Tesla Model 3 vs. Hyundai Ioniq 6: The Comparison Hyundai Is Quietly Exiting
The Model 3 out-ranges and out-powers the base Ioniq 6 on paper — but the real story is that Hyundai is discontinuing the standard Ioniq 6 sedan after the 2025 model year, leaving only the high-performance N.
Before the spec comparison: this matchup has a real expiration date. Hyundai has confirmed the mainstream Ioniq 6 lineup is being dropped after the 2025 model year, leaving only the high-performance Ioniq 6 N going forward. That makes this a comparison worth having for anyone shopping the remaining 2025 inventory or the used market, but it's not an ongoing, evergreen matchup the way Model 3 vs. a still-current sedan would be — worth knowing before you cross-shop a car that's on its way out of production in this form.
**Price.** The Tesla starts cheaper: $38,380 MSRP against the Ioniq 6's base SE Standard Range at $37,850 — actually a close-to-even split, with Hyundai's true entry point slightly undercutting Tesla's. But Hyundai's lineup climbs fast from there: SE at $42,800, SEL at $45,600, and Limited at $51,100, a real spread of over $13,000 across the range.
**Range and power both favor Tesla at the base level, with one real exception.** The base Model 3 rates 321 miles of EPA range against the base Ioniq 6's 240 — a genuinely large gap. But the Ioniq 6 SE Long Range RWD closes most of that distance at 361 miles, actually edging past the standard Model 3. Power tells a similarly lopsided base-trim story: the Model 3's base motor makes 425 horsepower against the Ioniq 6's 149 — not a close comparison at the entry level, though again, Hyundai's other trims pair a stronger motor with that longer-range battery.
**One real Ioniq 6 advantage: ownership cost.** Hyundai includes three years of scheduled maintenance at no cost with the Ioniq 6 — a real, quantifiable savings Tesla doesn't match. For a buyer weighing total cost of ownership rather than just the sticker price and range numbers, that's worth factoring in directly, not as a footnote.
Given the discontinuation, the practical takeaway is narrower than a normal comparison: if you're looking at a new Ioniq 6 specifically, you're choosing from remaining 2025-model-year stock, not an ongoing nameplate — worth confirming current dealer inventory and Hyundai's own incentives on outgoing stock before assuming this comparison will still be relevant next year the way Model 3 vs. Ioniq 6 N will be.