Hyundai Ioniq 6 Matches Lucid Air And Tesla In EPA Efficiency

The Hyundai Ioniq 6's EPA range and efficiency numbers recently appeared on the fueleconomy.gov website, providing us not only interesting info about the car, but revealing its top position in the overall standings.

We already covered the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 lineup, including the initial EPA numbers for the Long Range versions. Let's now take a look at the results, before moving to the comparison with other efficient electric cars.

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Standard Range

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 Standard Range (53-kilowatt-hour battery), with a rear-wheel drive (RWD) powertrain, is available only in one trim level (SE), equipped with 18-inch wheels.

According to the data, it has an EPA Combined range of 240 miles (386 km), while its efficiency, including charging losses, is 135 MPGe: 250 watt-hours per mile (155 Wh/km). That's a pretty good result, but as we will see soon, the base Long Range version is even more efficient.

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE RWD Standard Range 18-inch

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Long Range

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 Long Range is equipped with a 77.4-kWh battery so its range will be significantly longer than in the case of the Standard Range version.

Interestingly, it can also be more efficient. The base Long Range RWD version (SE trim with 18-inch wheels) gets 361 miles (581 km) of range and 140 MPGe: 241 Wh/mi (150 Wh/km), including charging losses.

It's worth noting that the 140 MPGe value is the same as in the case of the 2023 Lucid Air Pure/Touring AWD, while the EPA City efficiency at 153 MPGe or 220 Wh/mi (137 Wh/km) is an absolute record for BEVs (and all cars).

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE RWD Long Range 18-inch

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE AWD Long Range 18-inch

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SEL/Limited RWD 20-inch

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SEL/Limited AWD 20-inch

The most efficient electric cars

Now, let's take a look at the EPA's official list of the most efficient cars from the 2023 model year in the United States.

The top models are the Hyundai Ioniq 6 LR RWD (18-inch), and Lucid Air Pure/Touring AWD (19-inch), which all have an EPA Combined rating of 140 MPGe: 241 Wh/mi (150 Wh/km), including charging losses.

Then, there is the Hyundai Ioniq 6 SR RWD (18-inch) and the Tesla Model 3 RWD, LFP-powered (18-inch), with respectively 135 and 132 MPGe.

There is also an all-time ranking, which currently includes only models with a result of 130 MPGe or higher.

The highest EPA Combined efficiency ever registered was set by the Tesla Model 3 - the 2021 model year Standard Range Plus (RWD) version, with a high-nickel battery (lighter than the currently used LFP battery). The car received 142 MPGe, including charging losses, an equivalent to 237 Wh/mi (147 Wh/km), beating its previous version from 2020 by 1 MPGe.

Today's best models, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 LR RWD and Lucid Air, are almost as good at 140 MPGe while providing other advantages - like range (361 miles Hyundai Ioniq 6 versus 263 miles in the case of the Tesla Model 3). Lucid Air is a different story as it offers even more range, and it's a much bigger vehicle. That sounds like decent progress in lowering energy consumption.

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 LR RWD also sets a new all-time record of EPA City efficiency (153 MPGe), while the Lucid Air Pure/Touring AWD versions get 140 MPGe in EPA Highway rating - also a new record.

Gallery: 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 US Spec

Below, we attached the Hyundai Ioniq 6 prices and basic specs.

Basic specs