Hyundai Ioniq 5 review: interior, dashboard & infotainment
This perhaps the Ioniq 5's most impressive side: it's hugely spacious and comfortable inside, and packed with easy-to-use yet very capable technology
The Ioniq 5’s relaxing interior is ideally suited to its laid-back cruiser driving style. The seats are soft yet supportive, while excellent noise suppression means the Hyundai is not just quiet at low speeds like the vast majority of electric cars: there's very little wind or road noise to be heard at motorway speeds, either.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 dashboard
The Ioniq 5's dashboard has a smooth, simple and uncluttered nature, with an attractive, light-coloured surround for the two large screens that serve as your primary interface with the car (more on this below). This isn't quite the overwhelming screenfest you get in the Honda e, nor is it as exciting as the rotating display in the BYD Atto 3, but the Ioniq 5’s cabin offers a great sense of space when you're sitting up front: there's no transmission tunnel hemming you in, just fresh air.
Equipment, options & accessories
As of April 2023, there are three trims for the Ioniq 5: Premium, Ultimate and Namsan Edition, though for a brief time there was an entry-level SE Connect specification that could only be ordered with the entry-level 58kWh battery. Premium is offered with either the 58 or 77kWh battery, while Ultimate and Namsan Edition are available solely with the 77kWh battery.
Equipment-wise, Premium-spec Ioniq 5s gets 19-inch alloy wheels, dual 10.25-inch displays, a heated leather steering wheel, heated seats, ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control, automatic wipers, smart high-beam headlights, power-adjustable and heated door mirrors. Plus, parking sensors, a rear-view camera, smart cruise control, keyless entry, a hands-free powered tailgate, wireless phone charging and a full suite of active safety systems.
Considering how generously equipped the entry-level Ioniq 5 is, we’d recommend sticking with Premium trim and spending the extra money on the bigger battery instead of the pricier specifications.
But if you really want to splurge for some reason, Ultimate trim adds 20-inch alloys, power adjustment for the front passenger seat, ventilation for both front seats, heated rear seats, rear privacy glass, a sliding centre console, a head-up display and a premium seven-speaker audio system.
The range-topping Namsan Edition, named after a mountain in the South Korean capital city Seoul, builds on that with a full-length 'vision roof', plus leather upholstery, ‘relaxation’ seats, digital side mirrors and a heat pump that’s a £995 option on Premium and Ultimate models and something we recommend adding regardless.
All Premium models come with a black interior, while Ultimate and Namsan Edition buyers get a choice of light grey upholstery as a no cost option. Regardless of which trim level you go for, there’s eight paint colours available, including Gravity Gold Matte and Shooting Star Grey Matte which both cost around £700 to add.
Infotainment, apps & sat nav
Every Ioniq 5 comes with a pair of 12.3-inch screens and features Hyundai’s latest infotainment system, along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity. It’s easy and enjoyable to use, with pin-sharp graphics and some handy features that rivals lack.
A ‘Quiet Mode’ feature allows you to turn the speakers off in the rear in order not to disturb a sleeping child, while models specified with blind spot cameras can show a live feed of the car’s exterior whenever the indicators are turned on.
It’s a shame you can’t display sat-nav maps within the dials and we also wish there was a physical ‘home’ button, as the icon at the top left of the display can be difficult to hit when on the move. Overall, though, it’s a great system, if not quite as flashy as what you’d find in a Tesla Model Y.
