Hyundai’s new electrical SUV feels like its identify got here from Harry Potter.
The 2026 Hyundai Elexio is the Korean model’s newest entrant into the booming mid-size SUV phase, bolstering its present Tucson and Ioniq 5 choices already on sale. Just like the Ioniq 5, the Elexio is all-electric, however not like the Ioniq 5 it’s sourced from China.
Sure, the Koreans have turned to their neighbours for manufacturing of a extra attainable electrical automobile (EV) to rival the likes of the favored Tesla Mannequin Y and BYD Sealion 7, very similar to the associated Kia EV5 which can be sourced from China for the Australian market.
That’s a part of the explanation why the Elexio doesn’t actually appear like something presently accessible within the present Hyundai vary, from the distinctive exterior design to the 27-inch panoramic inside show that spans nearly your entire width of the dashboard, operating a brand new Android-based software program interface.
It additionally provides greater than 500km of WLTP-certified driving vary from its massive BYD-supplied LFP battery pack, one other product of its Chinese language connections.
Hyundai is hoping the Elexio can play in an space of the market the Ioniq 5 has failed to succeed in, slotting between its extra premium stablemate and the smaller Kona Electrical to present the Chinese language a correct crack at their very own recreation.
It’s additionally probably coming for Kia’s lunch, given the EV5 was the top-selling EV that wasn’t a Tesla or a BYD in 2025. Will Australians fall underneath the Elexio’s spell? We attended the Australian media launch in Sydney to seek out out.
How a lot does the Hyundai Elexio value?
The Elexio is priced from underneath $59,000 earlier than on-road prices for the entry-level variant, whereas the flagship Elite is priced from $59,990 drive-away till March 31, after which it’ll transfer to $61,990 plus on-road prices.
| Mannequin | Worth earlier than on-road prices | Drive-away pricing |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Hyundai Elexio | $58,990 | – |
| 2026 Hyundai Elexio Elite | $61,990 | $59,990 (till March 31) |
The marginally de-specced base variant will be part of the vary for $3000 much less in the course of the second quarter of 2026, with Hyundai Australia promising a pointy introductory drive-away provide very similar to the Elite’s.
Whereas positioned in a extra premium value bracket in comparison with equally sized electrical SUVs from the funds Chinese language manufacturers, the introductory provide for the Elexio Elite is the very same drive-away value because the Kia EV5 Air Lengthy Vary – which will get the identical drivetrain however much less equipment – and undercuts the bottom Tesla Mannequin Y Premium ($58,900 plus ORCs or ~$64,180 drive-away).
The Elexio Elite additionally bisects the BYD Sealion 7 Premium (from $54,990) and Efficiency (from $63,990), whereas the extra premium Zeekr 7X (from $57,900) looms as one other formidable menace from China. Outdoors the Center Kingdom, Japan’s Toyota bZ4X now begins from a really aggressive $55,990, whereas Germany’s extra highly effective Volkswagen ID.4 Professional is presently being marketed for $62,990 drive-away.
Hyundai’s crew was additionally fast to level out the Elexio’s aggressive novated lease funds on a weekly foundation. Based mostly on a $100,000 wage for a NSW-based driver travelling 75,000km over a 60-month lease, the Elexio Elite is available in from $205 per week, which isn’t far off the Xpeng G6 ($199), Tesla Mannequin Y ($216), Kia EV5 Air Customary Vary ($204), and BYD Sealion 7 Premium ($200).
To see how the Hyundai Elexio traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability device
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What’s the Hyundai Elexio like on the within?
It principally screens at you!
There’s an enormous 27-inch widescreen infotainment touchscreen that extends into the passenger’s dashboard space, and whereas it appears to be like prefer it may very well be a variation of the brand new Genesis setup, it’s extra Chinese language-brand normally appear and feel.
That mentioned, Hyundai’s native crew has carried out as a lot because it might to localise the software program and person expertise, and it’s price noting the infotainment system is operating a brand new interface powered by Android Automotive.
Count on the subsequent technology of Hyundai-Kia multimedia programs to make use of this fundamental software program platform, however I think about automobiles sourced from Korea and Europe will adapt it to extra acquainted {hardware} and be extra conventionally built-in.
There are a couple of attention-grabbing options, just like the Sport Middle that enables as much as two individuals to play arcade-style video games on the touchscreen when the automobile is stationary, whereas the native navigation could be expanded to take up just about everything of the show.
Whereas a few of its shiny capabilities are nice, there are some components that lack polish or thought, at the very least in my view.
For instance, having wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is useful, nevertheless it’s not correctly built-in into the show, exhibiting up in a pop-up type window as you may see above. It really works superb as soon as there, although.
