Fast Facts | 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy
🚘Powertrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
🔔Output: 422 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque
🌳MPGe (City/Highway/Combined): EPA-estimated 91/79/85
🎵Standard Tech: Adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking distance sensors, Blind-Spot View Monitor, digital rearview mirror, 360-degree camera
⏱️Fast Charging: 10–80% in 24 minutes on a 350 kW charger
💵 As-Tested Price: MSRP of $77,040, including $1,600 in destination fees
If you’re looking to go electric but need a vehicle with three rows of seats for hauling kids and cargo, there aren’t too many options available in the U.S. today. Sure, there are plenty of EVs with room for five people, but six or seven? Pretty limited.
But after spending a week with the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 - particularly in high-end Calligraphy trim - I'm not worried about the slim pickings. This SUV is so excellent that you won't miss having other choices.
Load ‘er Up!
One of the major reasons to consider a three-row vehicle is space, and this Hyundai delivers as much storage - or more - than some gas-powered competitors, like the Ford Explorer, Nissan Pathfinder, and even the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. In the Ioniq 9, there’s just shy of 22 cubic feet of storage space behind the third-row seat, enough to accommodate a couple sizable pieces of luggage.
If you fold those rear-most backrests down, which, in the Calligraphy model, you can do at the push of a button from right in the cargo area, the Ioniq 9’s luggage capacity increases to nearly 47 cubes, an impressive amount. Then, if you drop the second-row backrests, this vehicle provides just about 87 cubic feet of luggage space, more than you get in an Explorer, Pathfinder, or Highlander Hybrid.
Those are generous figures right across the board, but this Hyundai also has a small frunk. This under-hood space measures 3.1 cubic feet in real-wheel drive models, but opt for all-wheel drive and it drops to 1.84.
Comfort for the Whole Family
But the Hyundai Ioniq 9 doesn’t just have ample room for cargo; this SUV is surprisingly comfortable in all three rows of seats, whether you opt for a six- or seven-passenger model. Up front, nearly all trim levels have standard eight-way power-operated buckets with adjustable lumbar support. Heated front seats are also standard across the range, though SEL, Limited, and Calligraphy trims gain ventilation as well, a godsend in hot weather. There’s also a special relaxation mode that reclines the seat and deploys a leg support, so it’s easy to rest or take a nap — just not while driving, of course.
If you’re cross-shopping three-row EVs and want to compare trims, pricing, and rivals fast, start with the GreenCars Buyer’s Guide ➜
Available on the two top trims, the Ioniq 9’s second-row captain’s chairs are super comfortable as well, plus they’re power adjustable and offer heating and ventilation. These seats also include deployable leg supports and they tip and slide forward at the push of a button for much easier access to the third row.
Speaking of this Hyundai’s aft-most seats, they’re quite comfortable for 6-foot-tall passengers, with good amounts of room for knees and noggins, plus the lower cushion is a nice height above the floor, and the backrests are power adjustable.
An Artful Interior With Lots of Tech
Aside from its comfort and spaciousness, there’s a lot to love about the rest of this SUV’s cabin. The overall design is fresh and attractive, the materials look nice, and there’s plenty of technology.
Every version of the Ioniq 9 comes standard with a pair of lovely 12.3-inch displays, a digital instrument cluster, and a central touchscreen. The infotainment system is quick and intuitive, plus there’s standard wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as a wireless phone charger.
The Calligraphy model also comes with a heated steering wheel and a head-up display. I love this Hyundai’s digital rearview mirror as well, which dramatically expands what you can see behind the vehicle by taking a video feed from the reversing camera and sending it to a separate screen mounted underneath the mirror. And then there’s a super-useful 360-degree camera system that makes parking much easier.
Impressive Speeds and Feeds
So, the Ioniq 9 is spacious, comfortable, and well-equipped, but this SUV offers even more than that. Range is another advantage, and the Calligraphy model offers an EPA-estimated 311 miles on a full charge, slightly more than a Cadillac Vistiq Luxury AWD and way more than any version of the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, two three-row EVs that, when comparably equipped, have similar price tags.
