2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Brings All the Right Updates

Refresh means the award-winning EV is now the first mass-produced, non-Tesla with an NACS J3400 port.

February 20, 2025

Lawrence Ulrich

The 2025 Ioniq 5 XRT offers up to 320 hp, the same as the AWD versions of the 2024 model. (Hyundai)

The place doesn’t look like much: A Sonic drive-through in Cathedral City, California, and a row of eight Tesla Superchargers. But the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 I’m driving is helping to kick off a revolution in EV charging. The Korean automaker’s popular SUV is the world’s first non-Tesla to integrate a native North American Charging System (NACS) SAE J3400 plug, as most major automakers rush to ditch their CCS connectors in favor of Tesla’s ubiquitous, ultra-reliable network.

The NACS J3400 connector is the headline change for the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5’s mid-cycle refresh. (Hyundai)

With fingers crossed, I plug the pleasingly lightweight Supercharger plug — which pairs AC and DC links on a single connector — into the Ioniq 5’s charging port, ignoring disdainful looks from a Model S driver next to me. After connecting via the Tesla app, the Ioniq 5 begins charging at a reasonable 126-kW.

We stuff the Ioniq 5’s battery from 24% to 80% in 25 minutes, adding 147 miles (237 km) of driving range. That’s faster than a Tesla Model 3 could manage, despite a key handicap that Hyundai is working to address: like other EVs with sophisticated 800-volt architectures, including Porsches and Lucids, the Hyundai’s maximum charging rate is limited by Tesla’s increasingly outdated V3 Superchargers, with their nominal 470 volts.

Red tow connectors and “digital camo” body cladding differentiate the XRT from other flavors of the updated Ioniq 5. (Hyundai)

“We’re working to boost that charging rate,” said Karl Holodnick, an engineering manager for power electronics at Hyundai America Technical Center Inc. (HATCI) near Ann Arbor, Michigan. Holodnick, riding shotgun in my car, says Hyundai engineers have developed a good working relationship with Tesla’s Supercharger team, to ensure their Hyundai, Kia and Genesis EVs are compatible with Tesla’s 17,000-strong Supercharging network. While the Model 3 can exceed the Hyundai’s 126-kW pace for brief periods, Holodnick helped optimize software to deliver a more-robust charging curve overall.

The 2025 Ioniq 5 XRT has 18-inch wheels and all-terrain 235/60R18 tires to take advantage of the EV’s Sand, Mud, and Snow drive modes. (Hyundai)

Track down a CCS charger – Hyundai is giving CCS adapters to buyers to cover all charging bases – and the Ioniq 5 can charge at up to 257 kW, more than twice its pace on Superchargers and up from 233 kW for the 2024 model. The result is a zippy 20-minute charge from 10-to-80%, versus 30 minutes (for Ioniq 5 Long Range models) on a Supercharger.

The NACs connector is the headline change for the Ioniq 5’s mid-cycle refresh. It’s designed to boost EV adoption that has slowed a bit, even as Americans bought a record 1.3 million EVs last year, up 8.3% from 2023. But Hyundai Motor Group, now second only to Tesla in U.S. EV sales, sought other ways to sustain momentum for its award-winning, handsomely angular SUV. Battery packs are now about 8% larger, with 63 or 84 kWh in Standard or Long Range models. Driving range jumps accordingly, including a maximum 318 miles (512 km) in single-motor Long Range models.

Power output is unchanged, with a choice of 168 or 225 hp from the single-motor models, and 320 in AWD versions. But on an all-day drive near Palm Springs, the Ioniq 5 underscored the design and technology that’s made it one of the most successful mainstream EVs: a space-efficient cabin, aided by a longer wheelbase than Hyundai’s beefiest SUV, the three-row Palisade. Lavish features, thoughtful design and craftsmanship. Brisk acceleration, a dead-quiet cabin and supple road manners.

The Hyundai’s four selectable levels of brake regeneration remain a strong point that other EV makers should emulate, including a clever Smart mode that automatically adjusts regen based on radar sensing of cars ahead.

The Ioniq 5’s strikingly conjoined display screens grow slightly larger at 12.3 inches per screen, with faster processing speeds, more-accurate GPS and improved OTA update capability. Hyundai’s Level 2 driver assist systems, already a top performer among mainstream brands, work even better. The Ioniq 5 worked with impressive precision on highways, with none of the ping-ponging between lane markers that mars some competing systems. The driver-assistance suite adds a driver-monitoring camera with hands-on detection and haptic alerts through the steering wheel.

The 2025 Ioniq 5 goes back to basics with a new row of hard switches in the center console for things like seat heaters, audio volume and tuning knobs. (Hyundai)

This 2025 version bucks button-free trends by adding a row of hard switches to its sliding center console, for seat heat and other functions, along with new audio volume and tuning knobs. New pixelated LED lights on the steering wheel flash to show charging progress. And stop the presses: There’s now a rear window wiper, addressing serial complaints from owners in wintry climes.

Hyundai already offers a rollicking Ioniq 5 N that delivers up to 641 hp, and a fun-to-drive quotient that tops many pricier EVs. For 2025, Hyundai cast its sights off-road — or at least camping trails or icy driveways — with a new XRT model with sturdy 18-inch wheels that recall the “steelies” of old. All-terrain tires, drive modes for Sand, Mud and Snow, a 1-inch (25 mm) body lift and handsome “digital camo” body cladding round out the package. We drove the XRT through some desert washes and gullies near Palm Springs

A 2025 Ioniq 5 can be had for as little as $43,975, and tops out at $59,575 for a Limited AWD version. And where the Ioniq 5 had been shut out of consumer tax credits due to its Korean manufacture, that may well change. Later this year, Hyundai will switch Ioniq 5 production to its sparkling, $7.6 billion “Metaplant” in Georgia. Company executives are confident the homegrown Ioniq 5 will qualify for a full $7,500 tax credit — for as long as credits last, with the Trump administration determined to eliminate public support for EV purchases or public charging.