Compare the2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9VS 2025 Volkswagen ID.BUZZ

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Ioniq 9 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row 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 ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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

With its standard Forward Collision Avoidance Assist, the Hyundai Ioniq 9 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Ioniq 9 achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Volkswagen ID.BUZZ has not been tested.

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

Both the Ioniq 9 and the ID.BUZZ have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seat center airbag, side-impact head airbags, 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 and available around view monitors.

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The ID.BUZZ has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

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 ID.BUZZ’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 Volkswagen covers the ID.BUZZ. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the ID.BUZZ ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Ioniq 9’s 7 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the ID.BUZZ runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 34 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Ioniq 9’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 52 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 26th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 63 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Hyundai higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 8 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Ioniq 9 has more powerful engines than the ID.BUZZ:

As tested in Car and Driver the Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy electric motors is faster than the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ electric motors:

On the EPA test cycle the Ioniq 9 gets better mileage than the ID.BUZZ:

The Ioniq 9 can travel longer on a full charge than the ID.BUZZ on a full charge:

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the ID.BUZZ. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Ioniq 9 stops shorter than the ID.BUZZ:

For better traction, the Ioniq 9 has larger standard tires than the ID.BUZZ (255/60R19 vs. 235/50R20). The Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the ID.BUZZ (285/45R21 vs. 235/50R20).

The Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the ID.BUZZ’s 50 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Ioniq 9 Limited/Calligraphy has standard 21-inch wheels. The ID.BUZZ’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Ioniq 9 has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Ioniq 9 is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the ID.BUZZ.

For greater off-road capability the Ioniq 9 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the ID.BUZZ (6.9 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Ioniq 9 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 500 pounds less than the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ.

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 lower than the ID.BUZZ (.29) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Ioniq 9 get better fuel mileage.

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 ID.BUZZ 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 ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ioniq 9 has 3.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the ID.BUZZ (163.5 vs. 160.1).

The Ioniq 9 has .9 inches more front headroom, 3.9 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front hip room, 2.3 inches more front shoulder room, 2.9 inches more rear legroom, 1 inch more third row headroom and 2.8 inches more third row shoulder room than the ID.BUZZ.

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

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 ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer automatic folding 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 ID.BUZZ’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Ioniq 9’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the ID.BUZZ’s (3500 vs. 2600 pounds).

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Ioniq 9’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the ID.BUZZ’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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 ID.BUZZ doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

Compared to the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ, the Hyundai Ioniq 9 SEL/Limited/Calligraphy eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its standard integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

The Ioniq 9 is equipped with both FM and AM stereo radios, offering access to more content and better coverage than the ID.BUZZ, 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 ID.BUZZ.

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 ID.BUZZ, 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.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its July 2025 issue and the Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy won out over the Volkswagen ID.BUZZ Pro S Plus 4Motion®.