Not content with the riotous, award-winning IONIQ 5 N, Hyundai has just whipped the covers off its latest high-performance machine – the IONIQ 6 N – fittingly at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The sleek, streamliner shape of the IONIQ 6 has been beefed up in the transition to an N model and brings everything we loved about the IONIQ 5 N – the raucous power, the laugh-out-loud drive, and the clever, tech-laden engineering – and dials it up again.
Hyundai claims that the 6 N offers sharper handling, smarter software, stronger aerodynamics and even faster acceleration. It’s Hyundai N’s second shot at electric fun, and if the 5 N is anything to go by, this new model it might just be the new benchmark for a proper driver’s EVs.
Hyundai unveiled its new all-electric performance car in front of the petrolhead faithful at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with the Ioniq 6 N making its public debut on the iconic hill climb course in West Sussex
With 642bhp and a whopping 770Nm of torque on tap, the IONIQ 6 N will rocket from 0-62mph in just 3.2 seconds. That’s Tesla territory, but with a whole lot more personality.
Hyundai claims a top speed of 160mph, but – like the Ioniq 5 N – the real story isn’t about straight-line speed. Hyundai’s N division has gone to town making this a proper track-capable machine, not just a fast dragster.
Core to the Ioniq 6 N’s development is Hyundai’s ‘Corner Rascal’ philosophy – their words, not ours – which basically means the 6N will put a grin on your face on twisty roads or on track. To do that, the standard Ioniq 6 has had a full suspension rethink with stroke-sensing dampers, improved chassis tuning, and bespoke tyres developed with Pirelli.
It also gets a clever electronically controlled suspension system that adapts in real-time to the road or track, giving you a supple ride on the school run and firm composure when you’re driving at ten-tenths at a circuit day.
Aerodynamics haven’t been forgotten either. The IONIQ 6’s swoopy silhouette is already slippery (with a drag coefficient of just 0.27), but this N version gets a motorsport-inspired rear wing, widened arches, and a front splitter to keep it stuck to the road at speed. The result is bodywork that looks purposeful and should improve the drive, too.
EVs get a bit of stick for lacking emotion, especially when it comes to sound. Hyundai has already proved with the Ioniq 5 N that an EV can sound so good it’ll broaden an already wide grin. So, the 6 N also gets N Active Sound+, which simulates a proper engine soundtrack piped into the cabin. You can even pick your preferred noise – “Ignition” for petrol car-like tones, “Evolution” for something more future-retro, and “Lightspeed” for sci-fi fans.
It sounds gimmicky, but in the 5N it adds a layer of fun and feedback that most EVs miss. It does feel a bit like Playstation fun, but it’s fun nonetheless.
Combine that with Hyundai’s N e-Shift – a fake gearbox system that mimics gear changes – and you should get a driving experience that’s unusually involving for an EV. There’s even a shift light to help you time your (virtual) upshifts.
Battery management is another area where Hyundai’s flexing its motorsport muscles. The Ioniq 6 N gets a revised 84kWh battery with a bespoke cooling system that preps the car for whatever’s coming – drag runs, circuit laps, or long motorway stints. There’s no word on range yet, but we’d expect a slight improvement over the Ioniq 5 N’s 278 miles.
There’s a full suite of clever software on board the 6 N, including N Grin Boost (which gives you 10 seconds of maximum attack), N Drift Optimiser (for when you fancy some sideways fun), and even a Track Mode with live telemetry, ghost racing, and custom circuit mapping. It all sounds very N-ticing.
When you’re not chasing lap times, the Ioniq 6 N is still a comfortable, tech-laden family saloon. It’s got a plush cabin with Performance Blue accents, a generous wheelbase for decent rear-seat comfort, and all the usual Hyundai luxury and safety kit.
Visually, it’s not a dramatic departure from the regular Ioniq 6, but the N version adds just the right amount of aggression. There’s a new Performance Blue Pearl colour – a more mature take on Hyundai N’s signature hue – and chunky 20-inch alloys wrapped in those bespoke P-Zero tyres.
The brakes have been beefed up too; there are four-piston calipers up front with serious cooling for repeated track use. Even the EV system’s regenerative braking has been dialled in for performance, with up to 0.6G of deceleration possible without touching the pedal.
There’s no word on pricing for the Ioniq 6 N yet but using the Ioniq 5 N’s premium over the rest of the Ioniq 5 range and applying that to the Ioniq 6 N, we’d expect a price in the region of £70,000. First deliveries should be at the end of this year or beginning of 2026.
