To the outside observer, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is a quiet electric vehicle whose owner is doing their part for the environment by using electricity to power the four-door hatchback. Meanwhile, inside, the driver is enjoying all of the features that come with a high-performance internal-combustion-engine (ICE) car, including hearing the “engine” get louder as “revs” increase, “shifting” with the paddles behind the steering wheel just before “redline” thanks to upshift lights, and enjoying the sounds of the “exhaust” popping and burbling on upshifts and downshifts.
But none of this is actually happening, because the Ioniq 5 N doesn’t have an engine, a multi-gear transmission, or even an exhaust system. What it does have is the most impressive synthesized driving experience of any EV, making it feel inside the cabin like you’re driving a rip-roaring gasoline-powered sports car, yet without screaming that to the outside world. (Though, if you’d like, you can turn on the 5 N’s external speakers so passersby can hear a faint version of the soundtrack.)
All that, combined with the 5 N’s real, not synthesized, performance capabilities make for a jaw-dropping experience. Because, dynamically speaking, it’s as capable as a Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 718 Boxster, or Toyota Supra.
But more importantly, it’s a refreshing change of pace from the quiet, effortless, serene experience that driving enthusiasts who grew up on gasoline-powered cars assumed they’d have to get used to. The 5 N is like driving a racing simulator on public roads, replicating everything from rough, lightning-quick shifts to an enjoyable burble from the exhaust system when you back off the throttle. It’s unquestionably the most exciting and driver-involved EV we’ve tested.
“This car is a riot!” exclaimed one of our testers. “The sounds it makes inside the cabin are a lot of fun, even if it’s all artificial. If this car doesn’t put a smile on your face, you need to be checked. And quickly.”
“This is the most fun car I’ve ever driven,” said one of our younger testers. “It has ridiculous power at any speed, go-kart handling, awesome noises and an engaging driving experience. I kept it in its manual shift mode with the active sound on the entire time, and forgot I was in an EV. I didn’t even listen to music like I normally do.”
Further, you can use the 5 N in its default Normal mode and it operates similarly to the regular model, without all the extra fake sounds. But the car isn’t without drawbacks. For example, you’ll have to put up with heavily bolstered front sport seats that have limited adjustability, a stiff suspension, and tires that are not only a bit loud, but will likely wear out quickly and be expensive to replace. And that’s not mentioning the steep upfront purchase price of the 5 N.
While most people on staff enjoyed driving the 5 N, not everyone was fully sold on the experience as a daily driver. “Bravo to Hyundai, props for going all in on something like this and pushing the boundaries between gimmick and genuine fun,” said one of our testers. “But the more I drove the car, the more I found myself saving the shifting and fake sounds for certain times. And in the end, it’s just not as alluring and captivating as a classically good gas-engine sports car.”
We bought a 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N AWD for $68,270—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review. The Ioniq 5 N is assembled in Ulsan, South Korea.
Driving experience
Most EVs benefit from quick acceleration thanks to an electric motor’s ability to provide full and instant torque off the line. With 601 horsepower (or 641 hp in 10-second bursts when using the “N Grin Boost” mode) from front and rear electric motors (which give it all-wheel drive), the 5 N is blisteringly quick, with 0 to 60 mph arriving in an earth-scorching 3.3 seconds. That’s 0.1-seconds quicker than the gas-engine Chevrolet Corvette, and zippier than EVs such as the BMW i4 M50 and Porsche Taycan 4S, although it’s 0.1-seconds slower than the Tesla Model S.
When driven in its default Normal mode, the Ioniq 5 N operates pretty much like any other EV, with a smooth and mostly tranquil experience. But switch it to its “N” modes via the dual steering-wheel buttons, and the car transforms from mild-mannered EV to what sounds like a 600-hp racing machine from inside the cabin.
But Hyundai didn’t just mimic the sound quality of a high-performance sports car—with the realistic sounds of a turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a crackling exhaust—but also the feel. Utilize the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel, and it bangs home the “upshift” to the next “gear” with an almost startling forcefulness, just like a race car. Add to that there’s a tachometer and upshift lights, and that if you don’t tap the right paddle shifter the car will bounce off a “rev limiter.” You can downshift the car, too, with smoother and better-timed throttle blips than some real transmissions. It’s all quite hilarious, and pretty darn intoxicating.
