The 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 Is The Best Value 3-Row EV

The IONIQ 9 is Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV, and it’s built on the same platform as the well-received Kia EV9 — just stretched. The wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer, the overall length adds another 1.8 inches, and the result is a 199.2-inch SUV with a surprisingly slippery 0.269 drag coefficient. Every North American IONIQ 9 rolls out of Hyundai’s Metaplant in Savannah, Georgia, and all of them share the same 110.3 kWh battery pack delivering up to 335 miles of range.

On the outside, the IONIQ 9 follows the same design language as the rest of the IONIQ lineup — pixel light bar up front, flush door handles, flared rear fenders — but it’s a clear departure from the boxy IONIQ 5. The hood is more curvaceous, the D-pillar is tall and squared-off, and the taillights wrap around the rear in a way that’s hard to describe without sounding like you’re reviewing architecture. It’s polarizing, but it’s deliberate.

The lineup runs six trims from the base S at $60,555 to the Calligraphy Design at $78,090, all including destination. Hyundai is currently offering $10,000 off all trims. Here’s how they break down:

On the charger, the IONIQ 9 does something unusual. Rather than peaking early and tapering, it actually climbs its charging curve as the session progresses — pulling 211 kW at 10% state of charge and continuing to rise all the way to a peak of 235 kW at 60%. We recorded a 10-to-80% time of 23 minutes and 19 seconds on a 400 kW charger, beating Hyundai’s own 24-minute claim. By the 10-minute mark, 100 miles of EPA range were back in the battery. By just under 21 minutes, that number was 200 miles.

The IONIQ 9 is the fastest-charging EV we’ve tested, and the combination of size, range, and charging performance makes it one of the most capable road-trip vehicles in its class. Ground clearance is a modest 6.9 inches, so don’t expect to take it off the beaten path — but for everything else, it’s a genuinely impressive machine. The SEL hits the sweet spot on value, and with the current incentive it’s hard to make a case against it.