Hyundai’s all-electric midsize sedan, the IONIQ 6, is officially getting a high-performance variant in the all-new 2026 IONIQ 6 N, a treatment that the South Korean brand had given its compact IONIQ 5 SUV just last year. This sedan is designed to be as fast and satisfying as it looks—and it looks pretty dang fast and satisfying.
A Massively Boosted Powertrain
The primary benefit of this new high-performance model will be its massively boosted powertrain. Whereas the definitive 2025 IONIQ 6’s best powertrain configuration is a 77.4 kWh battery pack with two motors, making 320 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque, the enriched N variant boasts an 84 kWh battery pack with two motors to produce nearly twice as much power (at 601 hp) and an improved 561 lb-ft of torque, for far quicker acceleration.
However, if you want to double your horsepower, the IONIQ 6 N has a special “N Grin Boost” mode that temporarily grants an intense 641 hp (and slightly higher 568 lb-ft of torque). Hyundai claims the N variant can achieve a top speed of 160 mph, with a zero-to-sixty time of just 3.2 seconds; this tracks with the compact 2025 IONIQ 5 N‘s proven acceleration time of 3.0 seconds, and it would make the IONIQ 6 N the second-fastest car from South Korea behind its SUV sibling.
We don’t yet know the efficiency ratings of the new model. However, the 2025 IONIQ 5 N has an EPA-estimated range of 221 miles, compared to the definitive 2025 IONIQ 5’s EPA-estimated range of 290 miles in its long-range, dual-motor, all-wheel drive configuration. Since the 2025 IONIQ 6’s long-range, dual-motor, all-wheel drive configuration gets 316 miles, I’d wager the 2026 IONIQ 6 N will get about 241 miles. But that’s just cheap math.
The Sportiest Aesthetics
As with any “N” rendition of a Hyundai model, the IONIQ 6 N boasts the brand’s sportiest aesthetics. It wears a sweeping silhouette whose svelte front end is remarkably clean, with only a pair of creases up the sides of the hood. This tabula rasa is broken only at its bottom corners by the tiniest little headlights: two thin strips of daytime running lamps, each a stripe of four 1×4 arrays of LED blocks as if the sedan is squinting into the wind cos it’s going so dang fast.
Its high beams hide inside the front façade beneath these running lamps, concealed in the darkness of the black grille. This darkness is replicated by the tinted windshield and side windows, the latter of which taper to a point in the rear, following the swoop of the silhouette. Adding to the sporty vibe is a spoiler affixed under the rear window, providing a couple hundred pounds of downforce to improve stability at higher speeds.
A thin red accent stripe wraps around the bottom of the exterior, going from the front fascia to the rear along the rocker panels, making a sharp contrast to the powder-blue body hue. (This color combo is the calling card of the Hyundai N models and will not be found on the unaccented IONIQ 6 N-Line, the upcoming trim that marks the somewhat-sporty transition point between the definitive model and the N variant).
The IONIQ 6 N’s rear façade looks as if Darth Vader were 100% robot, with thin taillights made of red LED blocks, each in a 2×8 array, with four red dots on the interior sides of both, doubling as turn indicators. The rear brake lights are at the very bottom of the rear fascia, on either side of the license plate, mirroring the design of the taillights but with smaller and more numerous LED blocks.
Of course, like any EV these days, the IONIQ 6 N has door handles that retreat into the body when not being used, which just means more of your sedan is electrical-dependent and less mechanical (But that’s a critique of the whole segment, with form being preferred over function, so maybe don’t listen to me; I’m just whining). This aesthetic choice reflects the variant’s inspiration and rival, the Tesla Model 3 Performance.
A New Contender in the Segment
The IONIQ 6 N is expected to debut at about $65k, which is considerably more than the Tesla Model 3 Performance (which goes for about $55k); however, Tesla’s sedan is less stylish, less powerful, and less fucking dope, so the IONIQ 6 N will probably be totally worth its higher price. More details will emerge in the near future regarding this variant’s cabin amenities, tech suite, driver assistance features, charging times, and official power stats, so keep your eyes peeled.
