Hyundai's IONIQ 5 edges out Mercedes-Benz's EQB in Germany

Hyundai Motor's electric vehicle, the IONIQ 5 / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor

By Kim Jae-heun

Hyundai Motor's IONIQ 5 electric vehicle beat out Mercedes-Benz's EQB in an evaluation conducted by a leading German car magazine, the carmaker said on Friday.

Auto Bild magazine gave the IONIQ 582 points out of 800, which nudged out the 562 points the EQB had received in the seven assessment categories, including body, powertrain and connected car and driving performance. Hyundai Motor's electric vehicle was appraised as either superior or equal to Mercedes-Benz's electric vehicle in all categories except two.

The recent evaluation is especially meaningful as it was the first time that a non-European car won more recognition for its pure performance and technical side than a German car.

In particular, Auto Bild gave higher points to the IONIQ 5 in the powertrain technology and driving performance criteria, with the Korean electric car scoring higher than the EQB in four of nine technical areas. The IONIQ's scores in the remaining five were equal to that of the Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle.

The IONIQ 5 operates on Hyundai's E-GMP electric car platform, which enables superfast charging of 200 kilowatts, to which Auto Bild gave 9 points. On the other hand, the EQB obtained only 5 points out of 10 in the fuel charging performance sector.

The IONIQ 5 is also more fun to drive, considering its agility, traction and braking.

Hyundai Motor's electric vehicle is a better value for its price too, and the local carmaker said that its quality aftercare service elevates the value of the IONIQ 5 above other premium cars on the market.

“It is an achievement to receive an excellent review of our IONIQ 5 in Europe, the most advanced electric vehicle market in the world, and in Germany especially, which is home to premium car brands,” a Hyundai Motor official said. “We will continue to lead the market based on our competiveness in electric vehicles.”