The Hyundai IONIQ (all 3 versions – Electric, Plug-in Hybrid, and Hybrid) comes with a lifetime battery-failure warranty. Hyundai is making a play at stealing some sales from other manufacturers by people who are concerned about the longevity of the battery pack. Perhaps some people have heard horror stories about the Nissan LEAF, or people are just new to the EV space and leery about battery life. Either way, a lifetime warranty on the battery is always a plus!
In February 2017, Hyundai USA sent this to people who had registered an interest in the upcoming IONIQ EV:
The Lifetime Battery Warranty applies to all U.S. 2017 model-year IONIQ vehicles. The Lifetime Battery Warranty ensures that if the lithium-ion polymer battery fails, Hyundai will replace the battery and cover recycling costs for the old battery free of charge to the original owner. The Lifetime Battery Warranty excludes coverage for vehicles placed in commercial use (e.g., taxi, route delivery, rental, etc.).
Of interest is that the warranty is specified as guarding against battery failure – which we can only assume is included and specified so that the company doesn’t need to cover degradation (which is what happened to the LEAF battery packs).
Also noteworthy is that the IONIQ battery warranty only applies to the original owner. So far, we’ve been unable to find out what, if any, sort of battery warranty applies to a future owner. We may not get any information on this until some of the IONIQ Electrics start coming off lease and are being re-sold by Hyundai dealerships and Hyundai corporate.
Compared to other electric vehicles currently available, here’s how the warranty stacks up:
| Model | Period | Capacity |
| BMW i3 | 8yr/100K miles | 70% |
| Chevrolet Bolt EV | 8yr/100K miles | 60% |
| Fiat 500e | none – degradation specifically excluded | |
| Ford Focus Electric | none- degradation specifically excluded | |
| Kia Soul EV | 10yr/100K miles | 70% |
| Mercedes B-Class B250e | 8yr/100k miles | 70% (battery must maintain Mercedes certified status to be covered by warranty) |
| Mitsubishi i-MiEV | none – degradation specifically excluded | |
| Nissan Leaf 24 kWh | 5yr/60K miles | 9 bars on in-car display (approx 70%) |
| Nissan Leaf 30 kWh | 8yr/100K miles | 9 bars on in-car display (approx 70$) |
| Tesla (all) | none – degradation specifically excluded | |
| Smart ForTwo Electric | unknown/not specified | |
| Volkswagen e-Golf | 8yr/100K miles | 70% |
As for the rest of the IONIQ, here is how the warranty is specified on the non-battery pack components of the vehicle:
COMPONENT WARRANTY ORIGINAL OWNER
Hybrid Starter/Generator 10 yrs/100,000 miles
Hybrid Power Control Unit 10 yrs/100,000 miles
Automatic Transmission(including Traction Motor) 10 yrs/100,000 miles
COMPONENT WARRANTY SUBSEQUENT OWNER
Hybrid Starter/Generator 10 yrs/100,000 miles
Hybrid Power Control Unit 10 yrs/100,000 miles
Automatic Transmission(including Traction Motor) 10 yrs/100,000 miles