It may look cooler without it, but the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 getting a rear wiper adds a bit of practicality.
It’s been three years since the Hyundai Ioniq 5 launched in the U.S. market, and now it’s getting a slate of mid-cycle updates to keep things fresh. Among the admittedly more substantial changes like a larger battery and updated interior, there’s one change that jumped off the page at me: a rear windshield wiper. I know, it’s a little weird to get excited about such a mundane feature, but here’s the thing: Driving the current Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 or Genesis GV60 in inclement weather sucks without one.
Hyundai just revealed the updated Ioniq 5 in South Korea (before it goes on sale there next month), previewing the features we’ll most likely see on the American-market version later on this year. One highlight of this new model year’s changes is a larger battery. Rather than the 77.4-kWh unit the model launched with, the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 will now get an 84.0-kWh battery. That change should boost the rear-wheel drive variant’s usable range to somewhere around 325 miles, based on the extra 7-ish kilowatt-hours at 3 miles per kWh efficiency. The all-wheel drive model should similarly see a better range of around 280 miles, instead of 260 as it gets now.
Exterior changes are fairly minor, though the 2025 Ioniq 5 is 0.8 inches longer than before. It also gets new wheels, as you normally see with refreshes, and a tweaked rear spoiler. Unfortunately, while Korean buyers get door-mounted cameras with screens over traditional mirrors, don’t expect that feature to make it stateside anytime soon.
The updated Ioniq 5 gets some quality-of-life interior changes (but don’t count on the door-mounted cameras)
On the inside, the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 gets an updated steering wheel and redesigned center stack. Fundamentally, the wheel is largely the same as before, though you do get the four pixel lights like the Ioniq 6 sedan. The new center console (or “universal island”, in Hyundai-speak) places the wireless charging pad in a more convenient spot, while there are also buttons for the heated and ventilated seats, heated steering wheel and parking assist function across the center console, rather than buried in the infotainment screen.
On the infotainment front, the dual-screen setup remains, as this was one of the first cars to actually see that now-ubiquitous feature. It does get new software called “Connected Car Navigation Cockpit”, though, so we’ll have to see whether it’s better than what came before. Other updates include more sound insulation for a more pleasant ride, as well as retuned shocks and more structural reinforcements, particularly around the B-pillar, to improve side impact protection. The lane keep and park assist have been upgraded, Hyundai says, while the Ioniq 5 also now gets remote-folding rear seats.
Meet the sportier N Line model
Now that we have a hot Ioniq 5 N in the lineup, Hyundai’s M.O. has been to add an in-between trim to give you the sportier look without the full-on N-level performance. That’s what we have here in the N Line trim, which adds a bunch of sporty kit to the base car. You get a unique body kit against the standard Ioniq 5, as well as a different steering wheel and sport seats with red contrast stitching. Hyundai did not mention whether the N Line will get better performance than the regular models, though we should get more U.S.-specific information in the next few months.
Pricing is not yet available for the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5, either, though I don’t suspect it will move much from the current lineup. Stay tuned over the next several weeks for more news, and hopefully we’ll have more to bring you in that time.