The opposite factor is the touchscreen-embedded local weather controls, that are fairly fiddly. There are toolbars on both facet of the display screen for the motive force and entrance passenger to entry digital shortcuts, however attempting to alter something climate-related on the transfer is fiddly and distracting.
There’s additionally a really Tesla- and Chinese language-esque 3D mannequin that controls automobile features when stationary, permitting you to open the doorways, tailgate and cost port. I believe this may be smarter as a major display screen widget somewhat than a little bit driver’s one, however I assume it’s inside simple attain in case you’re the one one within the automobile.
The Elexio’s second row is sweet for the phase, with strong head, leg and knee room, and a large sufficient bench to seat three throughout in case you want – plus the center seat and flooring are properly flat for that kind of association.
You get rear air vents within the pillars, a pair of USB-C charging ports for telephones or transportable units, and little storage pockets behind the entrance seats and underneath the aforementioned cost ports.
The Elexio additionally will get door-mounted bottle holders within the armrest and within the decrease sections, and there is the identical materials high quality on the entrance and rear doorways, not like in another mid-size SUV rivals.
Mother and father can even make use of the ISOFIX youngster seat anchors for the outboard positions and the top-tethers throughout the backs of all three, and the tall and upright home windows let loads of gentle in. Oddly although, there’s no possibility for a sunroof, which may very well be a superb or dangerous factor relying on who you ask.
Additional again there’s 506 litres of cargo house (VDA) with the second row in use, increasing to 1540L with them folded just about flat.
The Elexio doesn’t provide a spare wheel like a few of Hyundai’s different electrified fashions, as a substitute making do with a tyre restore equipment.
| Dimensions | Hyundai Elexio |
|---|---|
| Size | 4615mm |
| Width | 1875mm |
| Top | 1695mm |
| Wheelbase | 2750mm |
| Cargo capability | 506-1540L (VDA) |
To see how the Hyundai Elexio traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability device
What’s underneath the bonnet?
At launch, only one powertrain and battery variant can be accessible throughout all trim ranges.
| Specs | Hyundai Elexio |
|---|---|
| Drivetrain | Single-motor electrical |
| Battery | 88.1kWh LFP |
| Energy | 160kW |
| Torque | 310Nm |
| Drive kind | Entrance-wheel drive |
| Weight | 2080-2105kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | – |
| Power consumption (claimed) | 18.2kWh/100km |
| Power consumption (as examined) | 20.2kWh/100km |
| Claimed vary | 546-562km – WLTP |
| Max AC cost price | 10kW |
| Max DC cost price | 122kW |
Our indicated vitality consumption determine was achieved over 100km of blended driving, favouring 110km/h freeway and hilly B-roads. Little doubt in city situations the determine would drop beneath the mixed declare.
Hyundai says the Elexio will recharge from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 38 minutes utilizing a 150kW DC fast-charger, although the quoted cost capability is 122kW based on the spec sheet. Funnily sufficient, Kia quotes the identical time to cost on a 350kW charger, as per the EV5 spec sheet.
It’s a bit decrease than the Elexio’s rival from its battery provider, BYD, with the Sealion 7 quoting a 150kW DC ceiling.
Additional, the higher-spec Elite with its bigger 20-inch alloys quotes 546km of vary based on WLTP testing, whereas the incoming ‘Elexio’ base grade quotes a touch longer 562km vary due to its smaller 18-inch rolling inventory.
To see how the Hyundai Elexio traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability device
How does the Hyundai Elexio drive?
Our launch drive took us from Macquarie Park in Sydney by means of to Gosford through Laguna, after which again the next day. The route included a superb mixture of city, freeway, nation freeway and B-road operating to check the Elexio on.
I personally was fairly disenchanted by the intently associated Kia EV5 once I drove the Earth AWD some months in the past, and whereas Hyundai didn’t explicitly say its native chassis tuning crew paid consideration to media suggestions in regards to the Elexio’s sister mannequin, little doubt they went for one thing a bit completely different.
Hyundai mentioned the transient for the Elexio’s native tuning program was to realize the corporate’s ‘signature type’, which balances basic consolation with assured roadholding and impartial dynamics, which to be truthful fits the Elexio’s transient as a extra urban-leaning electrical household SUV.
That really feel grew to become fairly obvious fairly rapidly after leaving Hyundai Australia’s head workplace in Macquarie Park, with the Elexio not attempting to idiot you into pondering it’s sporty and as a substitute providing constant and correct response, whereas additionally ironing out the lumps and bumps of on a regular basis driving circumstances.
