Hyundai Australia's first Chinese-built vehicle, the Elexio electric SUV, will be cheaper than the Tesla Model Y and the related Kia EV5 Long Range when it arrives in showrooms in the coming weeks.
Pricing and specification details for Hyundai Australia's first Chinese-sourced vehicle, the Elexio electric family SUV, have been confirmed.
Due in local Hyundai showrooms in the coming weeks, the Elexio will be offered from $59,990 drive-away, sliding under the related Kia EV5 Air Long Range ($63,990 drive-away), which has an identical electric motor and battery pack.
It will be offered in a single Elite trim at launch, which Hyundai Australia commonly uses to denote a mid-level grade, but additional variants, motors, or battery sizes similar to the EV5 are currently unavailable.
Drive-away, the Elexio is more affordable than Australia's best-selling electric vehicle, the Tesla Model Y, which costs $58,900 before on-road costs, or more than $60,000 when factoring in government, registration, and delivery charges.
Under the skin, the front-wheel-drive Elexio features a 160kW/310Nm motor and an 88.1kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery – equivalent to the EV5 Air Long Range – for a WLTP-rated 546-kilometre range, 9km less than the Kia but 80km more than the Model Y RWD.
The Elexio is based on the 400-volt, front-wheel-drive version of Hyundai-Kia's Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), and it is built in China by the Beijing Hyundai joint-venture with Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC).
Kia's EV5 is also built in China for the Australian market at a separate factory operated by the Kia-Jiangsu Yueda joint venture in Yancheng.
Hyundai Australia claims a 38-minute 10-80 per cent charge time at an unspecified maximum charging rate, though the Kia EV5 Air Long Range supports up to 140 kilowatts.
Standard equipment in the Hyundai Elexio Elite includes 20-inch alloy wheels, a 27-inch touchscreen with an integrated passenger display, a small digital instrument cluster in the driver's line of sight, a 14-way power-adjustable driver's seat, and heated and ventilated front seats.
It debuts Hyundai's Android Automotive-based Connect-C infotainment system, which is separate from the ccNC and Gen 5W software found in its other vehicles, as well as its upcoming Pleos system set to appear in the next-generation i30 Sedan and Tucson.
The Elexio also features a heated steering wheel, dual wireless smartphone chargers, built-in satellite navigation, Bluelink connected-car services with over-the-air software updates, a six-speaker audio system, and USB-C charging ports.
While it includes Hyundai's Digital Key 2 feature to unlock, lock and drive the Elexio with a compatible smartphone, the Elexio does not support ultra-wideband (UWB), unlike the Tucson, Santa Fe, Palisade and Ioniq 9.
The Elexio is instead limited to 'Digital Key 2 Touch' using near-field communication (NFC) similar to a credit card payment, requiring users to tap their phone on the vehicle's door handle, rather than keeping it in their pocket as permitted with UWB technology.
During the Elexio's development, Hyundai engineers visited Sydney to work with its local tuning team to create a "bespoke local ride and handling package" for Australia.
Compared to its Chinese counterpart, the Australian-market Elexio has a new steering tune and different springs, dampers and anti-roll bars "to suit our broad spectrum of uniquely challenging road conditions".
Measuring 4615mm long, 1875mm wide and 1673mm tall, with a 2750mm wheelbase, the Elexio is similar in size to the Tucson, and has a 506-litre cargo area extending to 1540 litres with the second-row folded.
It is covered by Hyundai's seven-year/unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty when all services are completed at the dealership, along with an eight-year/160,000-kilometre high-voltage battery warranty.
The 2026 Hyundai Elexio will arrive in Australian showrooms by the end of March, with "final specifications, features, technical details and additional information" to be shared closer to its launch.
2026 Hyundai Elexio price in Australia
Note: All prices above are drive-away.
2026 Hyundai Elexio Elite standard features:
Available colours include:
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
