641-HP Hyundai Ioniq 6 N smashes Nürburgring lap record, beats R35 GT-R

Hyundai’s fire-breathing Ioniq 6 N just planted a flag on the Nürburgring with a scorching 7:35.42 lap time, according to Germany’s Sport Auto magazine. That’s 2.6 seconds quicker than the early Sport Auto benchmark for the R35 Nissan GT-R (7:38) and 0.6 seconds faster than Horst von Saurma’s 2011 GT-R run (7:36). Independent track times from Sport Auto aren’t official manufacturer figures, but they’re tracked by Wikipedia and still offer brutal yardsticks.

The GT-R team later sliced the Ring to 7:27.56, yet the Hyundai’s 7:35.42 still lands it in the same ballpark as a supercar. The Ioniq 6 N’s 641-HP electric powertrain—shared with the Ioniq 5 N—delivers instant torque and sustained track pace, proving modern EVs have moved far beyond straight-line muscle-car antics. Sport Auto’s test underscores how far EV thermal management and aero have come since the early Tesla Model S days.

While the R35 GT-R isn’t a direct rival to the four-door Hyundai, the comparison highlights just how close a high-performance EV sedan can get to a long-revered Japanese supercar. The tech leap is undeniable: a slippery electric sedan outpacing mid-engine Italian exotics like the Ferrari 458 Italia on the Ring. Pricing details for the 2026 Ioniq 6 range remain unspecified in the U.S. market, but the Ioniq 6 N’s Nürburgring prowess redefines what’s possible from a family-sized EV.