.

Hyundai Ioniq 9 Specifications & Features:

Let’s start with the basics. The Hyundai Ioniq 9 is packed with features that make it a standout in the EV SUV segment. According to the official Hyundai USA website Hyundai Ioniq 9 overview, here are the key specs:

• EPA estimated range: Up to 335 miles for the rear-wheel drive (RWD) version, with all-wheel drive (AWD) trims offering slightly less due to added power.
• Power: The RWD IONIQ 9 S delivers 215 horsepower (160kW), while AWD trims like the SE and SEL offer 303 hp (226.1kW), and the top Limited, Calligraphy, and Calligraphy Design trims push out 422 hp (314.6kW).
• Battery: A 110.3 kWh battery supports ultra-fast charging from 10% to 80% in just 24 minutes with a 350kW DC fast charger. For home charging, it takes about 9 hours 40 minutes to go from 10% to 100% with a 240V AC charger.
• Towing capacity: Ranges from 3,500 to 5,000 lb, depending on the trim, making it suitable for family adventures.
• Charging options: Compatible with NACS V3 Superchargers, offering 10-80% charging in 40 minutes, which is great news for widely available Tesla Superchargers and even faster charging at 350 kW, 800V  CCS chargers with the included adaptor (24 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%).
• Ability to plug in and charge on charging networks that support it (no answering 10 questions like you have to do on gas stations or downloading extra apps like you have to do with many electric cars).
• Expected to have class leading safety.
• All the modern features you expect in a modern EV, digital keys, over the air updates, active noise control, a WiFi hotspot, 6 100w USB-C ports (2 each in each row).
• Starting MSRP: $58,955 for the base model and eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit while it lasts.

Inside, the Ioniq 9 offers class-leading interior space with three-row seating, comfortably accommodating up to seven passengers. It’s loaded with technology, including:

• Bluelink+ for connected services, allowing remote start, climate control, and more.
• Hyundai Digital Key 2 Premium for smartphone-based access and sharing.
• A 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ensuring seamless connectivity.
• Available Active Noise Cancellation for a quieter, more refined ride.

Safety is a top priority, with state-of-the-art driver assistance features like forward collision avoidance, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. The Ioniq 9 also boasts electric advantages like HOV lane access, no gas pump stops, zero tailpipe emissions, and regenerative braking for efficiency — features I’ve come to appreciate deeply as an EV owner.

Key Specs

These specs position the Ioniq 9 as a strong contender in the three-row EV SUV segment, competing with models like the Kia EV9 and Volvo EX90.

Driving Impressions: Luxurious & Well Behaved

As someone who’s driven EVs for years, I know how important personal experience is. The first thing you notice when you get in the car is how roomy and comfortable it is. I’m 6 foot 2 inches tall and about 225 pounds and I spent several hours in the second and third rows of the car, and it would be comfortable for someone taller and fatter than me. I’d say it isn’t quite as roomy as some minivans in the 3rd row, but very similar. I loved the moonroof to let light in when it was cloudy and the cover to provide shade when it was sunny.

As you start to drive, you notice the generous power that EV owners expect and gas drivers rarely get except in ultra expensive performance SUVs. For example, the AWD Ioniq 9 accelerates to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds instead of the comparable Palisade at 6.9 seconds. That doesn’t sound like a big difference, but with the instant torque of an EV, it feels a lot quicker. If you get a performance model, you can get to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. To get a 3-row gas SUV with that kind of performance, you could either spend over $100,000 on a premium German model or pay about $70,000 for a smaller, less roomy, and less powerful Ford Explorer only getting 16 mpg in this test.

In the default mode, it was comfortable for drivers used to a gas car, but it was easy to turn on i-Pedal so you get strong regen and no creep needed to do the one pedal driving that most experienced EV owners prefer.  Unfortunately, you do have to activate it every time you start the car, since it didn’t offer a permanent way to save this setting. Maybe they will update this in an over-the-air update. Once I set it in i-Pedal mode, the driving experience was what I expected, with strong enough regeneration to avoid using the brake pedal except in emergencies. Between the acoustic glass in the first 2 rows and the active noise control, it was a very quiet cabin.  The ride was well controlled on a variety of surfaces. I didn’t get to do any extreme turns, since the roads were wet during my time in the car and we didn’t get any track time to slide around and see how the car performed at its limits, but I think very few people want to track this type of vehicle. This is really more of a family hauler than a racer.

I also spent some time using the driver assistance features. It had the lane-keeping assist and traffic aware cruise control that every modern car has. In addition, it allows the driver to change lanes by using the turn signals. This is an area that I feel Hyundai is a little behind Ford BlueCruise, GM Super Cruise and Mercedes, all of which offer hands-free driving on roads that are mapped by the manufacturers. Tesla’s Supervised Full Self Driving on its latest cars is fully hands-free, not just on highways, but on all types of roads, and is far more advanced than the others. On the other hand, it is a very expensive option and years behind the original schedule to become unsupervised (it is still unknown if it will ever be unsupervised, but recent progress has been impressive). When asked, the Hyundai representatives said they had nothing to announce on self-driving abilities, but I got the impression that an announcement might be coming sometime in the next year or so. I think it is unlikely that the existing cars have the hardware to be fully autonomous since they didn’t even mention their sensor suite, nor their computing power onboard.

