Tesla Model 3 vs Hyundai IONIQ 6: EV Spec Battle

The important thing first: the mainstream Hyundai IONIQ 6 is no longer on sale new in Australia. The Standard Range RWD, the Long Range RWD and the Long Range AWD have all been withdrawn. If you are shopping for a $60,000 to $75,000 IONIQ 6 based on an older comparison, that car is now a used buy.

The only IONIQ 6 you can order new is the IONIQ 6 N at $115,000. It is a 448kW dual-motor performance car, not a value-focused family sedan, which is why we have moved the Tesla side of this comparison up to the Model 3 Performance AWD at $80,900. That is still a $34,100 gap, but it is the closest thing Tesla sells in character.

If what you actually wanted was the sensible, efficient IONIQ 6 Long Range, the closest thing on sale now is the Model 3 Long Range RWD at $61,900, which claims 750km WLTP from a 77.8kWh battery. That is 136km more than the discontinued IONIQ 6 Long Range RWD ever claimed, for roughly the same money. It is worth putting on your list.

The Model 3 holds a five-star ANCAP rating from 2025, tested against the current protocols. The IONIQ 6 N has no ANCAP rating on record, so we will not attach a star count to it. The discontinued mainstream IONIQ 6 carried a five-star rating from 2022, but that result does not transfer to the N, which is a different vehicle with different hardware.

On equipment both are comprehensively specified. The IONIQ 6 N uses Hyundai's Highway Driving Assist 2 with lane change assist; Tesla uses its Autopilot suite, with Full Self-Driving as a paid option. Both keep you centred in the lane and hold a gap to the car ahead, and neither is autonomous. Hands stay on the wheel in both.

The IONIQ 6 N is a purpose-built performance car rather than a trim level, and its equipment reflects that: an 800V architecture, a battery pre-conditioning strategy built around repeated hard use, and Hyundai's simulated-shift and sound systems that a lot of drivers genuinely rate. It also carries Hyundai's V2L vehicle-to-load capability, which lets you run tools, camping gear or appliances straight off the battery. The Tesla cannot do that.

Tesla counters with its 15.4-inch touchscreen, Camp Mode, Dog Mode and Sentry Mode, the slickest EV software in the business, and access to the Supercharger network, which remains the most reliable fast-charging experience in Australia.

On raw charging speed the Hyundai wins. Its 800V system peaks at 350kW against the Tesla's 250kW. On a long trip with several stops that is a real advantage, and it is the clearest technical point in the IONIQ 6 N's favour.

Both are dual-motor all-wheel-drive performance sedans, and the outputs are enormous on either side. The IONIQ 6 N makes 448kW and 740Nm; the Model 3 Performance makes 343kW and 660Nm. Despite the 105kW deficit, the Tesla is quoted as the fractionally quicker car to 100km/h, at 3.1 seconds against 3.2.

The efficiency and range gap is the one to notice. The Hyundai carries a battery 6.2kWh larger and still claims 84km less range, because at 18.7 kWh/100km it is 2.2 kWh/100km thirstier. That is the price of the N's performance hardware and it shows up every time you plug in, though the 350kW charging peak claws some of it back at the charger.

Cargo space is the most one-sided line here. The Model 3 holds 682 litres counting its front trunk, against 371 litres in the IONIQ 6 N. That is a 311-litre gap. The IONIQ 6's fastback shape looks superb but it costs a lot of usable boot, and the N does not get a frunk to make up for it.

Inside, the Hyundai keeps a conventional instrument cluster and physical controls that a lot of drivers prefer to Tesla's screen-only approach, and it is the more richly trimmed of the two as you would expect at $115,000.

The $34,100 price difference dominates the ownership equation, and running costs point the same way rather than the other. At 16.5 kWh/100km against 18.7, the Tesla is the cheaper car to charge as well as the cheaper car to buy.

Both come with five-year, unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranties. Tesla adds eight years of battery cover, and Hyundai's high-voltage battery is separately warranted too. On resale, the Model 3 has among the strongest residuals of any EV in Australia. The IONIQ 6 N is a low-volume halo car, which cuts both ways: limited supply can support values, but a discontinued mainstream range underneath it does not help the nameplate's used-market story.

Put the purchase gap and the running costs together and the Model 3 Performance is somewhere around $40,000 ahead across five years. That is not a close call on money.