Anthony Hibbs drives a Hyundai IONIQ 5 Premium 73kWh RWD 2022.

This is Anthony’s second electric car, he’s owned the IONIQ 5 less than 1 year and drives 10,000-15,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 1,000-5,000 miles and he achieves 260 miles from a full charge.

Why did you choose the Hyundai IONIQ 5?

I accept that the IONIQ 5 is a marmite car, you either love or loathe the styling. I just love it, to me there’s nothing else on the road quite like it. So the styling was the main reason I considered this car. I was looking for an e-SUV for practical reasons and I needed a vehicle which family with mobility issues could access and egress easily. I also wanted more space to carry 4 adults and luggage in comfort, more space for child seats and grandchildren’s bikes etc so this car fitted the bill perfectly.

Having driven a VW e-Golf for over 3 years I was already an EV advocate so I definitely wanted another electric vehicle. Range over 200 miles and good efficiency was also a must and the IONIQ 5 definitely ticked that box in its long range 73kWh-guise.

I’m one for reading and watching reviews and there were many positive ones for this car. So I began the search and found a low mileage ex-demonstrator, 5 months old and booked a test drive. It took less than 15 minutes to decide to buy the car!

Positives – List 3 or more reasons why you love this electric car

• The design
• i-Pedal one pedal drive mode
• it’s Chameleon paint.

Negatives – List 3 or more things that you really don’t like about this electric car

• Poor build quality
• seat belts, particularly the rears
• safety sound audible in the vehicle is reminiscent of a faulty water pump
• aggressive Lane Assist
• charging LEDs
• door handles
• impractical storage
• rear doors sill/arch is a dirt trap
• no rear wiper.

Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?

I haven’t experienced any faults as such but this car has many design flaws which Hyundai could have so easily rectified. It’s as if the car missed out on real world testing.

• I charge on my drive and the first time I did I had to tape up the incredibly bright charging lights, guaranteed to annoy the neighbours & attract unwanted attention. I have since purchased a cover.
• The rear seat belts come to rest after use against one of the many hard plastic panels & rattle. I have fitted a felt panel to prevent this.
• In the first week of ownership I had an irreparable puncture and was unable to source a replacement tyre for 36 hours. The original had a foam insert, I could not locate a replacement with this feature.

What are the standout technological features of the car?

• The IONIQ 5 has 800 volt architecture which should make for very fast charging. I have charged at a GRIDSERVE unit at 98kWh taking the battery from 36% to 80% in just 13 minutes.
• The safety features are very good, proximity warnings, blind spot warnings etc are excellent. The rear camera is very good with a useful grid & red line which is spot on making reversing the car a breeze. One caveat is the Lane Assist, which is far too aggressive. I turn it off now on every drive via the steering mounted ‘button’.
• For a nearly 2-tonne lump the car is quite efficient. I have averaged 3.6 m/kWh since taking ownership travelling 3,000 miles through the winter.
• The pre-conditioning is phenomenal! It completely cleared an inch of frozen ice & snow at -6°C within 10 minutes.

Surprise us! Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this electric car

The car is a chameleon! The Galactic Grey paint looks completely different in varying light levels.

What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?

I’ll be keeping this one for a few years yet! I may see where Lexus are at when I look again. I so miss their superb build quality.

Home charging unit – outline both positive & negative elements 

I have a Rolec Smart Wallpod. I have to use it as a standalone as the smart feature has never worked reliably. I rely on the IONIQ 5 scheduler to charge off-peak.

Please outline both positive & negative elements of your electricity supplier & tariff?

I’m with Octopus Energy on their fixed Go tariff giving me 4 hours of electricity at 7.5p kWh. On the rare occasions I have contacted them they were easy to deal with and the issues were resolved within hours. I definitely recommend Octopus.

What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?

• GRIDSERVE are my go to network, reliable, fast and simple contactless activation.
• InstaVolt are ever reliable, the only network I have an RFID card for. Expensive but I just accept it for convenience.
• Pod Point are good, the only network that I have a 100% app activation success rate with.

Insurer – outline both positive & negative elements

LV= –  reasonable rates and a dedicated electric vehicle policy. Easy to contact too, I recommend them.

Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running an IONIQ 5

It’s so long since I ran an ICE vehicle that it’s difficult to say. The days of cheap, even sometimes free, public charging are gone. Insurance costs have increased too. I’m convinced I still save by home charging, having a monthly service plan for just £18 and paying no VED (for now), it’s just difficult to quantify.