Compare the2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5VS 2024 Lexus RZ

Both the Ioniq 5 and RZ 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 RZ’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.

Both the Ioniq 5 and the RZ 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 2024 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, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The RZ is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024, though it hasn’t yet been rated in the updated moderate overlap frontal test, a requirement for the “Top Safety Pick Plus” award.

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 RZ’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Ioniq 5 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the RZ. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the RZ ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The Ioniq 5’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the RZ’s (7 vs. 6 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ioniq 5 for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the RZ (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 5’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.

The Ioniq 5 has more powerful engines than the RZ:

As tested in Motor Trend the Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric motors is faster than the RZ 450e electric motors:

On the EPA test cycle the Ioniq 5 gets better mileage than the RZ:

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

The Ioniq 5 stops shorter than the RZ:

For better traction, the Ioniq 5 Limited AWD’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RZ (255/45R20 vs. 235/60R18).

The Ioniq 5’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RZ’s standard 60 series front tires. The Ioniq 5 Limited AWD’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the RZ’s optional 50 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Ioniq 5 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the RZ.

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 RZ doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ioniq 5’s wheelbase is 5.9 inches longer than on the RZ (118.1 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

The Ioniq 5’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51% to 49%) than the RZ’s (54.2% to 45.8%). This gives the Ioniq 5 more stable handling and braking.

The Ioniq 5 Limited AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the RZ 450e Premium pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 250 pounds less than the Lexus RZ.

The Ioniq 5 is 6.7 inches shorter than the RZ, making the Ioniq 5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Ioniq 5 has 1.2 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.9 inches more rear legroom, 1.8 inches more rear hip room and 3.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the RZ.

The front step up height for the Ioniq 5 is 1.4 inches lower than the RZ (16.6” vs. 18”). The Ioniq 5’s rear step up height is 1.1 inches lower than the RZ’s (17” vs. 18.1”).

The Ioniq 5 has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the RZ with its rear seat folded (59.3 vs. 55.6 cubic feet).

The Ioniq 5 offers up to a 2300 lbs. towing capacity. The RZ has no towing capacity.

The Ioniq 5 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The RZ 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 power windows standard on both the Ioniq 5 and the RZ have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Ioniq 5 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The RZ prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Ioniq 5’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the RZ’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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

The Ioniq 5 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 2 more times in the last 3 years. The RZ has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 outsold the Lexus RZ by over six to one during 2023.