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Road Test
electric competition

We review the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in, Ioniq Hybrid and Ioniq Electric from price to economy and all their features

Three eco cars at once... Isn't it Ioniq?

YOU wait all year for an eco-friendly Hyundai, then three turn up at once.
Isn’t it Ioniq?

(Thank you, Alanis Morissette.)

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Hyundai has just launched the low emission Ioniq family with three power options — pure electric, mild hybrid (no cable) and plug-in hybrid.

The future is closer than you think but how fast you get there is up to you.

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HYBRID

From £213 a month (sticker price £19,995, and no government grant available).
You’re taking baby steps here. Powered by a 1.6-litre petrol with a small 1.56kWh battery under the rear seats and six-speed auto.

No messy cables, up to 83mpg, just 79g/km CO2 emissions, and 141hp. Runs on electric in stop/start traffic and recharges under braking. But best of all, it’s £3,600 cheaper than a Prius.

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Key facts: IONIQ HYBRID

  • Price: £19,995
  • Engine: 1.6-litre petrol/electric
  • Economy: 83mpg
  • Emissions: 79g/km
  • Out: Oct 27
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ELECTRIC

From £357 a month (sticker price £24,495, inc £4,500 government grant). You’ve got your positive pants on. Dive right in. Silent, zero emission, no road tax, 2p a mile to run, 174-mile range with regenerative braking, 120hp.

It’s faster than the 30kWh Nissan Leaf Acenta, goes further and nearly a grand cheaper — with more kit.

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Fun to drive, stop-and-go like a dodgem with one gear, impossible to stall.

It takes 33 minutes for 80 per cent juice at a rapid public charger and four to five hours at home with a wallbox.

Clue: This Ioniq triplet has a smooth front end, the other two have active grilles.

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Key facts: IONIQ ELECTRIC

  • Price: £24,495 (inc Government grant)
  • Range: 174 miles
  • 0-62mph: 9.9 secs
  • Top speed: 103mph
  • Emissions: Zero
  • Out: Oct 27
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PLUG-IN HYBRID

Coming 2017. Expect prices from £23,000 (inc £2,500 government grant). Halfway house. Same 1.6-litre petrol as the hybrid but with a bigger 8.9kWh battery.

It will do 31 miles on pure electric and I’m expecting 130mpg with emissions as low as 32g/km.

All three cars are brimming with tech, inset, including smart cruise control, auto emergency braking, touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, wireless phone charger, and so on. The cars have a five-year warranty and the batteries have an eight-year, 125,000-mile warranty.

Key facts: IONIQ PLUG-IN

  • Price: £23,000 (est)
  • Engine: 1.6-litre petrol/electric
  • Economy: 130mpg
  • Emissions: 32g/km
  • Out: 2017

MY PICK

The full-on Jimmy the polar bear-loving electric.

I hammered it in sport mode, paired with the most aggressive regenerative braking, and still only used 100 miles of juice on a 100-mile round trip.

 

 

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