Compare the2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9VS 2025 Volkswagen Atlas

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Ioniq 9 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Atlas doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Atlas doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Ioniq 9’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Atlas doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Ioniq 9 and the Atlas have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 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 Atlas’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Ioniq 9 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Atlas. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Atlas ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Ioniq 9’s 7 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Atlas runs out after 100,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ioniq 9 for 1 year and 16000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the Atlas (3/36,000 vs. 2/20,000).

There are over 29 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it 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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 79 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 69 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Hyundai higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 8 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Ioniq 9’s optional electric motors produces 34 more horsepower (303 vs. 269) and 173 lbs.-ft. more torque (446 vs. 273) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Ioniq 9’s optional electric motors produces 153 more horsepower (422 vs. 269) and 243 lbs.-ft. more torque (516 vs. 273) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

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

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

Regenerative brakes improve the Ioniq 9’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Atlas doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

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

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

For better traction, the Ioniq 9 has larger standard tires than the Atlas (255/60R19 vs. 245/60R18). The Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Atlas (285/45R21 vs. 265/45R21).

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 Atlas SE/Peak Edition.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ioniq 9’s wheelbase is 5.9 inches longer than on the Atlas (123.2 inches vs. 117.3 inches).

For greater off-road capability the Ioniq 9 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas (6.9 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Ioniq 9 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

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 Atlas (.33) 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 Atlas doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

The Ioniq 9 has 9.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Atlas (163.5 vs. 154).

The Ioniq 9 has .2 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front hip room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 5.2 inches more rear legroom, .5 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.4 inches more third row headroom and .1 inches more third row shoulder room than the Atlas.

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

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers or raises the Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy’s third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Atlas doesn’t offer automatic folding 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 Atlas’ rear cargo window doesn’t open.

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 Atlas doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

Both the Ioniq 9 and the Atlas offer available massaging front seats. The Ioniq 9 also offers optional massaging second row seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging second row seats aren’t available in the Atlas.

The Ioniq 9 Calligraphy’s Parking Assist can parallel park 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 Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.