During my testing here in Michigan, the temps were often in the single digits and that definitely impacted the estimated range, dropping it to around 237 miles in Normal mode with the heater on. Turning that off and switching to Eco pushed the range back up to around 271 miles. If you live in an area with frigid winters, plan accordingly.
Lower-end all-wheel-drive Ioniq 9s offer a bit more range than the Calligraphy model, around an EPA-estimated 320 miles, though the base rear-drive variant has the most. According to the EPA, this version should deliver up to 335 miles on a full charge.
When it’s time to juice up the sizable 110.3-kilowatt-hour battery pack, this Hyundai won’t keep you waiting too long. The Ioniq 9 can absorb energy at up to 237 kilowatts, and when using a CCS adapter and tapping into a 350-kW charger, the vehicle can go from 10 to 80 percent in just 24 minutes, a super impressive showing.
If “10 to 80% in 24 minutes” is the hook, this gives readers the baseline on what that actually means: different levels of electric car charging ➜
You’ll Appreciate the Performance, Too
Putting that prodigious battery capacity to good use, the Ioniq 9 Calligraphy has a whopping 422 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Those figures are appreciably more than you get in lesser all-wheel-drive trims and they’re about twice as much as the entry-level, rear-drive model has.
Despite those heroic numbers, this isn't an explosively quick EV. Don’t get me wrong, the Ioniq 9 Calligraphy is plenty potent, and it absolutely scoots when you stand on the accelerator pedal, but the power comes on so smoothly and so effortlessly that it doesn’t feel as speedy as you might expect.
The brake pedal is smooth and easy to modulate, plus there’s regenerative braking. The aggressiveness can easily be adjusted using steering wheel-mounted paddles, from basically nothing when you lift your foot off the accelerator up to the one-pedal mode Hyundai calls i-Pedal. This setting slows the Ioniq 9 down with authority, even to a dead stop.
As you’d expect, the Ioniq 9’s steering is light to the touch, which is appropriate for a family hauler. This SUV is also easy to maneuver despite its large dimensions. Hyundai’s Blind-Spot View Monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, parking distance sensors, and excellent adaptive cruise control with lane centering and stop-and-go capability make this beast a snap to drive on the highway or in parking lots.
Overall, the Ioniq 9 is pleasant to drive, both comfortable and quick. But if there’s one downside to the dynamics, it’s the ride quality. This Hyundai can feel unsettled at times, particularly over broken surfaces where the back end almost feels like it’s in a different zip code. Sometimes, the body noticeably oscillates from side to side, which can cause your head to bobble around a bit, a strange sensation in a vehicle that’s otherwise highly refined.
Unfortunately, Excellence Isn’t Cheap
As with most good things in life, the Ioniq 9 isn’t cheap. The entry-level 2026 model with rear-wheel drive has an MSRP of about $61,000, including $1,600 in destination fees. As for the high-end Calligraphy model tested here, its MSRP is $77,040, which is squarely in luxury-car territory. But if you’ve got the means and are shopping for an all-electric family-hauler, the Ioniq 9 does not disappoint. In fact, this vehicle is so solid, the relative lack of available three-row EVs is not a problem; just get one of these Hyundais and you’ll probably be pretty happy.
Keep Comparing Family-Sized Electric SUVs
Kia EV9 Road Test
A direct three-row EV rival with a similar mission: real family space, real road-trip capability, and real competition for your shortlist
Read More ➜
2025 Volvo EX90 Review: A Calm, Confident Take on Luxury EVs
A more premium-leaning alternative that competes on comfort, tech, and three-row refinement
Read More ➜
Cadillac Vistiq First Drive
Another three-row EV at a similar price point, useful for comparing luxury feel, range expectations, and overall vibe
Read More ➜
