Compare the2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9VS 2025 Mercedes EQE SUV

Both the Ioniq 9 and EQE SUV have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Ioniq 9 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 EQE SUV’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.

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 comes with a standard Surround View Monitor, while the Mercedes EQE SUV doesn’t offer a camera washer, requiring manual cleaning.

Both the Ioniq 9 and the EQE SUV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, front seat center airbag, 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 Ioniq 9 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The EQE SUV’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Ioniq 9 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the EQE SUV. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the EQE SUV ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Ioniq 9’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the EQE SUV’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ioniq 9 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for tire rotations, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the EQE SUV.

There are over 2 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Ioniq 9’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 Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 44 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 21st, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes With 20 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Hyundai higher than Mercedes.

On the EPA test cycle the Ioniq 9 gets better mileage than the EQE SUV:

The Ioniq 9 can travel longer on a full charge than the EQE SUV on a full charge:

For better traction, the Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the EQE SUV (285/45R21 vs. 275/35R22).

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ioniq 9’s wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the EQE SUV (123.2 inches vs. 119.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Ioniq 9 is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the EQE SUV.

For greater off-road capability the Ioniq 9 has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the EQE SUV (6.9 vs. 5.2 inches), allowing the Ioniq 9 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Ioniq 9 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ioniq 9 has standard seating for 7 passengers; the EQE SUV can only carry 5.

The Ioniq 9 has 2 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, 2.6 inches more front shoulder room, 1.6 inches more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom and 4 inches more rear shoulder room than the EQE SUV.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Ioniq 9’s middle and third row seats recline. The EQE SUV’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Ioniq 9’s cargo area provides more volume than the EQE SUV.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy’s second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The Ioniq 9’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The EQE SUV’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Ioniq 9’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the EQE SUV’s (3500 vs. 0 pounds).

A Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) is standard on the Ioniq 9, using the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the EQE SUV.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Ioniq 9 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the EQE SUV only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Ioniq 9 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Ioniq 9 SEL/Limited/Calligraphy has standard front air conditioned seats and the Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The Ioniq 9 is equipped with both FM and AM stereo radios, offering access to more content and better coverage than the EQE SUV, which solely provides FM radio. With AM radio, you can enjoy a wider variety of stations featuring news, talk shows, sports commentary, native language programing, automated traffic guidance, and emergency broadcasts. AM waves travel further and penetrate buildings and obstacles more effectively than FM signals, especially at night. Having both FM and AM stereo radios the Ioniq 9 offers a more comprehensive listening experience compared to only FM in the EQE SUV.

HD Radio boasts several benefits over conventional radio: superior sound quality with clearer and consistent FM broadcasts, CD-quality audio, and Multicast Channels offering up to four streams from a single station, adding programming choices. Cars like the Ioniq 9 equipped with HD Radio provide an improved in-car entertainment experience. The EQE SUV, devoid of this technology, foregoes these benefits. Selecting the Hyundai Ioniq 9 empowers drivers to enjoy a more immersive and enjoyable listening experience while on the go.

The Ioniq 9 offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The EQE SUV doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Ioniq 9 Calligraphy’s Parking Assist can parallel park by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The EQE SUV’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.