The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the current darling of the EV world, especially among us folks who love the act of driving and fear the potential for a soulless EV future, so it comes as no surprise that the Ioniq 5 N just earned Car and Driver’s 2024 EV Of The Year award. C/D determines its EVOTY by gathering the newest electric vehicles on the market, and all contestants are scored on the following four criteria: value, fun-to-drive factor, mission fulfillment, and advancement of technology. Eighteen vehicles were part of the 2024 EVOTY testing, including a Tesla Cybertruck, but the Cybertruck the magazine rented broke down on day two of testing despite only having a few hundred miles on the odometer, so it was the only EV of the bunch to receive a DNF score. Who could have foreseen such a tragedy?
The regular Ioniq 5 won EVOTY in 2022, the Ioniq 6 won it in 2023, and now the Ioniq 5 N carries the torch. The Ioniq 5 N has 641 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque, and it goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds despite weighing 4,849 pounds. It won over the testers with its innovative features that are solely designed to increase driver involvement, driving enjoyment, and to make occupants smile. It does the normal EV things well too, and it can charge from 10 to 90 percent in 35 minutes, but above all the Ioniq 5 N is plain fun to drive. To read Jalopnik’s take on the fab Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, click this link for my colleauge Collin Woodard’s review.
Innovative features like the simulated engine sounds and N e-shift simulated shifting with steering wheel paddles help the Ioniq 5 N imitate a lively and fizzy internal combustion vehicle not necessarily accurately, but in a way that’s entertaining nonetheless. At a price of $67,495 it’s actually a relatively good deal considering its performance potential, and it breaks the mold as a truly enjoyable driver’s EV. It beat out every other competitor which included great cars like the BMW i5 M60, Kia EV9, Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, Polestar 2 and Chevrolet Equinox EV. (It also beat some stinkers like the Fisker Ocean.) Well done, Hyundai.