Hyundai Ioniq 6 beats out Tesla Model 3 for Car & Driver 2023 EV of the year award, despite controversial aesthetics

In the blossoming, ever-changing electric vehicle landscape, it’s becoming more and more complicated to figure out which is the best EV of the lot. Given Tesla’s dominance in the US and global markets, it’s easy to expect that the Model 3 or Model Y would win out in a head-to-head competition, but, Car and Driver has decided, instead, to give the EV of the Year award for 2023 to the Hyundai Ioniq 6.

At least part of the Hyundai Ioniq 6’s success in this particular instance comes down to its “striking” looks, although its aesthetic has proven to be a bit controversial, with one particular NotebookCheck reader calling the Ioniq 6 “the love-child of a banana and a hyena.” The Ioniq 6 earned much of its design by way of aerodynamic tuning, which make a noticeable impact on its range figures. Whatever your thoughts about the Ioniq 6, it certainly stands out in an industry filled with boring, boxy SUVs, aggressive pickup trucks, and plain-Jane crossovers.

In 2021’s announcement of the contenders for EV of the Year, Car and Driver clarified its criteria for selecting its winner, clarifying that it came down to how the car performs as a whole, rather than just the speed, range, equipment, or price alone. The Ioniq 6 also received praise for its cabin design that, although not ultra-premium, maintains an air of practicality. Unlike much of the competition, Hyundai has skipped the trend of revolutionising, and spoiling, the infotainment systems and control schemes for its EV offering.

Our EV of the Year is an excellent value, fun to drive, and better at fulfilling its purpose than any other vehicle in its class. — Car and Driver

Hyundai seems to be onto something when it comes to its EV designs and overall packaging, since the Ioniq 5 won the same Car and Driver award in 2022. It is curious, though, that not a single Tesla vehicle even made it onto the Car and Driver list of contenders for the 2023 award, despite largely dominating the electric vehicle market in most western markets. Other nominees included the Audi Q4 e-tron, BMW i7, Kia EV6 GT, GMC Hummer EV SUV, and Lexus RZ450e.

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My interest in tech started in high school, rooting and flashing my Motorola Defy, but I really fell down the rabbit hole when I realised I could overclock the i7 930 in my Gigabyte pre-built PC. This tinkering addiction eventually lead me to study product design in university. I think tech should improve the lives of the people using it, no matter the field. I like to read and write about laptops, smartphones, software and trends in technology.