Hyundai’s new flagship electric SUV, the Ioniq 9, has been awarded a five-star safety rating in the latest Euro NCAP crash tests, released in September 2025. The large SUV scored highly across all major categories, with particular strengths in child occupant safety and advanced assistance technologies.
The five-door SUV, tested in its 4×4 GLS variant, achieved 84% for adult occupant protection, 87% for child occupants, 77% for vulnerable road users, and 83% for safety assist features.
Euro NCAP said the passenger compartment remained stable in frontal crash tests, offering good protection of the knees and femurs of both driver and passenger. However, it noted the Ioniq 9 would be a “somewhat aggressive impact partner” in a frontal collision compared to lighter vehicles.
Child occupant safety was a highlight, with maximum points awarded in crash tests using six- and ten-year-old dummies. Euro NCAP praised the SUV for allowing proper installation of all approved child restraint types, though it noted that unlike some rivals, the Ioniq 9 is not equipped with a child presence detection system.
For vulnerable road users, protection of the head was mostly good thanks to an active bonnet system, but pelvis protection was rated poor and results for the knee and tibia were mixed. The Ioniq 9’s autonomous emergency braking performed well, particularly in cyclist and motorcyclist scenarios, helping boost the overall score.
Euro NCAP also highlighted Hyundai’s use of a direct driver monitoring system with an in-cabin camera capable of detecting fatigue, microsleep, and some types of distraction, marking an advance over indirect monitoring systems in other vehicles. Lane-keeping assistance, speed limit recognition, and advanced collision avoidance all performed well in testing.
The five-star rating applies across all Ioniq 9 variants, including both two-wheel and four-wheel drive models. The result underscores Hyundai’s push to position the Ioniq 9 not only as its largest EV to date but also as one of the safest family-oriented electric SUVs on the European market.
