The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is only a few years old and is already receiving a design refresh. The EV first debuted in February 2021, and we should see the revamped version break cover by the middle of next year.
It isn’t easy to spot many of the crossover’s new styling cues. Camouflage and cladding hide and distort the EV’s new shapes, and we expect the automaker to make the bulk of the changes to the front and rear fascias. Through the coverings, the bumpers appear more toned-down than on the current car, with the parking sensors clearly in new locations across both ends.
Gallery: New Hyundai Ioniq 5 Spy Shots
One thing that doesn’t appear to be changing by much is the lights. The pixelated elements, which give the car a ton of character, look unchanged on the restyled Ioniq 5, but Hyundai could update them with new graphics. The coverings over the door suggest the sharp body lines down the side might not survive the model’s makeover.
The new spy photos don’t reveal the cabin. The white dual-screen setup housing the instrument display and infotainment screen appears missing from the dashboard, but the driver could have hidden most of the display. Automakers don’t typically redesign cabins during a mid-cycle refresh, but that trend is changing as technology becomes even more important to the user experience.
The 5’s redesign might coincide with the brand launching a new N-Line trim between the 320-horsepower, dual-motor model and the full-fat Ioniq 5 N with up to 641 hp on tap. Hyundai could differentiate the rumored N-Line variant from the rest of the lineup with a unique body kit, wheels, and other upgrades. There’s certainly room in the lineup for such an offering.
There is no indication that Hyundai is substantially upgrading the Ioniq 5’s powertrain lineup. The automaker currently offers the standard-range, entry-level EV with 168 horsepower powering the rear wheels. The long-range, rear-wheel-drive trim makes 225 hp. Adding a second motor and all-wheel drive increases the output to 320 hp. We’ll likely see Hyundai fine-tune the motors and batteries, making them more efficient.
We don’t know when Hyundai plans to reveal the updated Ioniq 5. The car wears quite a lot of cladding in the pictures above, so we might not see it break cover until the middle of next year. We hope the next spy shots capture the car with less camouflage.
