Hyundai Ioniq 5

Electric hatchback promises lots of space and fast charging to go with its futuristic looks On sale Now Price from £36,995

- Steve Huntingford

YOU KNOW THAT warning you sometimes get on door mirrors about objects being closer than they appear? Well, if it’s a Hyundai Ioniq 5 that’s being reflected back at you, the opposite will actually be true.

You see, while the hatchback body style and general proportions of this new electric car might lead you to assume that you’re looking at something that’s about the size of a Volkswagen Golf, in reality it’s longer than a Tiguan SUV and almost as tall. Meanwhile, the distance between the front and rear axles is the same as you’ll find in Audi’s A8 limousine.

As a result, the Ioniq 5 is seriously spacious; even with a six-footer driving, someone of the same size can sit behind and really stretch out. What’s more, the floor is completely flat, which makes life unusually comfortable for a central rear passenger.

The Ioniq 5 also stands out for its seating flexibility, but not in the way you might think. Its rear bench folds in a bog-standard 60/40 split, should you need to enlarge the generous 540-litre boot. However, you can recline them front seats to be almost fully flat, and they incorporate leg rests that extend to give you the full first class experience as you wait for the car to charge.

Ah, yes, charging. While the Skoda Enyaq iV and Volkswagen ID.4 have a maximum rate of 126kW, every Ioniq 5 can cope with 220kW. That enables you to add 62 miles of range in just five minutes if you can find a sufficiently fast public charging unit.