Hyundai IONIQ 3 First Look: Hyundai’s New Compact EV Starts At €29,995 In France

Photographed at the Paris Motor Show 2026 · Photos: Aristotel Cristina

Hyundai’s first electric car in the B segment costs from €29,995 in France, where orders opened on 2 September 2026. The IONIQ 3 comes with a 42.2 or a 61 kWh battery, and Hyundai projects more than 344 km or more than 497 km of range. We photographed it on Hyundai’s stand in Hall 5.2 at the Paris Motor Show.

It isn’t brand new to Europe. Hyundai presented it at Milan Design Week in April, and Hyundai Motor Europe’s pre-show release lists it for Paris without calling it a premiere, so we don’t either. Its next stop is Auto Zürich (5–8 Nov), where it’s on the list of new cars. More cars from the show are in our Paris Motor Show 2026 hub.

A Daytime Light That Spells H In Morse Code

The lighting is what you notice first. A slim light bar runs along the leading edge of the bonnet, and below it sits a wider lamp unit built from small square elements. Hyundai calls it the “signature pixel” daytime running light, and says four central dots spell the letter H in Morse code.

The car in our photo is painted a pale blue-grey, with black cladding on the lower bumper and wheel arches. Its wheels are black five-spoke alloys with silver-grey inserts. The plate reads only “IONIQ 3”, so the trim isn’t identified.

French buyers can also choose N Line and N Line Evo trims. In the next photo, the car at the front of Hyundai’s stand is the IONIQ 5 N Line, with an IONIQ 3 parked behind it on the left.

The Smaller Battery Gets More Power

Both versions drive the front wheels, but they don’t follow the usual pattern. According to Hyundai Motor Europe’s press information of 30 September 2026, the 42.2 kWh Standard Range car has 107.8 kW (147 PS). The 61 kWh Long Range car has 99.5 kW (135 PS). Both make 250 Nm.

So the big battery is about distance, not pace. Hyundai quotes a projected WLTP range of over 344 km for the 42.2 kWh car and a target of over 497 km for the 61 kWh car. DC fast charging from 10 to 80% takes about 29 and about 30 minutes respectively, under optimal conditions.

There is a catch, though. Hyundai says its energy consumption and performance figures are “not finalised and subject to final homologation”. Range is the main thing the bigger battery buys, and neither range figure is final yet.

The cabin has a first of its own. Hyundai says the IONIQ 3 is the first of its cars to get the Pleos Connect system, shown on a 12.9- or 14.6-inch central display depending on specification.

€29,995 To €43,595, Depending On Battery And Trim

Hyundai France quotes the IONIQ 3 “from €29,995”. Automobile Propre’s table of Hyundai’s online configurator, published the day after orders opened, shows eight versions. With the 42.2 kWh battery the car costs €29,995 in Select trim and €32,300 in Trend. With the 61 kWh battery it runs from €33,995 (Select) to €43,595 (N Line Evo).

That makes the range €29,995–43,595 in France (Hyundai France, 2 Sep 2026; top price from Automobile Propre, 3 Sep 2026). Hyundai names six trims: Select, Trend, Vision, Prime, N Line and N Line Evo. Its release gives no delivery date.

It is also on show at Auto Zürich 2026, 5–8 November; our Auto Zürich 2026 guide has the details.

Our Take: The €4,000 Question

The choice that matters is the €4,000 step from the Select with the 42.2 kWh battery (€29,995) to the Select with the 61 kWh battery (€33,995). That money buys the jump from a projected 344 km to a targeted 497 km. Watch for Hyundai’s homologated figures, because they will decide whether the step is worth taking. Until then, the pixel lighting is what makes the IONIQ 3 stand out on a crowded stand.

Independent editorial. No brand or organiser paid for or reviewed this article.