Compare the2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9VS 2025 Lexus LX

Both the Ioniq 9 and LX 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 LX’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 LX doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Ioniq 9 uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The LX uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Ioniq 9 and the LX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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 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 LX’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 LX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the LX ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The Ioniq 9’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the LX’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 LX (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.

On the EPA test cycle the Ioniq 9 gets better mileage than the LX:

The Ioniq 9 can travel with zero emissions for 311 to 335 miles (dependent on model). The LX can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regardless of its engine, regenerative brakes improve the Ioniq 9’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. Lexus only offers a regenerative brake system on the LX 700h.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Ioniq 9 higher (10 out of 10) than the Lexus LX (4). This means the Ioniq 9 produces up to 25 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the LX every 15,000 miles.

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

For better traction, the Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the LX (285/45R21 vs. 265/55R20).

The Ioniq 9 S/SE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the LX 700h Overtrail’s standard 70 series tires. The Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the LX’s optional 50 series 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 LX 700h Overtrail.

For superior ride and handling, the Hyundai Ioniq 9 has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Lexus LX has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Ioniq 9 has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Ioniq 9 flat and controlled during cornering. The LX base model’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

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 LX 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 LX (123.2 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Ioniq 9 is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the LX.

Unibody construction lowers the Ioniq 9’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The LX doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

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 significantly lower than the LX (.376) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Ioniq 9 get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the Ioniq 9 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The LX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The LX doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

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

The Ioniq 9’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The LX Ultra Luxury doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

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

The Ioniq 9 is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The LX doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.