From the September/October 2026 issue of Car and Driver.
0–150–0 mph: 27.4 seconds
Base: $61,500 | As-Tested: $62,500 Power and Weight: 641 hp • 4875 lb • 7.6 lb/hp Tires: Pirelli P Zero PZ4 Elect, 275/35ZR-21 103Y HN Brakes, F/R: 15.7-in vented disc/14.2-in vented disc
The biggest difference in our lineup for 2026 versus the 2023 running was the ratio of gas to electric cars. In ’23, we officially ended up with only one gas-free option, and this time, more than half our field was either a hybrid or an EV. Coming in almost 10 seconds ahead of the Charger, the Ioniq 5 N may not be at the top of the list, but like the Elantra N, it’s a heck of a bargain if we’re measuring dollars by time.
The Ioniq 5 N is a favorite around the office, with its combination of serious power from two electric motors and its all-wheel-drive powertrain, combined with silly engagement from rowdy sounds, an option to simulate shifts, and multiple drift settings.
For a clean launch and the quickest acceleration, skip the shift modes. Instead, Sutton suggests putting the 5 N in N drive mode, engaging ESC Sport, holding down the pedals, and then letting it go like a pebble from a slingshot.
As in the Elantra, all the horses (641 of them, in this case) get set free when N Launch Control is active. Unlike the Elantra, which scrabbled for grip with just its front tires, the 5 N didn’t fight for traction at the launch and managed the whole run from start to speed to stop in 4039 feet. That’s not even halfway down the Oscoda runway.
The only bug we ran into was an occasional warning on back-to-back runs about launch-control conditions not being met. Canceling the launch and restarting got the 5 N back in business.
Back to 0–150–0 Speed Test 2026
Like a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver’s license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews. In 2020, she received a Best Feature award from the Motor Press Guild for the C/D story "A Drive through Classic Americana in a Polestar 2." In 2023, her Car and Driver feature story "In Washington, D.C.'s Secret Carpool Cabal, It's a Daily Slug Fest" was awarded 1st place in the 16th Annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards by the Los Angeles Press Club.