Buying an Ioniq Electric is a binary choice between two trim levels, both of which feature the 118 horsepower electric drivetrain and 124-mile range capabilities. The base model, however, only gets cloth upholstery, though the front seats are heated, as opposed to the leather of the Limited, and seating is adjusted manually with only six-way adjustment on the driver’s seat compared to the ten-way power adjustment of the Limited trim, which also includes lumbar adjustment. The base model gets a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with six speakers, and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay functionality, meanwhile the Limited gets an eight-inch screen with built-in navigation and an eight-speaker Infinity premium sound system. The Limited gets more though, with a power sunroof, HID headlights, a wireless charging pad, rear seat HVAC vents and more. The biggest difference between the two is the suite of safety features the Limited comes equipped with that the base model doesn’t even get as an option. These features include blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane change assist, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control with start/stop, dynamic bending headlights, driver attention warning, and high-beam assist.
With such a disparity between the price of the two available trims, one would at least expect there to be a package to bridge the gap between the two. But no, Hyundai's limited availability Ioniq Electric has no options packages, and no standalone options either. The entry Ioniq Electric isn't poorly specced, but items like leather upholstery, the eight-inch navigation system with eight-speaker Infinity Audio, or the power sunroof would've been welcome additional options. The lack of availability of these, even as optional extras, on the base Ioniq Electric is a big oversight as far as we're concerned.