Hyundai makes excellent vehicles, and many of the brand’s models win awards from various organizations and publications. That’s the case for the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5, which recently earned a Consumer Guide Best Buy award. Here are three reasons why the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 snagged the honor. 

Why did the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 win the Consumer Guide Best Buy badge?

The all-new 2022 Ioniq 5 recently joined five other Hyundai models that won Consumer Guide’s Best Buy award. The Ioniq 5 is in good company with well-liked Hyundai models such as the Palisade, Santa Fe, Kona, Venue, and Accent.

Consumer Guide awarded the Ioniq 5 this honor for several reasons. “Hyundai’s all-new Ioniq 5 electric sport utility vehicle has been added to Consumer Guide’s 2022 Best Buy Awards for its driving range of more than 300 miles, balanced driving dynamics, and ambitious interior and exterior styling,” Hyundai reports.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5’s good range numbers and driving dynamics are somewhat self-explanatory. However, its interior and exterior styling have earned praise from many car reviewers. Styling is always subjective, but the Ioniq 5 has won other awards for its rather unique design choices.

An overview of the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5

In addition to those factors, another great thing about the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 is its price. This compact crossover EV from Hyundai starts at about $41,000, and that’s before tax credits and other incentives. That makes it slightly cheaper than many competitors, including the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.

However, although the Hyundai EV can get over 300 miles of range, that’s not the number for the standard model. It gets about 200 miles of range. Customers who want to upgrade their Ioniq 5 to get more power or range will have to cough up about $45,000. That price will give customers two options: a faster and more powerful Hyundai or one with significantly longer range.

The standard Ioniq 5 has an electric motor making 168 hp. The longer-range model gets a more powerful motor that produces 225 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, as well as a bigger battery that gets over 300 miles of range. The faster and more potent option gets two electric motors and all-wheel drive. This option harnesses 320 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque, allowing the Hyundai EV to go from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds.

How does Consumer Guide decide which models deserve Best Buy awards?

Like any other car critic, Consumer Guide determines its rankings by testing many cars and then looking at their specs and safety ratings. Consumer Guide says it evaluated over 150 vehicles from the 2022 model year and then rated them across 20 categories. The 2022 model that scored the highest overall in its segment earned the Best Buy designation.

As a result, only a few cars have the honor of getting the Best Buy award. That said, Consumer Guide rates cars based on segment, and there are quite a few segments. In the EV segment, the Ioniq 5 joined the Mustang Mach-E as one of only two EVs to win the honor.