A Hyundai Ioniq 5 driven more than 360,000 miles (580,000 km) in under three years has demonstrated strong long-term performance, retaining 87.7% of its battery capacity and saving its owner over $21,530 in fuel costs compared to a similar gasoline-powered vehicle, Hyundai said.
The vehicle, owned by former traveling salesman Lee Young-Heum, caught the attention of Hyundai-Kia’s Research Institute due to its exceptionally high mileage. Engineers replaced the battery and motor free of charge to analyze the condition of the components and assess real-world durability under intensive use.
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“When developing a battery, we need to create a prediction model for durability performance and check whether this model matches actual usage results,” said Yoon Dal-Young, an executive at Hyundai. “That’s why we have actually checked the batteries of customer vehicles with high cumulative mileage.”
Hyundai’s evaluation revealed that Lee’s use of rapid charging—often considered detrimental to battery life—did not significantly affect long-term health. The battery remained at 87.7% of its original capacity.
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Lee reported few maintenance issues, noting he only replaced “the most basic consumables.” According to Hyundai, maintaining a comparable gasoline-powered Tucson over the same distance would have cost between $8,612 and $9,330, while the Ioniq 5 required just $1,076 in maintenance.
Fuel savings were more substantial. Hyundai estimated a Tucson would have consumed roughly $57,412 in gasoline, while the Ioniq 5’s total charging cost was around $35,882—saving Lee approximately $21,530.
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The Ioniq 5 did experience a charger failure at 403,891 miles (650,000 km), attributed to the component reaching the end of its operational life. Nevertheless, the vehicle remains in use with more than 416,000 miles on the odometer. Lee has since transitioned to a new job, reducing his daily driving and giving the high-mileage EV a break.
