Compare the2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5VS 2026 Subaru Uncharted

Both the Ioniq 5 and Uncharted have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Ioniq 5 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 Uncharted’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.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Ioniq 5 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Uncharted doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Ioniq 5 achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Subaru Uncharted has not been tested.

The Ioniq 5 has standard Blue Link, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Uncharted doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Ioniq 5 and the Uncharted have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 5 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The Uncharted has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2026.

The Ioniq 5 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Uncharted’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Ioniq 5 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Subaru covers the Uncharted. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Uncharted ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Ioniq 5’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Uncharted’s (7 vs. 5 years).

There are over 33 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Ioniq 5’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 11th.

The Ioniq 5 has more powerful engines than the Uncharted:

The Ioniq 5 can travel longer on a full charge than the Uncharted on a full charge:

The Ioniq 5 N’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Uncharted doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Ioniq 5 N’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Uncharted:

For better traction, the Ioniq 5 N’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Uncharted (275/35R21 vs. 235/60R18).

The Ioniq 5 N’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Uncharted Sport/GT’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Ioniq 5 N has standard 21-inch wheels. The Uncharted’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Ioniq 5 has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Uncharted doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Ioniq 5 offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Uncharted’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ioniq 5’s wheelbase is 9.8 inches longer than on the Uncharted (118.1 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Ioniq 5 is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Uncharted.

The Ioniq 5 has 12.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Uncharted (106.5 vs. 93.6).

The Ioniq 5 has .7 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 7.2 inches more rear legroom, 8.8 inches more rear hip room and 3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Uncharted.

The front step up height for the Ioniq 5 is 1.3 inches lower than the Uncharted (16.6” vs. 17.9”). The Ioniq 5’s rear step up height is 1 inches lower than the Uncharted’s (17” vs. 18”).

The Ioniq 5 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Uncharted (26.3 vs. 25.4 cubic feet).

The Ioniq 5’s cargo area is larger than the Uncharted’s in almost every dimension:

The Ioniq 5 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Uncharted 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 Ioniq 5 Limited has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Uncharted doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Ioniq 5’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Uncharted’s power window (except driver window) and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Ioniq 5 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Uncharted doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Ioniq 5’s standard GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Uncharted’s navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

The Ioniq 5 XRT/Limited’s Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Uncharted doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Ioniq 5 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2025 and 4 more times in the last 5 years. The Uncharted has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.