When Jalopnik first got behind the wheel of Hyundai’s hopped-up Ioniq 5 N, my colleague Collin called it an absolute riot to drive, and that experience has echoed throughout all of automotive media. Hyundai did the impossible, making a truly fun-to-drive electric car that, despite being full of gimmicks, won over the cold hearts of automotive critics everywhere — partially because of those gimmicks. Now, a few months after it made its global debut, Hyundai unveiled the U.S.-market 2026 Ioniq 6 N at the Los Angeles Auto Show today, complete with 641 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque, and plenty of drivetrain customizability designed to maximize driving pleasure.
As with its crossover sibling, adding the letter N to the Ioniq 6 brings with it a slew of performance upgrades including a fully redesigned suspension geometry, virtual gears, a hulking swan-neck rear wing, fake sounds, and fully customizable power delivery for its dual-motor all-wheel-drive system. It was engineered with the N brand’s three pillars of performance credentials in mind: corner rascal, racetrack capability, and everyday sportscar.
The numbers are familiar, but still impressive
The Ioniq 6 N retains the Ioniq 5 N’s impressive powertrain, which starts with its 84-kWh (usable) battery and 800-volt architecture that’s capable of receiving a 10%-to-80% charge in just 18 minutes on a compatible 350-kW DC fast-charger. Another exciting update is that the Ioniq 6 N will be sold with an NACS port, allowing it to access compatible Tesla Superchargers.
Its front motor is capable of producing 235 horsepower while the rear motor puts out 406 hp, which combine to make those 641 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque when the 10-second N Grin Boost function is activated, or a still-impressive 601 hp at all other times. All that power will make easy work of the Ioniq 6 N’s exclusively developed 275/35R20 Pirelli P-Zero 5 tires, which means they’ll likely be eye-wateringly expensive to replace after your first few drifts. Hyundai estimates that the Ioniq 6 N should go from 0 to 60 mph in under 3.2 seconds when launch control is active, which would make it slightly quicker than the Ioniq 5 N, and thus the quickest Hyundai road car ever.
Fun remains the primary objective
It’s unclear how many Ioniq 6 N buyers plan to take their electric sedan to a racetrack, but should they decide to do so, they will be thankful to know that Hyundai reworked the battery for even better thermal management for maximum endurance racing abilities. It also features the N Track Manager, which allows racers to create custom tracks, monitor speed data, and evaluate track performance through real-time ghost-car visuals and lap time analyses.
Buyers who don’t care about lap times and just want a car that makes them smile like the Cheshire Cat, there’s still the Drift Optimizer, the ability to customize the car’s power distribution, and stroke-sensing electronically controlled dampers. The steering has also been reworked to detect understeer and pull some of the resistance to allow drivers to know more about what’s going on underneath their front tires. I can’t speak to the efficacy of these systems just yet, but I am happy to test them out in case Hyundai plans to have any track time for the media. Just throwing that out there.
Think Ioniq 5 N, but with a lower center of gravity
The most obvious difference between the Ioniq 6 N and the Ioniq 5 N is the body style. The Ioniq 6 N is just under 10 inches longer overall than the crossover Ioniq 5 N, it has a 2-inch-shorter wheelbase, and it sits 3.5 inches lower in height. It’s also a more slippery design, so its drag coefficient is just 0.27 compared to the Ioniq 5 N’s 0.313, which means its range should improve upon the Ioniq 5 N’s EPA-estimated maximum range of 221 miles, though Hyundai has yet to release official figures for the Ioniq 6 N.
Beyond the body, Hyundai enhanced its N e-Shift virtual transmission to include shorter gear ratios and added a ninth “gear,” and it refined the N Active Sound+ system, though it retains the same three sound modes. Ignition is modeled after the Elantra N’s exhaust sound complete with pops and bangs, Evolution has what Hyundai calls a ‘heritage-infused EV sound,’ and Lightspeed is straight out of science fiction.
This might be the only way to get a new Ioniq 6
The Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric sedan has faced some tough headwinds in the U.S., as all EVs have thanks to the elimination of the federal EV tax credit. I asked a Hyundai spokesperson if there are any details on the facelifted Ioniq 6 coming to the U.S. and they said there were no updates on that at the moment, so the Ioniq 6 N might be the only way to get an electric Hyundai sedan next year. Good thing it’s a cool one.
It will be available in five colors — the N brand’s iconic Performance Blue Pearl, Serenity White Pearl, Nocturne Grey Metallic, Nocturne Grey Matte, and Abyss Black Pearl — though the interior is only available in black with Performance Blue accents. Hyundai hasn’t yet announced pricing or production numbers for the 2026 Ioniq 6 N, but it did say that it will be available in limited quantities in the U.S. starting in mid-2026. The Ioniq 5 N starts at $67,475, and given the nature of inflation, It’s probably safe to say the Ioniq 6 N will cost slightly more than that.
