Compare the2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9VS 2025 Land Rover Discovery

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Ioniq 9 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Discovery doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Ioniq 9 are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Discovery doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Ioniq 9 SEL/Limited/Calligraphy has standard Parking Collision Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

Both the Ioniq 9 and the Discovery have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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 Discovery’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 Land Rover covers the Discovery. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Discovery ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Ioniq 9’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Discovery’s (7 vs. 6 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ioniq 9 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for tire rotations, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Land Rover doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Discovery.

There are over 4 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Land Rover 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 Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 52 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 23rd, 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 Land Rover With 70 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Hyundai higher than Land Rover.

The Ioniq 9 has more powerful engines than the Discovery:

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

The Ioniq 9 can travel with zero emissions for 311 to 335 miles (dependent on model). The Discovery can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Ioniq 9’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Discovery doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Ioniq 9 higher (10 out of 10) than the Land Rover Discovery (6). This means the Ioniq 9 produces up to 12.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Discovery every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Ioniq 9’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the Discovery:

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ioniq 9’s wheelbase is 8.1 inches longer than on the Discovery (123.2 inches vs. 115.1 inches).

The design of the Hyundai Ioniq 9 amounts to more than styling. The Ioniq 9 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .269 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Discovery (.36) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Ioniq 9 get better fuel mileage.

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

The Ioniq 9 has 2.1 inches more front headroom, 2.3 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front hip room, 1 inch more front shoulder room, 2 inches more rear headroom, 5.4 inches more rear legroom, 2 inches more rear hip room, 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.8 inches more third row headroom and 7.9 inches more third row shoulder room than the Discovery.

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

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

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Ioniq 9 has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the Ioniq 9 and the Discovery offer available massaging front seats. The Ioniq 9 also offers optional massaging second row seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging second row seats aren’t available in the Discovery.

The Ioniq 9 offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Discovery 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 Discovery’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

The Ioniq 9 is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Discovery doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.