Hyundai isn’t the first manufacturer to offer pure-electric and hybrid technology, but there’s no denying the Korean brand is working hard to catch up.

Its Ioniq range of eco-focused cars includes a hybrid and a pure-electric version – but in the middle of the pack, there’s a plug-in model designed to offer the best of both worlds. We tried it in Italy back in April, but now we’ve had a chance to get behind the wheel of the car in the UK.

The PHEV version isn’t just a carbon copy of the regular Hybrid with an extra power socket. Although the normally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol engine has the same output as in the non-plug-in car, the electric motor gets a small boost. And while the maximum combined power figure is still 139bhp, it’s ever-so-slightly faster from 0-62mph – completing the sprint two tenths faster than the standard Hybrid car.

The ability to charge the larger battery at a wall socket (it takes about two and a half hours) really helps the Ioniq’s CO2 emissions, though; this car emits just 26g/km, compared with the conventional hybrid’s 79g/km.

As with most other PHEVs, the Ioniq is a car that is at its best when making relaxed progress. Treat the throttle with respect and it with gather speed smoothly and with little intrusion from the petrol motor. Stamp on the right pedal and things quickly deteriorate, though; the six-speed dual-clutch transmission isn’t the quickest or smoothest-shifting unit out there, and the petrol motor, while fluid enough, is pretty audible if its revs are sent rocketing.

You can run the plug-in Ioniq in a couple of modes. Most of the time will be spent in the car’s hybrid setting, where the system mixes electric and petrol power as it sees fit. It’s worth noting, though, that as with the Prius and Prius Plug-in, the Ioniq PHEV is keener to stick with pure-electric motoring than its conventional hybrid stablemate.

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Hyundai has confirmed pricing and specification details for the plug-in hybrid version of its Ioniq family car. It will launch in the UK on 13 July and it starts pricing at £24,995 after taking into account the government’s plug-in car grant (PICG).

The Hyundai Ioniq is a practical, low-emissions hatchback which is already available with a conventional hybrid powertrain and a fully-electric powertrain too. With the arrival of the plug-in hybrid, the Hyundai Ioniq becomes the first production car to offer three different types of electrified powertrain at the same time.

There are two trim levels available with the Ioniq Plug-In, but whichever you pick the car utilises a 104bhp 1.6-litre GDi petrol engine combined with a 44.5kW electric motor and six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox to deliver 139bhp and CO2 emissions of just 26g/km.

According to official figures, the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In can travel for up to 39 miles on purely electric power and the total range possible is 680 miles.

The entry-level trim is called Premium and as standard it comes with 16-inch alloy wheels plus an eight-inch infotainment system with sat-nav, Bluetooth and Apple Car Play and Android Auto all supported. Other standard features include wireless phone charging, a rear parking camera, lane keep assist and autonomous emergency braking.

Above Premium is the Premium SE trim, which starts from £26,795 when factoring in the plug-in car grant. This version adds the likes of leather and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, alloy pedals, rain-sensing wipers, blind spot detection and front park assist.

The Ioniq Plug-In has one free exterior paint job – Polar White – while other finishes which include Phantom Black, Platinum Silver, Marina Blue, Phoenix Orange and Iron Grey are £565 options.

Source: Carkeys

The plug-in hybrid uses a 105hp 1.6-litre petrol engine in conjunction with a 61hp high-efficiency electric motor driven through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. This produces a combined output of 141hp and CO2 emissions of 26g/km, thereby attracting a zero-rate Vehicle Excise Duty for the first year.

Hyundai claims that its new PHEV is capable of up to 39 miles of pure electric driving and a total range of 680 miles.

The Ioniq PHEV can be plugged into a domestic three-pin outlet when no dedicated charging points are available. For an additional £300, a 7kW charger and wall box can be supplied and installed at a customer’s home.

The standard paint finish is Polar White, though customers are able to specify from Phantom Black, Platinum Silver, Iron Grey, Demitasse Brown, Marina Blue and Phoenix Orange. Two trim levels, Premium and Premium SE, are available.

The Ioniq PHEV goes on sale this month with UK pricing starting from £24,995, including a £2,500 Plug-in Car Grant.

Source: The Car Expert

The delayed Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in promises eyebrow-raising fuel economy at an appealing price.

The Hyundai Ioniq, new to showrooms only last year, has been rightly proclaimed unique among environmentally friendly family hatchbacks because it’s the only car on the market available as either a normal hybrid, a plug-in-hybrid, or a full battery-only electric option.

The third Hyundai Ioniq derivative is ostensibly the same as the lesser hybrid but for a much larger and more powerful lithium-ion drive battery and the ‘Type II’ electrical charging socket needed to charge it from the mains. The battery’s capacity is 8.9kWh, and the Ioniq Plug-in charges from a typical 16-amp driveway wallbox charge in a little over two hours. Petrol power comes from a 104bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine, and electrical and piston power are juggled onto the road through the front wheels via a six-speed twin-clutch automatic gearbox.

What’s the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in like to drive?

The car can be driven in ‘EV’, ‘HEV Hybrid’ and ‘Sport’ modes, and truncated testing suggested it should be good for around 30 miles of mixed driving on battery power alone: not quite equal to Hyundai’s 39-mile claim, but certainly up there with the Toyota on electric-only range. Over a total 100-miles of testing at mixed pace, we averaged 85.6mpg in the car overall: also a very creditable result.

The Ioniq’s 60bhp electric motor feels potent enough around town and up to about 50mph. The car is happy to cruise on electric power at motorway speed, but you need to rouse the combustion engine for meaningful acceleration here.

What’s the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in like inside?

The cabin’s almost identical to those of its Ioniq rangemates. This is a fairly large and spacious hatchback with good accommodation for adults in the back row but for slightly limited headroom. Boot space relative to the standard Ioniq is eaten into slightly by that larger drive battery, but a fairly long, wide and deep loadbay is left that should swallow pushchairs and the like easily enough.

Hyundai adds functions to the car’s infotainment system over and above what that of the Ioniq Hybrid that allow you to search for nearby charging stations and monitor the car’s energy usage that bit more closely. Overall, though, the car’s infotainment system is a way from being the most intuitive, usable and advanced-looking of its kind.

Read more: What Car?