After having my first drive in the facelifted GV60 late last year, Genesis UK then let me loose in another refreshed EV, the Electrified G80. For the British market, this is the brand’s largest saloon, the G90 sold in other European countries only being manufactured with its steering wheel on the left.
As always, people asked what the word G E N E S I S on the back of “your Bentley” means. Well, the ones who hadn’t assumed that was the model name. What a lovely problem for Hyundai Motor Group to have. And awareness is at last rising, with 1,225 vehicles sold to UK buyers in 2025, along with 948 for Germany and 283 in Switzerland. Four new markets have just been added to the initial three so Genesis Europe should have easily its best year yet in 2026.
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Why the Bentley assumptions?
It seems to be the winged badge which makes everybody think of Bentley. Yet up front those two illuminated stripes couldn’t be any more different than the usually round headlights of the cars from Crewe. There is also a theme of diamond shapes on the silver plastic which resembles a grille but it’s hardly the same as the wire-effect ones on certain of the English marque’s models.
Genesis tail lamps meanwhile typically have a pair of lines to distinguish them from other premium marques, nicely linking them to what’s going on at the other end of the relevant vehicle. The new Le Mans series racing cars have this theme and if they start to win later in 2026 that will have been a brilliant move.
Huge but the boot could be bigger
Some 130 millimetres has been added to the wheelbase of the Electrified G80 for what is now a standard long-wheelbase (3,140 mm) body. At 5,135 mm end to end, this is a huge car, though at 1,925 mm, not excessively wide at least. The boot offers just 334 litres of luggage capacity.
There is also a bit of a compromise for the cabin to accommodate all those cells yet each back seat is a super-luxurious individual affair. Multi-adjustable, and although there is loads of legroom, a relatively high floor prevents the feeling of true first class travel. Having said that, the quality of every piece of trim serves as an example to Mercedes, Audi and BMW. You can also raise what is a big, wide central armrest to make room for a middle passenger if needs be.
Range: 250-350 miles
Hyundai now specifies a new 94.5 kWh battery versus 87.2 kWh pre-facelift and that means the range is a real-world 250 miles in winter. I could not fault the heating, and that includes steering wheel and seats: instantly toasty, even when it was below zero outside. Also, the car was left un-garaged so a little energy loss each night was to be expected as the cells did the automatic self-preservation thing typical of most EVs. In summer you could probably enjoy 300-350 miles.
Unlike some EVs, even charging this one feels like an almost premium experience. Well, standing in the cold to man-handle wet leads never is but fuel pumps are hardly fancy things either. What’s nice with this car is that the cables’ plastic doesn’t feel unpleasant. You can then add ions at up to 187 kW and when it’s all done, one press of the unlock button means an instant disconnect. Would that all other electrified cars release their locked-on cables first time every time.
The socket itself is revealed by a powered side-opening flap secreted within a corner of the grille. Not only is this a delight for anyone who loves precision-action things but the whirring is most satisfying. As is the click when it closes flush into the grille. Furthermore, ask anyone to identify where the port’s cover is and they won’t be able to find it, so seamless is the fit. German cars used to once excel at this type of over-engineering but those days are gone, alas. Advantage Genesis.
Driving
With two motors, four-wheel drive and 272 kW (370 PS) plus 700 Nm to play with the G80 can be either a lot of fun or, most of the time, a rapid yet ultra-smooth limousine. Yes it’s huge but easy to place on the road and whilst obviously very heavy, being a big EV, you can hustle it along almost like something as good as the BMW iX.
Even with lots of ice around, grip not slip is this car’s normal behaviour, and the paddle shifters work beautifully for gentle braking via several retardation levels. There is even quite a nice sound, albeit fairly quiet, if you want to drive in a sports mode. It probably also goes without saying that the ride is very soft yet body roll is well controlled. And steering? Not a major amount of feedback but still good.
Dashboard, ADAS
Things which also need praise include the gorgeous dashboard. Hyundai and Genesis are excellent at offering a great mix of screen-based and physical switches/dials/buttons. HVAC options are all via the latter, there are lovely-feeling controls on the steering wheel and driver’s door as well as overhead, whilst plastics are all soft.
One other thing which HMG cars, not just HMC ones, are great at, is providing a quick and easy little twisty wheel to deactivate over-enthusiastic ADAS. Unfortunately, the eyes-spy camera will berate you often if you dare to look away from the straight-ahead. Which putting certain things on a screen means you have no choice but to do. The Genesis isn’t alone in this but being aggressively beeped at isn’t quite the full luxury car experience is it?
What’s next for the G80?
There is a lot yet to come for this big saloon, not to mention a life cycle longer than had been imagined back when the RG3 series model first appeared in March 2020. Hyundai had probably intended to bring the successor out in the fourth quarter of this year. However, that electric-only successor was shelved. So, what happens instead?
Most likely there will be a second facelift for RG3 in late 2026, the production life being lengthened until 2029. A refreshed interior (not that this is needed), some external changes and most important of all, a hybrid powertrain are coming. RG3 HEV will have a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and a pair of motors.
Insiders reckon build of the facelifted G80, Electrified G80 and G80 Hybrid will start in December. I personally wouldn’t bet against a G80 Magma Hybrid either, and probably a Magma EV variant. And what of RG4? Supposedly the architecture is being re-engineered so as to offer HEV and/or EREV powertrains as well as electric.
Summary
The newest Electrified G80 is quite an improvement over the original car, the bigger battery making quite a difference, while further attention to NVH now makes the car even more like a Lexus. And that’s high praise indeed. Seemingly expensive, the Genesis UK’s largest saloon should really be thought of a lower priced alternative to the BMW i7 and Mercedes EQS.
The as-tested Genesis Electrified G80 is priced from GBP74,800, reaches 62 mph in 5.1 seconds, has a 139 mph top speed and a WLTP Combined maximum range of 354 miles.
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