Chevy Blazer EV vs. Tesla Model Y vs. Hyundai Ioniq 5 | Electric SUV Comparison Test

There's a new kid in school, the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV. So to celebrate the occasion, we've brought along a few of its new classmates, starting with the teacher's pet, the Hyundai IONIQ 5. This is our current favorite all-wheel drive electric SUV, and last year's Edmunds Top Rated winner. And then of course, the popular kid, the Tesla Model Y. This is the best-selling vehicle in this segment by a long way. So we brought along these two to see how they stack up to the new Blazer. Okay, we waited a long time to drive the new Blazer EV, so we figured rather than wait any longer, we'd just buy one. So we did! This is our new Blazer EV RS all-wheel drive. It's a member of the Edmunds long-term test fleet. We're going to keep this car for over a year and put at least 20,000 miles on it. So if you're interested in all that's to come, be sure to like and subscribe. Our new Blazer did not come cheap, with the sticker price just over $60,000. So we're lining it up against a top-of-the-line IONIQ 5 Limited and a Tesla Model Y Long Range with full self-driving. Now all three of these cars cost around 60 grand, have all-wheel drive, and they each seat five passengers with room for stuff in the trunk. And most importantly, they all travel more than 250 miles on a full charge. Okay, we got a lot to get to, so let's get started. First up, Pete Lee. What did a gym teacher write the schedule? All right, here in the driver's seat, I am very pleased to report that things are much better than I thought they were going to be. And that's not just important for the Blazer, but for all of GM's future EVs. Here's a little homework to help understand why. The Blazer is a start-from-scratch moment for Chevy electric vehicles. It rides on a new sophisticated electric platform called Ultium, which will also underpin all of Chevy's EV lineup. So there's a lot riding on it, literally. So this Blazer EV has two electric motors and all-wheel drive. It has a combined output of 288 horsepower and 333 pound-feet of torque. And that feels just fine. Nothing better than that. It's also worth noting that that is the least amount of power of any car here today. Listen, I'm not here to talk about this as a performance car, because it's not. And it certainly doesn't feel like one. But what you need to know is that the Blazer EV has some of the best ride quality I've ever experienced in an electric car. And that includes cars from Mercedes, Audi, etc. They just nailed it. It's so relaxing to drive. And on that note, it's also quiet in here. There's not a bunch of noise that comes in from the outside. The brake regeneration is tuned perfectly. Everything about how Chevy made this car drive is just great for daily driving. Just go into work. And that's exactly what it needs to do well. Step into the Model Y and it immediately feels punchier and quicker to react than the Blazer. I also think the Tesla's brake regeneration feels just better dialed in. But oh my goodness, does the Model Y shake and shudder over bumps in the road. That's where it feels much less refined than the Chevy. The Ioniq 5 is just so well-rounded and it handles the best of the trio when pushed hard. The Blazer's ride quality is ever so slightly more supple, but it's a margin call. And that's before we talk about performance numbers, which really change the game. Turns out that horsepower deficit in the Chevy makes a big difference on our test track. The Blazer reached 60 in 6 seconds, way behind the Ioniq's 4.7 and the Model Y's 4.8 second sprint. Braking from 60 to 0 happened in 128 feet, much slower than the Hyundai's 118 and the Tesla's very impressive 112. And from behind the wheel, it was evident that the Blazer just felt less confident under hard acceleration and braking. That means it has a lot to make up for in the range department. Which of these three went the furthest on the range test? I'll bet you can't guess. At Edmunds, we love to do our own EV range test because the EPA estimates are not always accurate. We had a sneaking suspicion that this car and its Ultium platform would do better than advertised. And guess what? We were right. According to the EPA, this car should travel 279 miles on a full charge. However, we observed 320 miles, crushing the estimate. We've tested two cars using GM's Ultium platform, the Hummer EV and now the Blazer, and they both have overperformed significantly. That's a good sign for GM's future EVs, and we're hoping to see that in more GM products when we get our hands on them. Now here's the really interesting part. The furthest we've ever range tested a Model Y is a 2021 long range with the 21-inch wheels. That car was rated at 326, but it underperformed and traveled 317. Less than the Blazer, albeit super close. And now for the Hyundai. It's rated at 256, but we observed 270. Impressive, but a good bit behind both of its competitors. Okay, so we have two row midsize-ish SUVs, and the idea here is that you want space for all of your friends, but also all of their things and a nice big trunk. So let's let the suitcases tell the story. In the Blazer, the floor underneath is just too shallow for anything major. The big bags fit side by side with enough room for the smaller ones right on top. Hey, maybe we could put another one in the fur... Oh, like the Chevy, the Hyundai doesn't have much to offer underneath. But again, the bags fit tandem, no problem, as do the little guys. Oh, hey, there is a frunk with enough space for a granola bar. Okay, Model Y, I see you. Blue bags fit underneath, but then the red bags are just too wide for the narrow trunk. We turn them upright, that should help. Boom, and look at that. A bonus bag fits for that relative you didn't want to go on the trip to begin with. Back seat, often overlooked, but always important. So first things first, I set the driver's seat to my regular driving position for my towering 5'8 frame, and the legroom back here is awesome. I mean, really, really good stuff. The headroom is also fantastic. The roof doesn't slope whatsoever, so no issues there. I have to say, when we put those suitcases in the back just a second ago, we had to move the back seat to a more upright position, and this ain't so great. So you kind of awkwardly twist across yourself, but then you get a nice