Compare the2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9VS 2025 Lexus RZ

Both the Ioniq 9 and RZ have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Ioniq 9 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The RZ’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Ioniq 9 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The RZ doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Ioniq 9 has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Only the RZ Premium/Luxury offers Parking Support Brake.

Both the Ioniq 9 and the RZ have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 weighs 888 to 1731 pounds more than the Lexus RZ. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Ioniq 9 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The RZ’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Ioniq 9 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the RZ. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the RZ ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The Ioniq 9’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the RZ’s (7 vs. 6 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ioniq 9 for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the RZ (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Ioniq 9’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 8th.

The Ioniq 9 has more powerful engines than the RZ:

The Ioniq 9 can travel longer on a full charge than the RZ on a full charge:

For better stopping power the Ioniq 9’s brake rotors are larger than those on the RZ:

For better traction, the Ioniq 9 has larger standard tires than the RZ (255/60R19 vs. 235/60R18). The Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RZ (285/45R21 vs. 235/60R18).

The Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RZ’s optional 50 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Ioniq 9 S/SE has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the RZ. The Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the RZ.

The Ioniq 9 has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The RZ doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The Ioniq 9’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The RZ doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ioniq 9’s wheelbase is 11 inches longer than on the RZ (123.2 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Ioniq 9 is 3.4 inches wider in the front and 3.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the RZ.

The design of the Hyundai Ioniq 9 amounts to more than styling. The Ioniq 9 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .269 Cd. That is lower than the RZ (.29) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Ioniq 9 get better fuel mileage.

The Ioniq 9 has standard seating for 7 passengers; the RZ can only carry 5.

The Ioniq 9 has 2.9 inches more front headroom, 4.1 inches more front hip room, 4.5 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear headroom, 5.3 inches more rear legroom, 5.9 inches more rear hip room and 6.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the RZ.

The Ioniq 9’s cargo area provides more volume than the RZ.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy’s second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The RZ doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The Ioniq 9’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The RZ’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Ioniq 9 has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The RZ has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the Ioniq 9 uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The RZ doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Ioniq 9 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The RZ uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The power windows standard on both the Ioniq 9 and the RZ have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Ioniq 9 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The RZ prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Ioniq 9 has a standard rear wiper. The RZ doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Ioniq 9 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The RZ doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Ioniq 9 SEL/Limited/Calligraphy has standard front air conditioned seats and the Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The RZ doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The Ioniq 9 Calligraphy has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the RZ.