The world of EVs is evolving rapidly, and the competition is becoming stiffer daily. Tesla, once the sole player in the field of electric vehicles, has created a most impressive and extensive Supercharger network. However, Hyundai had succeeded with the Ioniq 5, an attractive and solid EV that has recently become the first car outside of Tesla to be equipped with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) port straight from the factory.
This move enables the Ioniq 5 to tap into Tesla’s Supercharger systems, which in turn makes sense. But how does this compare with the Tesla Model 3 incumbent in this part of the automotive category? Well, let’s get down to the Supercharger test to discover that.
Ioniq 5 vs Model 3
Out of Spec reviews performed a charging comparison test where the YouTuber attempted to charge a 2025 Hyundai Loniq 5 at a Tesla Supercharger against Model 3.
Jordan and Corbyn, the hosts, parked the cars side by side at a charging station in Colorado in extremely cold weather. Then they connected both EVs to the grid with an initial state of 10% and allowed their batteries to charge to 80%.
The new Tesla Superchargers namely V3 have a peak power of 250 kW. The Ioniq 5 with an 800-volt architecture charges at other non-Tesla stations rated for higher output, much faster. The Model 3 is equipped with a pack of which voltage is 355V. It is still good for a higher peak charging rate, although not as consistently high as the Ioniq 5 could offer an almost flat curve between 10-80% charging cycle.
As a result Ioniq 5 consistently maintained a roughly 120kW of charging rate which is significantly lower than the peak of Model 3 at 200kW, but the peak of Model 3 lasted only for an initial few minutes and then the charging rate decreased significantly compared to Ioniq 5.
Last of all, the Ioniq 5 outperformed the Model 3 in this segment by a whisker of 80%. In the past 30 minutes and 37 seconds, it added nearly 60kWh. It took 32 minutes and the Model 3 added far less energy, 56 kWh.
But the YouTuber said that there was some complacency. The Ioniq 5 suddenly paused its charging. The hosts had to factor into the equation the time taken to re-establish a charge and then the climb back to 120kW. But here we saw that the Ioniq 5 was slightly quicker to charge overall, although the two were not far apart.
Customers might not care if their EV charges a few minutes slower but they will surely get irritated if their EV suddenly stops charging midway while they’re out for some work.
Hyundai might be getting a huge advantage of Tesla Superchargers for their Ioniq 5 but they have to figure out these hurdles. The NACS experience should be seamless and worry-free for non-Tesla owners.
Tesla’s Superchargers are designed with simplicity in mind. As with all Tesla cars, Model 3 owners can just plug their cars into a Supercharger and charge seamlessly with payment and session management via the Tesla app.
The case of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was equally simple due to the NACS port on the car. After connecting, charging commenced with no input required provided the Supercharger station was compatible with non-Tesla vehicles. However, Hyundai owners may need to use the Tesla app to initiate charging at some locations, adding a minor extra step compared to the seamless experience for Tesla owners.
In conclusion, the Tesla Model 3 remains the benchmark for Supercharger performance, but the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a strong contender. With more automakers adopting the NACS standard, the future of EV charging looks more connected than ever.