second stage position, a lot more lean to it. Some bonus points as well, two places to charge your phone and two heated seats. Let's check out the other two. The Ioniq also has great legroom with good space above your head. Oh, and check out how much recline you get. There are two USB ports, but they're USB-A. Talk about old school. The Model Y has a generous second row, but if you recline too far back, you might bonk your head on the roof. Hey, not a problem for me though. Also, extra credit for two USB-C ports. Okay, my friends, welcome to the front seat of the Chevy Blazer, where I can tell you right off the bat that this is much better screwed together than a Tesla Model Y. With the exception of this little early production hiccup, I'd call it. Don't look at this. Pretend like it's not there, okay? I can tell you now after 500 miles of driving this car, I've spent a lot of time in it this week, that the seats are not as nice as the Ioniq 5. Those just have a lot more bolstering. They kind of hold your back up better, and they have that neat little leg extension for the driver, so you can really lay back and relax. The Model Y's seats are also pretty nice, but they only have heating. Much like the Ioniq, the Chevy has both heating and ventilation. By the way, if you want to check out the full interior review on the Hyundai and the Tesla, check out this video. Right now, I got to look at this because I can't stop staring at it, and that is this giant touchscreen, 17.7 inches. It comes standard on every Blazer EV. Heck, that's bigger than Tesla's giant screen in the middle of all their cars. Is it overkill? Yeah, it's enormous. But I got to say, it looks fantastic. It's super bright. The graphics are insanely sharp. Chevy has come a long way in the last few years with its tech, and this is a prime example of it. We also get Google integration, which is awesome. So your native maps are Google, very easy to follow. Everybody loves that. And you get the Google Play Store, I will say we have had a few glitches in the Matrix so far. You know, just small things like it wouldn't respond to you touching it, and the Bluetooth connection seems to drop off every now and then. Luckily, this does get over-the-air updates, so we're hopeful it's something that Chevy can fix soon. Hopefully soon, because it's been a little annoying. One thing I've really come to like, though, is that they've left physical controls in addition to the screen. So if you want to tweak your fan speed or your temperature, for example, you get an actual button or a knob to do so. However, we need to park here for a second. Earlier this year, we reported the GM would be phasing out Apple CarPlay in all of its vehicles. And I just didn't understand it then, I don't understand it now. But guess what? Time's up. And this is the first Chevy to not get Apple CarPlay integration anymore. Even if you think that this system is perfect and does everything fine on its own, why not give customers the choice, that flexibility? It doesn't make any sense. Do you like Apple CarPlay? Let us know in the comments. And speaking of not offering Apple CarPlay, hey, here's a Tesla. The Model Y has a reputation for having pretty solid tech. We don't love that you have to dig into the menus for basically everything, but the constant OTA updates and fantastic route planning in the navigation help keep the Tesla fresh. The Ioniq 5 has both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so A-plus there. And it's the only one with a name brand audio system. We also appreciate how easy it is to navigate. It just does everything you need. But in this group, it's starting to feel a little dated with no OTAs and quite a bit less screen real estate. So you might expect for the amount of money we paid for this car that you would get Chevy's hands-free driver system, Super Cruise. But you don't. In fact, a bunch of safety equipment, including adaptive cruise control, were part of a $2,600 options pack that pushed our car's costs up to $60,000. Even the cheapest version of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 gets adaptive cruise control. Then, of course, this Tesla Model Y has full self-driving, something that I got to know just a little bit too well during our recent four-way test. If you want to check out that video, head to the link in the description. By the way, if you want to swap out FSD for more traditional adaptive cruise control, the Model Y becomes thousands of dollars less. We already have three cars in the mix, and I don't want to make this any more complicated. But I noticed a problem. And I think it's one that GM has weirdly created for itself. Cadillac sells a car called the Lyric. It rides on the very same Ultium platform, and it's just similar to the Blazer in general. The Lyric with all-wheel drive is about $62,000. If you remember, this one is about 60 grand. The Lyric has 500 horsepower. This car, 288. The Lyric, nicer interior, more features, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I could go on. The point is there's about two grand that separates the Blazer from its way more luxurious cousin. And I don't know if that makes the Cadillac a really good deal or this car a really bad one. So where does the new kid Blazer sit at the lunch table? Really, the only reason we would buy a Model Y Long Range is because of its access to Tesla's supercharger network. And guess what? These two cars will be getting access to the very same network next year. So that leaves us between the Chevy and the Hyundai for the valedictorian spot. This is a solid effort from Chevy, but it lacks the details and the excitement that make the Ioniq 5 such a special car. The Blazer EV just doesn't feel any more unique than a gas-powered Chevy. And for the money that it commands, we're left wanting more. The Blazer EV scores a 7.8 out of 10 on our rating scale, taking fifth place in our segment ranking. This puts it lower than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Tesla Model Y Long Range. So there you have it. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 remains our favorite all-wheel drive electric SUV and the winner of this test. Stay tuned for plenty more to come with the Chevy Blazer EV. I mean, hey, we bought it after all. And for more information on all of Edmunds' long-term cars, head to the link in the description. Thanks for watching.