Hyundai launches £22,245 Ioniq 3 with no US plans

At Hyundai Motor Türkiye’s İzmit factory, a new kind of small electric car is rolling into Europe: the Ioniq 3, a hatchback starting at £22,245 in the UK, or around US$30,000. Hyundai says it currently has no plans to sell it in the United States, even as the car goes after buyers looking for something smaller than the electric crossovers that have filled much of the market.

The Ioniq 3 measures 163.6 inches long, 70.9 inches wide and 59.3 inches tall. It is 7.3 inches shorter than Hyundai’s i30 hatchback, while remaining about as wide and roughly 2 inches taller. Its crossover-like stance comes with a target drag coefficient of 0.263, and the design operation is led by SangYup Lee, whose earlier work includes the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro and Bentley Bentayga.

There are two battery choices. The 42.2-kWh version produces 145 hp and offers up to 213 miles of projected WLTP range, while the 61-kWh model produces 133 hp and reaches as much as 308 miles, depending on trim. The smaller-battery car is also quicker, reaching 62 mph in 8.8 seconds, compared with 9.5 seconds for the larger-battery version. Hyundai says DC fast charging from 10 to 80% takes around 29 minutes and 30 minutes, respectively.

The car uses a 400-V architecture, the electrical system that connects its battery and charging hardware, instead of the 800-V system found in the Ioniq 5. Hyundai says that choice helps keep the price down. Equipment ranges from a 12.9-inch Pleos infotainment system and dual-zone climate control on the Advance trim to a 14.6-inch display, surround-view monitoring and remote parking features on the N Line Evo. Storage includes a 441-L boot capacity, with 119 L beneath the floor.

And so what, concretely? European buyers get a smaller electric hatch with a UK starting price of £22,245, plus a projected range of up to 308 miles and charging in around half an hour. For US buyers, the practical effect is the opposite: Hyundai’s current position leaves this compact option out of the market. The numbers are Hyundai’s projections and claims, not independent road-test results, so real-world range and charging performance remain to be established.