Comparison With The Hyundai Palisade: Lease Costs

Many reviewers like to only compare EVs with other EVs, but I like to compare them to gas cars so we can judge if the car is competitive to “regular people,” not just EV enthusiasts like me. Let’s compare the Ioniq 9 to its gasoline-powered counterpart, the Hyundai Palisade. The Palisade has long been a favorite among families for its spacious interior, comfort, and affordability. However, when you compare it to the Ioniq 9, some key differences emerge, especially in terms of operating costs and long-term value.

First, let’s look at the lease options. I used the Limited trim level because I found on the lower trim levels, the Ioniq 9 had a more features than the Palisade:

• Ioniq 9 lease: Based on the lease rates I found here, the lease terms for the 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 Limited are $728 per month for 36 months with $4,999 due at signing, based on 10,000 miles per year. This makes the effective monthly cost $728, as calculated by adding the monthly payment to the amortized down payment over 36 months ($4,999 / 36 ≈ $139, so $589 + $139 = $728).
• Palisade lease: Based on the lease rates I found here, the lease terms for the 2025 Hyundai Palisade SEL are $708 per month for 36 months with $4,999 due at signing, based on 10,000 miles per year. This makes the effective monthly cost $708, as calculated by adding the monthly payment to the amortized down payment over 36 months ($4,999 / 36 ≈ $139, so $569 + $139 = $708).

At first glance, the Palisade seems more affordable, with a lease payment of $569 per month compared to the Ioniq 9’s $589 per month. That’s a $20 difference in favor of the Palisade. However, when you factor in fuel costs, the Ioniq 9 starts to look like a much better value.

Fuel Savings: A Game-Changer

The Ioniq 9 gets the equivalent of 92 miles per gallon (eMPG), a metric used to compare electric vehicles to gasoline ones, while the Palisade gets about 22 mpg, as noted in various reviews. Let’s do the math for a family driving 15,000 miles a year, using standard assumptions as of May 18, 2025:

• Palisade Fuel Cost:
  • Annual fuel consumption: 15,000 miles / 22 mpg ≈ 681.82 gallons
  • Assuming an average gas price of $3.50 per gallon (a reasonable estimate for May 2025, based on recent trends), annual fuel cost: 681.82 * $3.50 ≈ $2,386.37
  • Monthly fuel cost: $2,386.37 / 12 ≈ $200
• Ioniq 9 Electricity Cost:
  • To calculate, we use the Ioniq 9’s efficiency. With a 335-mile range and 110.3 kWh battery for the RWD version, the efficiency is approximately 3 miles per kWh, or 0.329 kWh per mile.
  • For 15,000 miles, energy consumption: 15,000 * 0.329 ≈ 4,935 kWh per year.
  • Assuming an average electricity cost of $0.12 per kWh (a common residential rate), annual electricity cost: 4,935 * $0.12 ≈ $592.20
  • Monthly electricity cost: $592.20 / 12 ≈ $50
• Savings:
  • Monthly fuel savings: $200 (Palisade) – $50 (Ioniq 9) = $150

The Ioniq 9 saves significantly on fuel costs, making it a compelling choice for long-term ownership.

Total Value: Lease + Fuel Costs

Now, let’s factor in the lease payments to see the net impact:

• Ioniq 9 Limited total monthly cost: $728 (lease) + $50 (electricity) = $778
• Palisade Limited total monthly cost: $708 (lease) + $200(fuel) = $908
• Net savings with Ioniq 9: $908 – $778 = $130 per month.

This means that despite the higher lease cost of the Ioniq 9, its fuel savings more than make up for it, resulting in significant monthly savings overall. Over a 36-month lease, that’s approximately $4,680 in savings ($130 *  36). That’s no small amount, especially for families looking to maximize their budget. In addition, you don’t have the hassle and cost of many of the maintenance items like oil filter, air filter, transmission fluid, and coolant changes you have on all gas cars.   

Conclusion

This car fills a need that I think was out there for a long time. We needed a large, affordable, 3-row SUV that could easily use the charging network in the US (and beyond). We have lots of compact and midsized electric crossovers that are quite good, but the only affordable 3-row electric SUV available in the US is the Kia EV9 and it doesn’t have all the features the Ioniq 9 has. The Tesla Model X doesn’t have the comfortable 3rd row and both the Model X and the Rivian R1S start at about $20,000 more than the Ioniq 9, so that really isn’t comparable for most buyers.

Since this vehicle is built in the US, it should be pretty safe from the tariff issues many electric and gas vehicles might face in the US during the Trump administration. That means its competitive cost of ownership will get even better if its competitors have to raise their prices due to tariffs. On the other hand, all domestic-made electric vehicles will become less competitive if the current Republican proposal to repeal the $7,500 tax credit becomes law. I’m confident that will be a temporary setback for the US, but it would be a severe shock to the industry that is trying to navigate the everchanging regulatory and incentive landscape.

Disclosure: I am a shareholder in Tesla [TSLA], BYD [BYDDY], Nio [NIO], XPeng [XPEV], NextEra Energy [NEP], and several ARK ETFs. But I offer no investment advice of any sort here.