The Ford Explorer is one of the older SUV nameplates in production, a model that helped usher in the era of road-focused utilities that have become the proverbial apple of America’s eye. However, while there’s an Explorer EV on sale in Europe, Ford recently canceled plans to create a three-row EV SUV that may have worn the same nameplate for North America, instead replacing it with a new hybrid. Despite this, some automakers continue to fill out their all-electric lineups, and that list has now expanded to include the range-topping 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9.
The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 is the brand’s first all-electric three-row SUV, joining the compact Ioniq 5 (a Ford Mustang Mach-E competitor) and Ioniq 6 sedan in that brand’s EV lineup. It utilizes the same sort of design cues already present on those models – which Hyundai calls “Parametric Pixel,” giving it a truly unique look. The same goes for the modern interior of the Ioniq 9, which Hyundai says is designed to be “lounge like,” with a wheelbase that’s a full nine inches longer than the ICE-powered Palisade.
Customers can choose between a six-person seating arrangement with captain’s chairs that are capable of swiveling around in certain markets, while fully reclining “Relaxation Seats” are available for the first and second rows, too. Other nifty party tricks include a center console that can slide forward or backward 7.5 inches, giving second-row occupants easier access, while a pair of 12-inch screens make up the large, curved display on the dashboard.
In terms of mechanicals, the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 can be had in three specs – long range rear-wheel drive models with a single electric motor generating 215 horsepower, long range all-wheel drive with a 94 horsepower motor up front, and “performance” AWD with the more powerful 215 horsepower electric motors at both axles – accelerating from 0-62 mph in 5.2 seconds. All variants get a 110.3 kWh battery pack that Hyundai says is targeted to achieve 300 miles of range, and its sports an 800-volt architecture that can support 350 kW of DC fast charging. Pricing for the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 has yet to be revealed, but it’s slated to launch in the first half of 2025.
Comments
Its looks are making people cry, already. Horrendous.
I didn’t think the Kia EV9 would sell very well, but I see them around all the time now (their lease dealers are insane). While I don’t really see the point of it, and suspect the pricing will be brutal, it will likely still have crazy lease deals and this sell pretty well.
You can get a EV9 fully loaded for like $450 a month. You can’t even get close to anything else that size for that much.