- Hyundai’s facelifted Ioniq 6 EV appears to be switching to a split-headlight setup for its MY26 mid-life refresh.
- New spy shots reveal the updated car’s new hood and fenders, which push the DRLs and headlights into the bumper below.
- We’re also expecting the Ioniq 6 to gain a larger battery like its Ioniq 5 brother received when it was facelifted earlier this year.
Update 8/26: We’ve caught another glimpse of the Ioniq 6 facelift, this time undergoing grueling hot-weather testing in Southern Europe, offering an even closer look at what’s to come.
Car engineers and designers are like actors. By the time we get to see their handiwork, they’ve long since moved onto the next project, or even the one after that. Which is why Hyundai’s R&D team is already testing a facelifted version of the Ioniq 6 that only went on sale in the US just over a year ago.
Related: Hyundai Ioniq 6 Sales Are Up 188% Over Last Year, Elantra Tumbles 18%
Our spy photo team spotted the revised electric sedan testing in Europe, and though it’s covered in Hyundai’s trademark black disguise panels we can immediately see that it’s in for some bigger changes than the ones made to the Ioniq 5 earlier this year.
The most striking of those changes concerns the front-end design, and specifically the shape of the hood and positioning of the lighting setup. The current car has traditional one-piece headlight units that the hood is shaped to fit around, but this facelifted car appears to have a square-shaped hood with a defined point at each corner.
That new hood shape leaves no space for even a slim set of headlights, and looking at the cutouts in the disguise we can see that the lights have been moved down into the bumper. Judging from the relative sizes of the two slots in each side, the DRLs seem to be mounted just below the hood line, with the main headlight units tucked away beneath, much like they are on Hyundai’s Kona SUV.
It’s more difficult to make out what’s changed at the back, but you can be sure the rear LED lights will have received some design tweaks, and the interior should also benefit from some minor trim changes and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
We expect the updated Ioniq 6 to make its first appearance next year, arriving in North America as a 2026 model.
Also expected when the facelifted car is revealed during 2025 is a range boost that comes via a move from a 77.4 kWh battery to a 84 kWh unit, a change Hyundai has already made to the Ioniq 5. The powertrains – 225 hp (228 PS) single-motor and 320 hp (324 PS) dual-motor – will probably be carried over.
However, for the first time, the standard versions will be joined by a high-performance Ioniq 6 N model, featuring a 641 hp (650 PS) twin-motor setup and a simulated paddle-shift transmission borrowed from the Ioniq 5 N. It will also boast the exclusive ‘N Sound+’ artificial exhaust note and the N Drift Optimizer, which channels most of the power to the rear for effortless, on-demand sideways action. Bigger brakes and enhanced suspension will round out the performance package.
