2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited LR AWD Is a Fantastic Vehicle For the Right Environment and Right Type of Buyer, but Cold Weather Reveals Some Compromises You won't Have to Make With Other Hyundai Models

Hyundai has become the brand we most look forward to testing as of late. The Ioniq 5 impressed me and other testers so much that I named it the Best EV Overall For 2025 at another publication. In recent reviews, I called the Santa Fe and Palisade best in class. The Ioniq 5N I called America’s Best Muscle Car. So, when the 2025 Ioniq 6 sedan arrived for testing, I could not wait to jump in and see what it has to offer.

Background Story: Ten Years of Testing EVs In Winter - Here’s the Truth

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited Long Range AWD - The Quick Overview
The Ioniq 6 is a large, roomy, five-passenger sedan with a very long wheelbase. It is battery-electric (battery-only). Our tester had a price including Inland Freight and Handling of $56,860. One thing we should mention is that about 80% of Hyundai EV shoppers end up leasing, so the sticker price is less of a gauge of affordability than it once was. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited Long Range AWD - Powertrain Info and EV Specs
The Ioniq 6 AWD has an EPA-estimated range of 270 miles, but we observed a meaningfully lower estimate during our testing in sub-freezing weather. The all-electric powertrain can produce 320 peak HP and offers a respectable 446 lb-ft of torque. From our point of view, this is more than enough for any vehicle of this type, and more power and speed would be wasted money.

Hyundais are among the fastest-to-charge vehicles one can buy on public DC chargers, and they also charge well at home. We charged up this week using our Emporia Level 2 charger. The Ioniq 6 has an old-school CCS charger (J Plug). This surprised us. We thought Hyundai was switching to NACS for 2025 MY vehicles, but the last two we received for testing still had the older type. This may change, so check with your Hyundai dealer about inventory. We own both charger types, so it was no big deal, but if you are coming from Tesla, take note. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited Long Range AWD- All The Good News
If you are looking for a battery-electric sedan with a spacious interior, this is the best one on the market. Kia has a similar one that we’d consider a tie. The Ioniq 6 drives wonderfully. It’s a bit stiff, party due to its wheel and tire combo, but we think some owners may like that. Acceleration is brisk, and two decades ago, it would have been considered downright fast. The price is high, but again, with lease deals and possible EV incentives, it’s hard to knock an EV for its sticker price in 2025. 

Here is a quick punch list of other things we liked about the Ioniq 6:

• It’s very attractive inside and out.
• The ten-year warranty for initial owners is amazing - And it applies if you lease and then buy it.
• Three years of included maintenance.
• Very large trunk.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited Long Range AWD- Winter Reveals Some Compromises Compared to Other Hyundai Vehicle Options
We test a LOT of crossovers and SUVs, and the New England Motor Press Association Winter Testing Even coincided with our having the Ioniq 6. We were also struggling through the coldest winter in recent times, paired with quite a bit of precipitation. Temps below 0F happened on two mornings during our week of testing. This “perfect storm” revealed some things about this beautiful sedan that we feel shoppers should be aware of - particularly since Hyundai has other vehicles that can tackle winter better.

First up, we observed an estimated total range drop from the EPA’s 270 miles to 235 based on two charges to 100% SOC in our enclosed garage. Would this range estimate of 235 miles have been reliable if we took the vehicle on a highway road trip in temps around 15F? We were not willing to risk it, so we used another vehicle to do that during our week with the Ioniq 6. 

20” touring tires are the last thing any driver wants in an icy snowstorm. The model highlights the 20” wheels as if they are a plus. In no way is that a positive in winter in New England. Broken-up roads from frost heaves and plow damage mean that low-profile tires are a negative, not a positive. Many vehicles we test today now come equipped with severe snow-duty tires right from the factory. We are not saying this one should. Rather, we're pointing out that during our winter testing, those would be our choice. Another tire-related negative is the lack of a spare tire. Other green vehicles in this segment come standard with one, and the Ioniq 6 cannot accommodate one. 

One thing that some reviewers highlight about BEVs in this category is that they have “a long wheelbase.” While this can add legroom, it also poses problems driving over obstacles like the end of a hilly driveway. This sedan has less than six inches of ground clearance. Pair that with a long wheelbase, and scraping the bottom of the car is a concern in some winter situations. That’s why we prefer short-wheelbase SUVs in winter. 

While we generally love Hyundai’s infotainment systems, this one vexed us for two reasons. First, we needed to use a power cord to enable Android Auto. How could the 2021 Elantra have wireless Android Auto and the 25 Ioniq 6 not have it? Next up, it took us four carefully aimed touches in the infotainment screen menus to turn on or off the heated seats and steering wheel, which means removing your gloves. Why not make those physical buttons?

Finally, the pop-out door handles were totally encrusted in hard ice -twice- during our testing. We had to carefully chip and pull the ice away. The same was true of the wipers, which are not of the type that can be manually lifted up in advance of storms. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited Long Range AWD - What We Would Cross-Shop and Why
If you live in a a warm climate without winter, the Ioniq 6 is a superb choice of electrified sedan. Another we would consider would be the Toyota Crown Nightshade. The Crown is hybrid-electric instead of battery-electric, so its range is about double the Ioniq 6’s. The Crown can add 450 miles of range in two minutes. It has a spare tire. It’s priced about 10% lower than the Ioniq 6 in the Nightshade trim. We also love the Sonata Hybrid, and in particular its solar roof option. 

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited Long Range AWD - Conclusion
Those shoppers who want a very roomy battery-electric sedan need look no further than the Ioniq 6 line. We have not tested the lower trims, but there are trims for less money with rear-wheel drive. If we lived in a warm climate, those would be the ones we’d check out first. They are called SE (SR), SE, and SEL.
 

John Goreham is a credentialed New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools. 

Top of page image courtesy of Hyundai. Other images by the author.