Home / Motoring / Electric Vehicles

America’s Dark-Horse Enthusiast Car Just Got a Compelling Price Cut

Hyundai’s electrifying performance standout returns as an even better bargain, updated with some choice tweaks.

Close-up of a black and silver alloy wheel with red brake caliper on a white car with LED headlight.Hyundai
Add Gear Patrol as a Preferred Source on Google
Gray Van Dyke headshot

By Gray Van Dyke

Published

·

If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

Hyundai’s Ioniq 5N is a rare exception among EVs in that it’s one of the few that enthusiasts actually appreciate driving. It makes it something of a dark-horse offering among performance cars, especially in the United States where battery power is struggling to take off.

Of course, between simulated shifts and its N Grin Boost function, the Ioniq 5N isn’t lacking in character. In fact, it was so compelling that it left Porsche’s engineers impressed. (Talk about an endorsement.)

White Hyundai Ioniq 5 N electric hatchback with black and red accents parked on a desert road at sunset.
The Ioniq 5N arrives with a significant reduction in MSRP for 2026.
Hyundai

Thankfully, then, Hyundai hasn’t messed with the Ioniq 5N’s special sauce for 2026. If anything, the Korean automaker has only made it more palatable thanks to a fresh price drop.

An even better buy

And not a small one at that. For 2026, Hyundai is knocking a whopping $6,300 off the Ioniq 5N MSRP, bringing the starting price down from $67,800 to $61,500 ($59,900 sans destination). 

Close-up of a car steering wheel control panel with a red paddle shifter labeled "NGB" and buttons including "MODE" and phone icons.
N Grin Boost temporarily increases output to a whopping 641 horsepower.
Hyundai

While this means it still falls above the average price of a new car in 2026, you have to remember that Hyundai’s EV isn’t some boring, commuter-focused appliance.

Even ignoring features like N e-Shift and N Active Sound+, the Ioniq 5N offers tons of bang for your buck. Its two electric motors are rated for a combined 601 horsepower as standard, and a push of the car’s N Grin Boost button brings that number up to 641 for 10 seconds.

On the road, this means that 0-60 mph arrives in just a few ticks over 3.0 seconds. In addition to outgunning pretty much everything for comparable money, then, the Ioniq 5N is also within striking distance of exotic supercars costing many factors more.

Light blue compact electric hatchback car with black and orange accents parked in front of numbered garage doors.
The Ioniq 5N isn’t lacking in its sporting provisions. Just check out those massive brakes.
Hyundai

It’s not just some straight-line speedster like most EVs, either. As part of Hyundai’s updates for 2026, the Ioniq 5N’s N Drift Optimizer upgrades from a single mode to some 10 selectable stages of adjustment.

Practical considerations

While the Ioniq 5N is headlined by its price drop and added fun factor, Hyundai did make a few practical changes as well.

Close-up of a blue Hyundai car front with black grille, silver vent trim with red accent, and LED headlights.
The Ioniq 5N was already a performance bargain, and the price reduction has made it even more compelling.
Hyundai

Along with ditching the CCS for a NACS port for access to the Tesla Supercharger network, it also brings an upgraded Forward Attention Warning and the rear windows now offer auto down/up.

Granted, they’re all pretty minor differences, but the fact that Hyundai’s Ioniq 5N managed to return for 2026 is something worth appreciating in and of itself. That it comes with a discount is an added bonus.

After all, because of the cooling demand for EVs in the United States, Hyundai has decided to withhold the standard Ioniq 6 for this year.

Silver Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric SUV parked on a desert road at sunset with mountains in the background.
EVs have been dropping like flies here in the US, so the fact that the Ioniq 5N is sticking around at all is worth appreciating.
Hyundai

Moreover, although the hotter Ioniq 6N is supposedly coming to our shores, it hasn’t yet been announced. Even when it does, it’s to be imported in “limited quantities.”

Availability and pricing

Hyundai’s 2026 Ioniq 5N will start from $59,900 or $61,500 with destination. For the new model year, it also offers a fresh paint choice in Performance Blue Pearl.

About the Author: Gray is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, motorcycles and anything else with wheels. When he’s not chasing the latest industry news, he’s probably wrenching on one of many projects. For better or worse, he believes classics make perfectly practical daily drivers.

Read More

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.

add as a preferred source on google
, , ,