New Ioniq 6 Owner Compares It With Her Previous Model 3 Presenting a Contrasting Viewpoint To The Often-Dominant Tesla Narrative

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Her experience with Tesla's service department is a prime example of the company's alleged shortcomings in after-sales support. Now she bought the Hyundai Ioniq 6, and compares the two electric vehicles, claiming the Ioniq 6 is superior in all aspects.

This morning I saw a Tesla Model 3 owner detail her frustrating experience with Tesla's service department, highlighting long distances, unfulfilled appointments, and storage charges. This negative experience led her to switch to the Hyundai Ioniq 6, which she believes to be superior in every way. And actually, I did review the Ioniq 6 here, and said it's the best alternative to the Tesla Model 3.

Jean Peters, a member in Hyundai Ioniq 6 group on Facebook, has a cautionary tale for Tesla enthusiasts. Peters recently acquired a Hyundai Ioniq 6 after a disappointing experience with her Tesla Model 3, particularly regarding Tesla's service department.

"I just acquired the Ioniq 6, and it is superior to the Model 3 in every respect. However, the real debacle of Tesla is its inability to service the vehicles it sells. Tesla is a service nightmare. After my Tesla hit a road hazard, I was required to take it to a Tesla Collision Center - which was in King of Prussia, PA. The only way to make an appointment is through the Tesla App, which I did. I got a confirmation that the appointment was scheduled. The car was loaded on a flatbed and “towed” more than 200 miles. Two days later, I got a call from the King of Prussia Tesla collision center, stating they were so backed up with Tesla repairs that they would not even look at my car, and would not honor the confirmed appointment. They also said to get it off their premises within 4 days when they would begin to assess a daily storage charge. They told me to enter a zip code where I want the Tesla taken, and then get an appointment there through an app — which apparently is bogus. Tesla does not have enough capacity to deal with its vehicles, and service is a sad joke. I now loathe this company," Peters wrote under my Facebook post, where I was discussing how Hyundai and Kia are closing the gap with Tesla in the US market.

 

 

And this happened only very recently. It's not like it has happened a year or so ago when we reported that Tesla's Service Centers are getting better. When I asked Peters when it happened, she wrote, "just a couple of weeks ago."

As you can see from her comment, Peters praises the Ioniq 6, claiming it surpasses the Model 3 in every aspect. However, the core of her story revolves around the struggles she faced when her Tesla required repairs after hitting a road hazard and more.

In the meantime, we see that the Ioniq 6 owners have positive words about their new EV.

"I'm glad I researched enough to take a chance on Ioniq 6 SE LR. I'm on a 2,400 mile road trip from TN to NH and back. First half is done, and I only had to wait at one charging stop! Getting between 300 and 350 miles per charge, almost all at 65 to 70 mph with the air-conditioning on Great road car," wrote another Ioniq 6 owner named  Rhea Jackson, under my original post as a comment.

It's evident that Tesla's rapid growth has outpaced its ability to provide adequate after-sales service. While the company undoubtedly revolutionized the electric vehicle market, its failure to meet EV-buyer expectations in a crucial area like service is a significant misstep.

The experience of Jean Peters is sadly not an isolated case, and it raises serious questions about Tesla's commitment to customer satisfaction beyond the initial sale. As the electric vehicle market continues to expand, companies that prioritize both product innovation and exceptional customer service will likely gain a competitive edge.

Now see the follow-up of this article, in which one of our Torque News readers says she test drove the Tesla Model Y and yet bought the Ioniq 5 instead, explaining the differences.

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Youtube. He has more than a decade of expertise in the automotive industry with a special interest in Tesla and electric vehicles.

Submitted by Michael L Hutcheson (not verified) on August 21, 2024 - 12:49PM

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Ioniq 6 has similar charging to Model 3, so it's the "best of the rest" and good range.
Inferior in: safety (NCAP), performance, passenger/cargo, ADAS. Cargo is about 1/3 that of the Model 3 with tiny trunk/tinier frunk/no under-trunk space, rear headroom is abysmal.

Submitted by Thomas (not verified) on August 21, 2024 - 8:22PM

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Regarding a comment that the Ioniq 6 charges similarly to the Model 3, the fact is that the Ioniq 6 charges significantly faster than the Model 3. The fast DC charging of the Ioniq 5/6, EV6/9 is one of the big advantages that the Hyundai/Kia vehicles have.

No it doesn't charge significantly faster by the true effectiveness measure - miles of range added per minute of charge, because the 6 has a less efficient battery/drivetrain. The 6 can use higher input Kwh, but because of the inefficiency it is about the same as a Model S and about 20% more than a Model 3. Careful to compare the 6 with the 2024 Long Range Model 3, not the rwd version. Then, as I listed, every other metric is inferior to Tesla, with cargo only about 1/3.

The Ioniq 6 SE LR is at least as efficient as the most efficient Model 3. The new Highland may beat it but not by much (see TeslaBjorn's latest tests). Yes, Teslas are efficient cars. Yes they have more trunk, but not interior space, than the Ioniq 6. They are different cars and both pretty good at what they do.

Submitted by Cat (not verified) on August 22, 2024 - 7:15PM

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I test drove the Tesla Model Y several times and bought the Ioniq 5. It was a smoother ride, more intuitive controls, and the interior was better built. The Tesla lane assist would yank me into the center of the lane whereas Hyundai uses firm, but gentle pressure. Additionally, Teslas are long overdue for a redesign, they looked cutting edge in 2012 and very similar ever since; the Ioniq lineup demonstrates Hyundai is doing more exciting things with their designs.

Submitted by Ben (not verified) on August 23, 2024 - 6:01PM

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Armen, that is a terrible AI generated photo. That doesn't even look like a Hyundai Ioniq 6. Crazy that image was allowed to publish

Submitted by Steven P. (not verified) on August 24, 2024 - 1:37PM

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I can second this complaint. We had 2 Teslas (Model 3 and Model Y Performance). The build quality was junk and a bunch of the "features" they tout just don't work.

The service department will respond to almost every complaint with "it works as designed" or "it works to spec." In the case of the Model Y Wi-Fi, it needs to be parked within 48 inches of a router to connect. Yes, that's 4 feet.

Later we learned from an honest tech that came to our house to replace the steering wheel THE FOURTH TIME that many of the problems were because Corporate knew they were cheaply made but figured people will just buy Teslas for the brand appeal. This tech quit the following week after he was sick of being told to lie to customers that all the problems were in their heads.

We dumped both our Teslas. Lots of hype...horrible cars.