u/coupforlov

My 2026 IONIQ 9 SEL AWD is being bought back by Hyundai, and I’m having a surprisingly difficult time deciding what to replace it with.

The buyback is due to recurring issues that started within the first week of ownership, including a very loud turbine-like noise, intermittent A/C failures, and a concerning jerking/power-loss issue at low speeds. After multiple repair attempts and extended time at the dealership, some of the problems were reproduced but never fully resolved, and Hyundai ultimately agreed to the buyback.

Here’s my dilemma: I actually love the IONIQ 9.

I bought the ioniq9 in the beginning of March and only put 3k miles on it, because of how many times and how long it has been in the shop. I have driven more the Santa Fe loaner than the ioniq9.

When it was working properly, I loved driving it. I love the space, comfort, range, large battery, curved display, interior design, and the fact that it doesn’t look like every other large SUV on the road.

So now I’m trying to decide whether I simply got a bad one and should buy another IONIQ 9 SEL AWD, or whether I should use this opportunity to switch to an EV9 Land AWD.

I’ve test driven the EV9 and think it’s a great vehicle. There are things I like about it, especially the moonroof and captain’s chairs, and I can get the Land for approximately the same price as another SEL.

But there are also several things about the IONIQ 9 that I genuinely prefer.
So this isn’t really about which one is cheaper.

If I didn’t like the IONIQ 9 so much, this decision would actually be easy.

For those of you who seriously cross-shopped the EV9 before choosing the IONIQ 9, what ultimately made you choose the Hyundai? And now that you’ve lived with it, would you make the same choice again?

I’m also especially interested in owners who have put some real mileage on theirs. Has your IONIQ 9 been trouble-free, or have you experienced any recurring issues?

Basically, I’m trying to figure out whether I got an unfortunate bad one and should confidently give the IONIQ 9 another shot, or whether you’d take the buyback as an opportunity to try something different.

My 2026 IONIQ 9 SEL AWD is currently being bought back by Hyundai after recurring issues that started within the first week of ownership.

The difficult part is that I actually really like the IONIQ 9. When everything was working properly, I really enjoyed the vehicle. But now that I have the opportunity to start over, I’m seriously considering a 2026 EV9 Land AWD instead.

I’ve test driven the EV9 and think it’s a lovely vehicle with a lot to like. I know the EV9 and IONIQ 9 share a lot of their underlying platform and technology, so I’m not approaching this as Hyundai vs. Kia or trying to bash either vehicle.

The Kia dealer is willing to get the Land to approximately the same price as another IONIQ 9 SEL, so price isn’t really going to make the decision for me.

There were a few things I noticed immediately. The EV9 doors felt surprisingly heavy, especially thinking my kids, feels like if the door hit my little one, that he would not make it.
I personally prefer the more unique exterior design of the IONIQ 9 and its curved display versus the flatter screen setup in the EV9.

On the other hand, I really like the moonroof in the Land, and I like the captain’s chairs, although I’m still deciding how I feel about giving up the seventh seat. The digital rearview mirror was also a little trippy during the test drive, although I’m assuming that’s something you quickly get used to.

For EV9 owners who seriously cross-shopped the IONIQ 9, what ultimately made you choose the EV9? And now that you’ve actually lived with it, would you make the same decision again?

I’m particularly interested in the things you don’t discover during a test drive.
Little annoyances, features you ended up loving more than expected, real-world range, road-trip charging, ride comfort, highway noise, third-row use, captain’s chairs with kids, cargo space with the third row up, software/app reliability, driver-assistance features, and your experience with Kia service.

Basically, if you’ve owned your EV9 for a while, what do you know now that you wish someone had told you before you bought it?