The steering in all fairness gentle however provides respectable suggestions, so you recognize what’s occurring on the entrance axle, whereas even on 20-inch alloy wheels the Elite provides fairly strong trip consolation and basic refinement from highway noise – even at 110km/h on the Pacific Freeway.
Some might imagine that outputs of 160kW/310Nm through the entrance wheels sounds uninspiring, nevertheless it’s greater than enough grunt to get the Elexio’s 2.1-tonne mass shifting with respectable urgency. Simply don’t anticipate acceleration to be… ludicrous.
It feels as fast, if not faster, than a Tucson Hybrid (HEV), and also you don’t get any engine noise aside from the faint whirr of the electrical motor underneath load. In fact, at decrease speeds you get a UFO-like sound generator to warn pedestrians.
Hyundai doesn’t truly quote a 0-100km/h acceleration time for the Elexio, however we think about it’s much like the EV5 Lengthy Vary 2WD’s declare of “roughly 8.9 seconds”, given the shared drivetrain and shut similarities between the 2 automobiles.
Even uphill at freeway speeds, the Elexio feels removed from underpowered or out of breath, helped by the very fact all 310 Newton-metres are on faucet from the second you hit the throttle.
As we approached the city of Laguna after turning off the Pacific Freeway, the winding high-speed B-roads served as a superb trip and dealing with take a look at.
Skinny lane markings, pockmarked surfacing and a mixture of bends had been most likely all a bit greater than the Elexio is ever going to be subjected to, however I used to be pleasantly stunned by the general competence and polish of the automobile’s dealing with, even when it wasn’t super-engaging or dynamic in really feel.
Correct steering, good grip ranges and robust torque response give the Elexio a strong resume on paper, however even in its Sport mode it’s removed from ‘sporty’ by way of efficiency or really feel. Like I famous earlier, Hyundai wished its signature type baked in, which is extra balanced and impartial somewhat than leaning into both plush consolation or hard-edged dynamism.
Nonetheless, it’s a assured drive that isn’t so free or wobbly that it feels uncomfortable or underdone in these environments, one thing that may’t be mentioned for a lot of Chinese language-branded rivals. So the Elexio will get a strong above-average grading right here.
Driver help options within the Elexio really feel extra Hyundai than Chinese language, in that they’re typically well-calibrated save for the few bings and bongs that I might dwell with out.
Adaptive cruise management and lane-centring help mix to kind Hyundai/Kia’s navigation-based Freeway Driving Help (HDA) semi-autonomous perform, which does a reasonably intuitive job of sustaining a set velocity and a secure distance from the automobile in entrance.
That mentioned, the lane-keep help perform proved a little bit overzealous on the B-road portion, jerking the steering wheel left and proper on skinny back-roads to keep away from the centre line, then the highway edge, and shortly.
The annoying audible overspeed alert could be rapidly silenced with an extended press of the mute button, and in my time with the automobile I didn’t have any notable points with the motive force consideration monitor until I appeared on the mirrors or central show for too lengthy.
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I believe it’s price speaking in regards to the driver shows right here, given we’re on the subject of… erm… driving.
For some purpose I believed the easy driver show on the base of the windscreen was an precise display screen, nevertheless it’s truly a head-up show projection. It’s a neat piece of design and provides a couple of views for added performance, however in case you put on polarised sun shades it would get a little bit exhausting to see.
So then your major possibility is the Tesla-style window on the motive force’s facet of that panoramic infotainment show. As with a lot of rivals, it exhibits a real-time infographic of the help programs in addition to a big digital speedo, nevertheless it’s fairly low-set and out of the overall line of sight, which isn’t notably ergonomic.
All informed although, the overall driving expertise is ok, and it appears Hyundai has carried out the appropriate work in the appropriate areas to make the Elexio behave as intently to its Korean and European-sourced merchandise as potential, largely due to software program and regardless of the distinctly Chinese language {hardware}.
To see how the Hyundai Elexio traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability device
What do you get?
Whereas the Elexio will launch solely in higher-spec Elite guise, a extra fleet-focused base variant is coming quickly with out a few of the flagship’s extra luxurious comfort options
2026 Hyundai Elexio tools highlights embrace:
- Lengthy Vary 88.1kWh Battery
- Automobile-to-Load (V2L) charging functionality
- 10-80 per cent 150kW DC fast-charging in 38 minutes
- Paddle shifters for regenerative braking
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Tyre mobility equipment
- 9 airbags (entrance, entrance and rear facet, curtain, front-centre)
- LED projector beam headlights
- LED tail-lights
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Material upholstery
- Rear decrease drawer compartment
- 6-way power-adjustable driver’s seat
- 1 x wi-fi telephone charger
- 40:60-split/folding rear seat
- LED inside lights
- Leather-based-wrapped steering wheel
- 27-inch Join-C System
- Hyundai Bluelink related companies
- Digital Key 2 Contact
- Head-up show (HUD)
- Electrochromic inside mirror
- Distant Good Parking Help
Elexio Elite provides:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Leather-based-appointed seat trim
- Heated entrance seats
- Ventilated entrance seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Fingers-free energy tailgate
- 2 x wi-fi telephone chargers
- Driver’s seat – 14-way power-adjustable
- Passenger seat – 4-way power-adjustable
- Built-in Reminiscence Seat (IMS)
To see how the Hyundai Elexio traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability device
Is the Hyundai Elexio secure?
