PALM SPRINGS, Calif.—Can it really have been four(ish) years since we first drove the Hyundai Ioniq 5? With looks like a scaled-up hatchback from the 1980s, and one of the most advanced electric vehicle powertrains on the market, the Ioniq 5 was an instant hit with Ars and car buyers. Since then, Hyundai has begun building Ioniq 5s at its new plant in Georgia, and for model year 2025, it has made some tweaks that have turned a great EV into an even better one.

The Ioniq 5 was the first EV to use Hyundai's new E-GMP platform, designed for mid-to-large EVs with rear- or all-wheel drive. The powertrain uses an 800 V architecture, which endows it with a number of advantages, some obvious, like very fast DC fast charging, some less obvious, such as less mass (and expense) given over to high-voltage cabling. On the road, it proved highly efficient, not to mention stylish and practical.

The tweaks for model year 2025 are subtle as far as midlife upgrades go. There's a new wheel design, and some of the details at the front and rear bumper are more pronounced. The idea was to "accentuate the CUVness" of the car, according to Brad Arnold, head of exterior design at Hyundai Design—perhaps broadening the appeal to those who have no affection for late '80s hatchback vibes.

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Hyundai Ioniq 5s with NACS (J3400) ports, as opposed to the CCS1 style, are starting to roll out of its factory in Savannah, Georgia. It's the first manufacturer to sell electric vehicles with native NACS ports—other than Tesla, that is, and you'll be able to read about our first drive in the model year 2025 Ioniq 5, as well as the new, off-roady Ioniq 5 XRT next week. But we've got some good news for owners of any existing Hyundai EVs out there—if your car has a CCS1 port, then next month, you're eligible for a free CCS1-NACS adapter.

Hyundai wasn't the first OEM to ink a deal with Tesla to gain access to the Supercharger network, but it is ahead of Ford, General Motors, and Rivian in swapping to the Tesla-style charge ports. Existing owners get access to the large charging network, too, but they'll need an adapter to make use of the smaller NACS plugs.

And those will be available next month, Hyundai told us. What's more, they're going to be gratis, or free as in beer. As long as you have a VIN, the automaker will send you the adapter, which you'll be able to order once the website goes live in March.

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Hyundai said on Monday that it would send customers who have bought or leased an EV before January 31 a free charging adapter that would let them access Tesla’s supercharging network. The adapter will enable CCS-port-equipped Hyundai EVs to access more than 20,000 Tesla Superchargers in the United States, Hyundai said. The free adapters will […]

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