Genesis GV60 review: a cure for badge snobbery

Genesis GV60 verdict

Genesis’ first bespoke electric car is built upon solid foundations set by the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5, and this is apparent from the outset; the posh Korean EV is good to drive and boasts some of the fastest charging speeds available right now. On the inside, the Genesis certainly lives up to its premium price point with an avant garde cabin filled with plush-feeling materials and decent easy-to-use tech. So what’s not to like? Well, apart from the comparatively titchy boot and average range figure, the biggest drawback of the Genesis GV60 is undeniably the badge. While we’re certainly no badge snobs here at DrivingElectric, we’re not sure if many will be willing to overlook the equivalent BMW, Mercedes or Volvo in favour of what is essentially a tarted-up Hyundai. They should at least consider it, though.

Details, specs and alternatives

Don’t get too excited prog-rock fans, Genesis isn’t an endeavour by Phil Collins to get into the motoring industry. It’s instead the premium brand for Hyundai, in the same manner Lexus is for Toyota. Genesis already has a presence in the UK market, selling petrol and fully-electric versions of its G80 saloon and GV70 SUV.

The Genesis GV60, on the other hand, is the smallest entry into the line-up and is also the brand’s first-ever bespoke electric car that isn’t already based on a petrol model’s platform. Instead, it’s a rival to the likes of the BMW iX2, Volvo C40 and Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron that shares its underpinnings with the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 – two cars that we’re big fans of here at DrivingElectric.

So far so good, then. All versions of the Genesis GV60 come powered by a 74.4kWh battery pack which provides an electric range of up to 321 miles, while there are three trim levels to choose from – Premium, Sport and Sport Plus – which each offer an ascending level of performance and equipment.

The entry-level Premium should offer plenty of grunt and gadgets for most buyers; this gets a 226bhp rear-mounted electric motor as well as LED exterior lighting, a dual-12.3-inch screen infotainment system – more on that later – heated and ventilated seats with a massaging driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery and a suite of safety systems including blind-spot monitoring and a reversing camera.

The mid-spec Sport adds an additional electric motor on the front axle to provide four-wheel drive grip and a combined 314bhp. Costing around £4,500 more than the entry-level Premium, Sport trim also adds larger 20-inch wheels for a suitably sportier look.

Finally, the range-topping Sport Plus ups the ante further, starting around £13,500 more than the base Premium car and outputting a pretty substantial 483bhp. It also gets sumptuous quilted Nappa leather upholstery, 21-inch wheels and a limited-slip differential if you weren't sold on the extra power alone. That being said, we still think the base Premium is the pick of the range.

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Offering a range of up to 321 miles, the Genesis GV60 doesn’t boast the longest range in this sector of the market – the Tesla Model Y can do over 330 miles before needing to be plugged in – but it should be more than sufficient for most buyers. It’s worth pointing out, however, that this figure is a ‘best-case scenario’; dual-motor cars can’t even officially do over 300 miles on a charge, while we managed to return around 4 miles per kilowatt-hour in our rear-driven Premium test car, which works out to a real-world range of around 290 miles – not bad, but not quite what Genesis claims.

The GV60 makes up for this, however, with its ultra-rapid charging speeds; find a suitable public charger and the GV60 can charge at speeds of up to 220kW, meaning a 10-80% top-up can take as little as 18 minutes. Plugging in at home using a 7.4kW wallbox will take much longer, though, at around 12 hours.

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The Genesis GV60 is pretty expensive, starting from over £54,000. Thankfully, company-car drivers can enjoy low 2% Benefit-in-Kind tax ratings on all EVs, meaning it can cost as little as £215 per year to run the GV60 for business.

That said, you’ll have to contend with relatively high insurance premiums; the GV60 spans the rather high insurance groups 41-49 out of 50, which is roughly the same as a Tesla Model Y. Ultimately, the Genesis will cost more to cover than cheaper Volkswagen and Hyundai rivals, so bear this in mind if you’re deemed a young or ‘high risk’ driver without a no-claims bonus.

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As mentioned, the Genesis GV60 shares its platform with the cushy Ioniq 5 and sporty EV6 and dynamically sits between the two of them. It’s not as sharp as, say, a Ford Mustang Mach-E on a twisty road – there’s quite a bit of body roll, plus the GV60’s steering is far from the sharpest – but the Genesis feels tied down, nonetheless, offering more than enough grip for what most EV buyers need.

In terms of powertrains, the GV60’s line-up ranges from ‘sufficient’ to ‘scorching’. The base rear-driven model gets up to motorway speeds without fuss and with plenty of torque at its disposal, can easily perform overtakes. Top-end Sport Plus cars, on the other hand, are ridiculously fast, with the point-and-squirt acceleration offering more fun than the GV60’s chassis ever could. Saying that, all models do, for some reason, come with a specific Drift Mode, if such hooliganism ever takes your fancy on the school run.

A feature we think more buyers will be interested in, however, is the GV60’s regenerative braking setup. This can be adjusted via the paddles on the back of the steering wheel and while it can be a little too aggressive for our liking, does offer full one-pedal driving.

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The Genesis GV60’s interior is perhaps its biggest draw; ignore the badge on the steering wheel and unsuspecting passengers could think they’re in the latest model from Mercedes, or even Bentley. Material quality is generally strong across the board, with particular visual highlights including the quilted stitching on examples specified with the optional Nappa leather, as well as the rotating gear selector which looks like something out of the Crystal Maze.

There are three main screens to be concerned about; the first is bundled together with the climate controls and, thankfully, doesn’t replace the traditional dials and knobs, instead simply offering a much glitzier alternative to the alarm clock radio-style displays you get on other cars.

The other two are mounted together in one glossy panel; these dual 12.3-inch screens are pretty responsive to your inputs either via the touchscreen or the controls on the steering wheel and offer relatively sharp graphics. That being said, premium electric SUV rivals such as the BMW iX1 offer slicker setups overall, with much more ergonomic and easy-to-use software. Thankfully, the GV60 comes as standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is what we suspect most buyers will use.

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The Genesis GV60 is a deceptively large car; it might not seem so at first glance, but you’ll soon notice its rather unwieldy 11.9-metre turning circle around town, which isn’t helped by poor rear visibility.

That said, you don’t tend to notice the GV60’s bulk on the inside as its sloping roofline makes it pretty tight in terms of headroom in the rear. A long wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) does mean there’s plenty of legroom, plus a flat floor allows three to sit abreast with ease, but they will have to sit slumped in order to avoid brushing their heads on the headlining.

This sloping roofline affects boot space, too; the GV60’s 432-litre load area is a lot smaller than the 535 litres available in its Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron rival. At least the load lip is pretty shallow and there’s plenty of storage for charging cables under the boot floor. Fold the rear seats down and cargo space expands to a decent 1,550 litres – still less than rivals, but roomy nonetheless.

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The Genesis GV60 is yet to sell in large enough numbers to gauge its reliability, however, we do have two nuggets of information that might give you peace of mind. The Kia EV6 – the GV60’s mechanical sibling – was recently rated the second-best EV to own in our latest Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. Genesis also offers a strong five-year, unlimited mileage warranty with all of its cars. This also includes maintenance costs and shows the brand’s faith in the reliability of its vehicles.

In terms of safety, Euro NCAP awarded the GV60 a full five-star rating in 2022. All models come as standard with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning with lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, a plethora of airbags, front-and-rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.