The Hyundai Elexio was not too long ago awarded a five-star ANCAP security score primarily based on testing of the associated Kia EV5. ANCAP did, nonetheless, conduct extra security testing of the Elexio’s lively security programs and pedestrian affect efficiency.
| Class | Hyundai Elexio |
|---|---|
| Grownup occupant safety | 88 per cent |
| Baby occupant safety | 86 per cent |
| Weak highway person safety | 77 per cent |
| Security help | 85 per cent |
Customary security tools consists of:
- 9 airbags incl. front-centre
- Adaptive cruise management with cease/go
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Pedestrian detection
- Bicycle owner detection
- Junction turning and crossing help
- Blind-spot help
- Blind-Spot View Monitor
- Driver consideration warning
- Freeway Driving Help 2
- Clever Pace Restrict Help
- Lane Following Help 2 (lane-centring)
- Lane-keep help with road-edge detection
- Parking Collision-Avoidance Help (ahead, facet, reverse)
- Rear occupant alert (sensor-based)
- Rear cross-traffic help
- Secure exit help
- Encompass-view digital camera
- Tyre strain monitoring
To see how the Hyundai Elexio traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability device
How a lot does the Hyundai Elexio value to run?
The Elexio is roofed by Hyundai’s conditional seven-year, unlimited-kilometre new-vehicle guarantee – offered you service inside the model’s community – whereas the EV battery is roofed for eight years or 160,000km.
| Servicing and Guarantee | Hyundai Elexio |
|---|---|
| Guarantee | 7 years, limitless kilometres – automobile (conditional) 8 years or 160,000 kilometres – EV battery |
| Roadside help | 24 months, then service activated |
| Service intervals | 2 years or 30,000 kilometres |
| Capped-price servicing | As much as 4 years or 60,000km |
| Whole capped-price service value | $1897 – 4 years |
Service pricing has solely been confirmed for the primary 4 years of possession, and solely covers the primary two visits given scheduled upkeep intervals are pegged at 24 months or 30,000km. Take into accout Hyundai provides lifetime capped-price servicing throughout its vary in case you pay as you go.
That mentioned, the $1897 value for 2 companies over 4 years is a little bit excessive, making the annual common $474.25. It’s one of many few instances the place Hyundai fees greater than Kia – the EV5 prices $1839 over 5 years, which incorporates 5 visits to the supplier given its 12 month/15,000km intervals.
To see how the Hyundai Elexio traces up towards the competitors, try our comparability device
CarExpert’s Tackle the Hyundai Elexio
It’s no standout, however the Hyundai Elexio is likely one of the higher mainstream electrical SUVs now accessible within the mid-size phase.
The introductory drive-away pricing provide for the Elite represents respectable worth given the comparatively fulsome tools listing, it drives nicely (noticeably higher than the EV5), and it is well-packaged for Australian households searching for a mid-size SUV.
Cons? The Chinese language-market tech {hardware} will take a little bit getting used to, the design is a little bit on the market – however in all fairness good-looking in isolation – and it doesn’t actually stand out in anybody space, given it’s priced increased than a lot of Chinese language-branded rivals.
Nevertheless it appears the primary intention of the Elexio is to present Hyundai a presence on the extra attainable finish of this phase, and a extra accessible possibility for the fleet market, even when it’s not fairly a price-leader.
The Ioniq 5 simply can’t compete with the Chinese language competitors on value, and now shoppers can stroll right into a Hyundai dealership and select both a Tucson HEV or an all-electric Elexio for underneath $60,000 – and the corporate can be touting its extra aggressive novated lease pricing relative to rivals.
So why do you have to purchase an Elexio? Nicely, you may consider it as an attainable Chinese language challenger with the tech calibration and dealership assist of a longtime legacy model. I’d additionally argue that in case you’re contemplating a Kia EV5, it’s best to positively be giving this new Hyundai a glance.
Our verdict? One to contemplate amid the rising crop of mid-size electrical SUVs, however not a prime choose.
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