While some manufacturers are paring back as EV sales growth slows down, Hyundai remains committed to its all-electric lineup. It’s preparing not only to introduce new models like the big EV9 — set to debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November — but also expanding the range of packages available for existing models.
Barely 3 years after launching the Ioniq 5, its first EV using a dedicated skateboard-like platform, Hyundai is giving the compact crossover a midcycle update. And, along with the requisite exterior and interior design tweaks, the new model year brings a more significant bit of news: the new 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT will give buyers a chance to see what all-electric propulsion can do off-road.
That could draw in an entirely new class of EV buyer, company officials told me. While the Ioniq 5 XRT won’t be the first EV offered in the U.S. market capable of leaving the pavement behind, it will become the most affordable, with pricing expected to come in well below the $67,495 base MSRP for the high-performance Ioniq 5 N.
Hyundai Ioniq 5: What’s New for 2025?
The XRT package will pick up on some of the other improvements Hyundai is making to the crossover for 2025, including a rear windshield wiper that will be added to all versions of the electric crossover — no, it doesn’t have one currently.
Other notable upgrades across the Ioniq 5 lineup include more manual controls, primarily for climate functions. Motorists no longer will have to swipe and scroll through the 5’s big touchscreen to do things like change cabin temperature or adjust the seat heaters.
There’s also a new center console with a relocated wireless smartphone charger, an updated version of the Hyundai Digital Key system that lets a smartphone sub for the standard keyfob, and plenty of new safety and advanced driver assistance technology.
Introducing the 2025 Ioniq 5 XRT
Don’t tell Andre Ravinowich that EVs aren’t selling. Demand for the Ioniq 5 jumped 33% year-over-year during the first half of 2024, noted the senior product planner. Hyundai is betting that will only accelerate by offering buyers more options. That started earlier this year with the debut of the high-performance Ioniq 5 N, and Hyundai will follow with the off-road XRT package.
The mainstream versions of the EV get a handful of subtle tweaks to its grille and lighting. The XRT takes things another step, with a distinctive “pixel” bumper that has an almost camouflage-like look. The rear cladding, in particular, is larger and designed to offer a bit more protection — as you’d expect of an off-roader. Ioniq 5 XRT also gets unique 18-inch wheels and 235/60 R18 all-terrain tires.
Inside, there are all-weather floor mats, embossed H-Tex seating surfaces — designed to resist water and allow easy cleanup — and a black headliner.
Show & Go
The XRT is more than just an appearance package. It boosts ride height by nearly an inch, Hyundai officials noted during a media background in California last week. This allows the approach angle to climb to 19.8 degrees and the departure angle to 30.0 degrees — compared with 17.5 and 25.4 degrees, respectively, on non-XRT models.
The suspension also has been uniquely tuned for off-roading. And, the driver mode selector has unique functions for operating in more rugged terrain. New front tow hooks can handle loads of up to 5,834 pounds.
Powertrain
The basics of the drivetrain will be shared with other non-XRT (and non-N) models. Final figures for 2025 haven’t been released but aren’t expected to vary much from 2024. The XRT will be offered solely in twin-motor, all-wheel-drive configuration. That currently means 320 horsepower and 446 pound-feet of torque.
Hyundai engineers are doing some last-minute work on the Ioniq 5 XRT’s drivetrain, but Ravinowich suggested that the final results will feature unique tuning to permit power to be shifted more precisely to where it might be needed, depending upon the conditions the electric crossover will face.
Like other versions of Ioniq 5, there will be no rear differential, but XRT likely will compensate by using brake intervention to shift power to the left or right wheels.
Batteries & Range
All versions of the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq lineup get upgraded battery packs:
- Standard Range models go from 58.0 to 63.0 kWh
- Long Range models go from 77.4 to 84 kWh
As before, the Ioniq 5 lineup will be offered with a choice of a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive configuration, or twin-motor all-wheel-drive — the XRT, as noted, is only available with AWD.
Thanks to minor improvements in aerodynamics, Hyundai officials said range numbers should be slightly improved when the EPA delivers its final test results for existing models. But, the expectation is that even the XRT will deliver “250+” miles per charge, with other AWD packages getting up to “280+” miles. RWD models will deliver more than 240 miles per charge with the Standard Range pack, and 310 or more with the Long Range pack.
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5: Availability & Pricing
Look for the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 lineup to go on sale in mid-November. That timing will allow the Korean carmaker to shift production to the new $6 billion “mega-plant” it has set up outside Savannah, Ga. The facility is dedicated to EV production for Hyundai and sibling brands Genesis and Kia.
The automaker has not announced final pricing for 2025, but the Ioniq 5 lineup currently starts at $43,195 for a Standard Range RWD version of the SE, jumping to $47,245 for an AWD version with the Long Range pack. The well-equipped Disney100 Platinum Edition starts at $60,795, with the screaming N model topping out the range with a $67,495 MSRP.
Due to the domestic content requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Ioniq 5 lineup currently is eligible for just $3,750 in federal tax credits. It qualifies for the full $7,500 when leased. Hyundai said in a statement it is working to shift some sourcing of parts, components, and raw material to make Ioniq 5 eligible for the full $7,500 incentive when purchased. No timetable was announced, however.
