Hyundai introduces Ioniq electric car and names i30 price

Hyundai has launched the new Ioniq in Ireland – a car of three parts. There is no religious symbolism in that, unless you consider electric cars to be the second coming, rather the Ioniq will be available as a conventional petrol-electric hybrid; a plug-in hybrid; and a battery-only EV electric vehicle. Prices start from €28,495 after the various grants.

That cash will buy you an all-electric Ioniq, which Hyundai claims currently leads its class by having a maximum 280km one-charge range. That does indeed put it ahead of the Leaf 30kWh and Volkswagen eGolf, but the eGolf is shortly to be updated with a 300km range, and the upgraded Renault Zoe, with a maximum 400km, rolls out shortly.

While the base price of the Ioniq EV is higher than that of the cheapest Leaf, Hyundai claims that it is better value thanks to its longer range – to get 250km from the Leaf you have to upgrade to the more expensive model which uses the larger capacity 30kWh battery. The EV also has better standard equipment, including a larger touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and an eight-speaker Infinity sound system.

Charging the Ioniq EV takes about 12 hours from a domestic socket, or four-hours from a high-speed charger. Fast-charging to 80 per cent power in 30 minutes will also be possible and Hyundai is going to install charging points in all of its dealerships for customers to use.

Hyundai also claims that its €31,995 Ioniq hybrid is better value than the rival Toyota Prius, thanks to extra standard equipment including bi-xenon lights, heated steering wheel, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a more sophisticated six-speed DCT dual-clutch gearbox as opposed to the Toyota's CVT transmission.

Emissions

The Ioniq hybrid uses a 1.6-litre petrol engine combined with an electric motor and a small battery stack to achieve claimed emissions of 79g/km and combined fuel economy of 83mpg. Both the EV and the hybrid are available on a 5.9 per cent PCP finance package with monthly repayments starting from €328 per month. Hyundai is also offering up to €4,000 trade-in bonus (erroneously called “scrappage”) against both models and both come with the standard Hyundai five-year, unlimited mileage warranty. The EV also gets an eight-year, 200,000km battery warranty.

On a more conventional front, Hyundai announced Irish pricing for two key new models. The i10 city car is getting a facelift with a new front end (featuring Hyundai’s “cascade” grille and new lights) plus some interior tweaks, which will start at €12,995 for a Classic 1.0 Deluxe.

The new i30 hatchback will also start arriving in Hyundai dealers from December for January delivery, and prices start at €21,995 for a basic Deluxe model with the 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine, while the most affordable diesel is the 1.6 CRDI Deluxe, with 99g/km CO2 emissions, starting at €23,995.

Hyundai is kicking off its January sales push by giving customers a choice of five years’ free servicing, a €5,000 trade-in bonus or an €800 free insurance bonus.