Hyundai IONIQ 5 N 2024 electric car owner review

Julian C drives a Hyundai IONIQ 5 N 84kWh 2024.

This is Julian’s third electric car, he’s owned the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N from new and drives 5,000-10,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 5,000-10,000 miles and he achieves 220 miles range from a full charge.

Why did you choose the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N?

My previous EV was an IONIQ 5 P45 (launch edition). This was an excellent car. As this car came to the end of its 3 year PCP my company introduced a salary sacrifice. I was aware of the performance N model, having seen YouTube videos. I checked and the N was available via salary sacrifice, fantastic!

I took a test drive at my local Hyundai garage and ordered one! The car arrived (in Performance Blue) 2 months later, it’s an amazing vehicle. It can be a quiet pussy cat or with buttons pressed, a mad, roaring lion! As well as the space and usability of a standard IONIQ 5, it has the performance of a Lamborghini. It really does everything.

Positives

The performance
useful technology
interior space.

Negatives

Turning circle is poor, that’s it really!

Compared to when you first bought the car, does your battery still charge at the same rate & do you still get the same range?

One of the advantages of the IONIQ 5 & its sister KIA & Genesis vehicles is the 800V battery architecture that allows rapid charging (at a 250kW+ charger) at 10-80% in 18 minutes. The car warms the battery as you approach the charger (as long as you’ve used the Hyundai navigation system). I think this is a real plus point, quick charging and more important than basic range. I do 95% of my charging at home on a 7kW zappi wall box and range has remained the same through the winter. I think it might end up better than 220 miles-range during the summer.

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

There was an initial problem with something called the AVM unit that controls the screens. This was replaced before the car was delivered and Hyundai provided a free hire car. No other issues.

What are the standout technological features of the car?

Besides 640bhp when in NGB mode 😊, the seats are excellent grippy buckets, that are also heated and cooled. The head-up display and driver information screen change depending on drive & performance model. The rear seats slide for more boot space or more passenger room. Wireless Apple CarPlay works well.

And the maddest thing is in one mode, the car has an 8-speed gear box with appropriate engine noise. If you haven’t tried it, don’t mock it because it really adds to the fun element of the car. My wife is less keen, but the ex-boy racer in me loves the interaction and involvement. Try it, it sounds mad but works really well.

Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about your IONIQ 5 N

It will ‘backfire’ on the upshift or downshift, like an old turbo car, blowing its waste valve. In ‘changing gears’ via the paddle shifts, there is a momentary pause in forward motion and a ‘jolt’ as the gear is banged home. In ‘6th gear’ at 30mph under acceleration it only pulls gently. So you change down to 2nd and rocket away or you can set it in Eco mode and drive it like any quiet EV. Brilliant madness.

What’s the biggest or funniest myth you’ve heard about EVs?

They struggle in the rain. Because water and electricity don’t mix. 😂

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

If I retire and the N goes back, I have probably peaked on a performance basis. So I’m looking at the Renault R5 or its Alpine cousin…or the R4…or the new Mini JCW SE…or a second-hand Genesis GV60. Our other car is a Honda e.

Home charging unit

myenergi Zappi mk1 – had it for 7 years, faultless. Takes ‘spare’ electric from our solar PV. Our model has a cable attached so much easier than faffing around to get your car cable out.

Electricity supplier & tariff

Octopus Intelligent Go – zappi, Hub and the EVs are on the internet. Octopus can control the charging to get the best prices/greenest energy and we pay 7p/kWh. You just say what % you want the vehicle charged to and by when and Octopus then creates a charging schedule when you plug it in. We use this for our ASHP too – heating hot water overnight.

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

Only use them 5% of the time. I do like IONITY for the speed of their chargers when we’ve headed to Cornwall.

Insurer

My IONIQ 5 N is insured through the salary sacrifice scheme. But I insure our Honda e through Darwin – good rates, fully comp with protected NCB. Not tested the payouts thank goodness.

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

I struggle to breakdown the true running costs. I do know our total energy costs for the last year were £1,900. That is for both EVs, home heating & hot water via ASHP & cooking & home electrical items. I had a 5-year service plan for the Honda e at £250. Insurance was £325. No other costs. The N is a monthly all-in salary sacrifice price. It costs about 2p/mile to run the EVs compared to 20p/mile for my previous 40mpg Mini JCW and more than this when we had a Subaru Impreza.!