The 5 N’s wide, grippy high-performance tires and an extra 300 pounds of weight contribute to a compromised driving range compared to the more pedestrian Ioniq 5. It only managed 236 miles during our 70-mph highway-range test. Quick charging times are possible at public DC fast-charging venues, thanks to a 235-kilowatt maximum acceptance rate. Figure on about nine miles of range gained per minute of charging.
Besides the aforementioned sticky meats, the Ioniq 5 N benefits from a lower ride height and stiffer suspension tuning for improved handling compared to the regular model. You can dive into corners with enthusiasm thanks to the quick steering, while the taut suspension results in hardly any body roll. Grip level is tenacious, and the car performed admirably in all of our track-handling tests, including CR’s signature avoidance-maneuver evaluation.
The power distribution can be varied from front to rear, depending on the driving mode, and there’s even a “Drift mode” that alters the stability control to help drivers execute controlled drifts on a track. Braking performance was also superb, with the kind of short stopping distances that we typically see in Porsches and Corvettes.
The tradeoff for all this high-performance fun is a ride that is taut and tense, which results in a fair amount of short up-and-down body motions that’s “busier” than most vehicles—although pretty common for sporty machines. Plus, the car’s driver-adjustable electronically-controlled suspension helps, and we found it pretty livable when set to its softest.
Cabin comfort
The front sport seats garnered lots of acclaim. They’re quite firm but still comfortable enough for long drives, and the seatback and bottom cushion side bolsters provide amazing lateral support to hold you in place through corners. However, they lack any lumbar adjustment, so if you crave the ability to fine-tune the pressure on your lower back, these seats probably aren’t going to work for you. The heavily-pronounced bolsters also make it more difficult to get in and out, as do the wide door sills.
Once you’re in, we found the driving position to be mostly favorable. It’s roomy, offers a ton of headroom, has nearly zero right-knee intrusion from the center console, and the left footrest is nice and wide. But the seat’s manual adjustments make it difficult to dial in a just-right seating position, and drivers who prefer to have the steering wheel tilted a little lower found that some elements of the digital instrument screen were often blocked by the wheel, such as the turn signal and headlight icons.
The rear seat is nearly identical to the regular Ioniq 5. That means there’s decent headroom and knee space, but toe room underneath the front seats is nearly nonexistent. Further, the bottom cushion is fairly low to the floor which results in hardly any under-leg support. At least the seatback can be reclined.
Controls and usability
All Ioniq 5s get a redesigned center infotainment touchscreen for the 2025 model year, which offers access to media, phone, navigation, and other vehicle features in a clutter-free and logical menu structure. The bright, large labels and icons contrast highly with the dark background, making it easy to find different features. While the right side of the screen is a bit of a reach for the driver, many of the buttons are on the left side.
Unfortunately, some of the Ioniq 5 N’s other controls are more challenging. It starts with the climate system, which is handled by a touch-capacitive bar below the center screen. Its small buttons and icons are challenging to use while driving. Further, the 5 N’s steering wheel is overloaded with N-specific buttons which change the driving modes, the appearance of the gauges, add in the synthesized engine sounds, and allow for customization of the suspension, steering, and throttle. While choices and options are typically a good thing, in this case there are so many extra buttons to choose from that it can be rather confusing and overwhelming.
Active safety & driver assistance
Standard active safety and driver assistance features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, reverse automatic emergency braking, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. It also comes with “Highway Driving Assist,” which is Hyundai’s term for its active driving assistance system (ADA, which allows for the simultaneous use of adaptive cruise control and lane centering assistance) that’s designed for use on pre-mapped limited-access divided highways.
We’re happy to see that both a rear occupant alert system and a belt minder come standard. The former is designed to remind the driver—based on rear-door logic, along with a more advanced occupant-sensing ability—to check the rear seat when the Ioniq 5 is turned off to help prevent children and pets from suffering heatstroke or hypothermia if unintentionally left behind in the vehicle. The rear belt minder alerts the driver if a rear passenger unbuckles their seat belt during the trip.