Montreal, QC – The choice of venue for the Canadian premiere of the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 was certainly no surprise. A large proportion of Hyundai Canada’s EV sales come out of Quebec, so the logical place to debut the three-row Ioniq 9 – essentially an all-electric, modernized counterpart to the Palisade – was right here in the province’s metropolis.
Set to launch commercially this spring, the Ioniq 9 represents, for Hyundai, “a new milestone in our transition to an electrified future,” said Steve Flamand, Executive Director of Sales and Digital Strategy for the automaker’s Canadian division.
Design of the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9
The dimensions of the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 are similar to those of its close cousin over at Kia, the newish EV9, though given the ample interior space it offers, the model looks surprisingly reasonable in size from the outside. The model's 3,130 mm has something to do with the effect - it's the largest for a Hyundai model.
No surprise, we find the same sort of pixelated lighting motifs here as on other recent new Hyundai models, except on steroids. The Ioniq 9 will certainly cut a distinctive path on the road, especially at night. Surrounding that lighting, the edges of the vehicle are more rounded than the EV9’s and the overall effect is less tanklike than the latest Santa Fe.
19-inch wheels are standard, with options for 20- or 21-inch rims. The range-topping Calligraphy variant comes standard with the bigger wheels.
Inside, there’s the ample space for family and pets, but it’s hard not to notice first the large curved screen harbouring both the driver data display and the multimedia system.
Trunk space is as generous as you’d expect and want for a family vehicle. Cargo space is 620 litres with seats in place and 1,323 litres with the third row folded down flat. Not enough? In the RWD model, you get another 88 litres in the frunk under the hood; in the AWD variant, that drops to 52 litres.
Powertrains of the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9
Hyundai is offering three configurations of the Ioniq 9. The rear-wheel drive model has a 160-kW motor; the regular AWD model has the 160-kW rear motor plus a 70-kW front motor; and the Performance variant features 160-kW motors front and rear.
Hyundai today made mention of a maximum range of “more than 500 km” on all versions; logically, the RWD model with 19-inch wheels will deliver the longest range, but we don’t have exact figures yet. Note that Hyundai says the Ioniq 9 will feature a standard NACs charging port for charging on the Tesla network.
Hyundai also shared output figures for the model: 422 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, which is for the Performance variant. The RWD model offers 215 hp, the regular AWD model 303.
2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 pricing in Canada
Not all figures were announced today. We expect pricing for the Ioniq 9 to come in the next few weeks given its spring arrival at dealerships. Stay tuned. Using Kia’s pricing structure for its EV9 as a yardstick, we can expect a starting price hugging the $60,000 line.