CBS News
This car was just named EV of the Year by Car and Driver
The EV of the Year is an electric vehicle that is fun to drive, recharges quickly, and even makes the same sounds as a gas-powered car that many drivers are used to.
The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is this year’s top EV according to Car and Driver’s annual comparison of new or significantly updated electric vehicle models on the market. At $67,495, it’s pricier than some of the other models Car and Driver tested.
Car and Driver editors evaluated 18 different EVs, judging them based on their value, driving experience, use of cutting-edge technology and other features prized by consumers. It was essential that the wining automobile use technology in a new or novel way in order to “advance the species,” Car and Driver editors said in a statement.
This is the third time in a row the publication has named a Hyundai EV the best on the market. Last year, the Ioniq 6 earned the accolade. The Ioniq 5 was last named EV of the year in 2022. In 2021, the first year Car and Driver compared EV models, the Ford Mustang Mach-E received the top honor.
Getty Images
Car and Driver Editor in Chief Tony Quiroga said part of what makes the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N so desirable is the driving experience it delivers, which is similar to that of a gas-powered vehicle.
“It has a bunch of features that allow it to mimic a gas car. It has a shift mode that imitates having 8-speed transmission, when most EVs have one speed and you accelerate endlessly,” Quiroga told CBS MoneyWatch.
He said the car even makes the same sounds that gas-powered vehicles do. “I think people are looking for some familiarity when they move into an EV. Everyone is pretty much a first-time EV buyer, and having that anchor of familiarity is something people want,” Quiroga said.
Another virtue of the Ioniq 5 N is fast charging — its charge can go from 10% to 90% in about 35 minutes, according to Quiroga. When driving at a speed of 75 miles per hour on a highway, its range was 190 miles fully charged on a standard battery, according to Car and Driver’s test, landing it on the lower end of ranges, compared with other electric vehicles.
In addition to Hyundai, Car and Driver evaluated electric vehicles from Acura, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Fiat, Fisker, Honda, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Polestar, Tesla and Volkswagen. Notably, the Tesla Cyber Truck, which was a contender for EV of the year, did not fare well.
Its drive shaft, which conducts power from the motor to the wheel, pulled out of its housing after one day of testing, rendering it undrivable, according to Quiroga. “It broke after Day 1 and did not finish, which means you can’t win the big award,” he said. DO NOT PUB
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
CBS News
Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.