Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid 2020 Review

As its name suggests, the 2020 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid is a plug-in variant of the standard Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid. It comes with a bigger battery pack that you can plug into a charging station or wall outlet to recharge. Doing so provides an EPA-estimated 29 miles of electric range. After that the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid switches over to being a regular gasoline hybrid and gets an impressive 52 mpg in combined city/highway driving.

The more frequently you can recharge the less dependent on gas you'll be. In that sense, the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid provides a nice stepping stone between the gas-only Ioniq Hybrid and the electric-only Ioniq Electric.

The Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid is a small hatchback that is primarily concerned with delivering high fuel economy. Like its primary competitor, the Toyota Prius Prime plug-in, the Ioniq isn't very exciting to drive. It is, however, adequately comfortable, and it offers more cargo space than other plug-ins. We also think the Ioniq makes a strong value statement because of its compelling price and more standard and optional features than its direct rivals.

MatoCar' Expert Rating for the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid

Due to significant updates for 2020, we're revising our rating for the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid. In the meantime, check out our full rating of last year's Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid for a comprehensive evaluation. Certain scores may change for 2020, but our vehicle testing team's overall assessment from last year still applies.

Which Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid does MatoCar recommend?

The Ioniq's rear sightlines are impacted by wide pillars, so we'd start with the SEL, which counts a blind-spot monitor among its many added features. That said, we think the top-trim Limited is the sweet spot in the lineup. It doesn't cost significantly more than the SEL, and it comes with a ton of extra convenience and luxury features.

The 2020 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid is a five-passenger, four-door compact hatchback. It shares its basic hybrid powertrain and six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with the regular Ioniq Hybrid, but the Plug-In Hybrid comes with a larger 8.9-kWh battery, which allows it to drive an EPA-estimated 29 miles in electric mode. The Ioniq Plug-In uses a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine combined with an electric motor to produce a total of 156 horsepower. Three trim levels are available: SE, SEL and Limited.

SEStandard features on the base SE model include:

• 16-inch alloy wheels
• Heated mirrors
• Keyless entry and ignition
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters
• Height-adjustable and heated front seats
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• 8-inch touchscreen
• Six-speaker audio system
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration

The Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid SE also includes several advanced driving aids, such as:

• Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios)
• Lane departure mitigation (warns you of a lane departure when a turn signal isn't used and can automatically steer to maintain lane position)
• Lane keeping system (makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane)
• Adaptive cruise control (maintains a driver-set distance between the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid and the car in front)

SEL Stepping up to the SEL adds:

• LED headlights
• Chrome exterior and cabin trim
• Digital instrument panel
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Power-adjustable driver's seat
• Wireless charging pad
• Blind-spot monitor (alerts you if a vehicle in the next lane over is in your blind spot)
• Rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle behind you is about to cross your vehicle's path while in reverse)

Limited The top-trim Limited includes everything above, plus:

• Sunroof
• Power-folding mirrors
• Driver-seat memory settings
• Rear air vents
• Leather upholstery
• 10.25-inch touchscreen
• Navigation
• Eight-speaker Harman Kardon audio system
• Cargo cover
• Front and rear parking sensors (alerts you to obstacles that may not be visible behind or in front of the vehicle when parking)
• A more capable version of the lane keeping system