Two E-GMP siblings, one clear camper
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6 are built on the same 800-volt E-GMP platform and share the electric camper’s killer feature: Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) power that turns the car into a giant battery for your camp. Both also have a Utility (camping) mode that keeps climate control, ports, and lights running while parked.
Where they split is body shape. The Ioniq 5 is boxy and upright with a flat floor; the EV6 is longer and sleeker with a coupe-like roofline. That single difference decides most of the camping story: the Ioniq 5 has more room and headroom to sleep in, while the EV6 is the sportier car to drive.
This comparison walks what matters overnight: interior space and the sleeping platform, the shared V2L power trick, and which electric sibling suits your kind of camping.
Space and shape: boxy Ioniq 5 vs sleek EV6
Same platform, different silhouette — and for sleeping, the Ioniq 5’s upright shape wins.
| Spec | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | Kia EV6 |
|---|---|---|
| Length | ~182.5 in | ~184.8 in |
| Cargo behind rear seats | 27.2 cu ft | 24.4 cu ft |
| Cargo, seats folded | 59.3 cu ft | 50.2 cu ft |
| Roofline | Boxy, upright | Sloping, coupe-like |
| Rear headroom | More generous | Tighter (sloped roof) |
| V2L power | 3.6 kW | 3.6 kW |
| Utility / camp mode | All trims | Yes |
The Ioniq 5 gives you roughly 9 more cubic feet folded and, thanks to its square roof, noticeably more headroom to sit up, change, and organize. Its flat floor and boxy cargo area are big enough that even a 6-foot-4 adult can lie out in the back.
The EV6’s sloping roof looks sharp and helps it drive like a sports car, but it eats into rear headroom and cargo volume — owners who’ve slept in one note the tighter space. It’s still doable, just snugger.
If you’re close to six feet or taller, that headroom and length gap is the single most important line in this table — it’s the difference between waking up rested and waking up wedged into a corner.
The sleeping platform
Fold the rear seats in the Ioniq 5 and you get a long, flat, mostly level floor — the standout for sleeping in this pair. The upright roof means you’re not fighting a low ceiling, and the flat floor takes a fitted pad cleanly.
The Ioniq 5 also has a party trick: its sliding center console (the “Universal Island”) can move rearward, opening up the front-to-back space and making the cabin feel more like a small room. Combined with the flat floor, it’s one of the most livable EVs to camp in at this price.
The EV6 uses the same underpinnings but the coupe roof trims headroom and the folded cargo space is smaller, so a tall sleeper feels the ceiling sooner. For either car, a mattress cut to the folded floor plus window shades turn the back into a proper bed.
There’s a practical wrinkle worth knowing in both: the rear seats fold nearly flat but not perfectly level, and there’s a small step up from the folded backs to the cargo floor. A firm foam pad or a self-inflating mattress bridges it far better than a soft air bed, which tends to sag into the gap. In the Ioniq 5 the flatter, longer result is easy to make level; in the EV6 you’re working with less length and headroom, so measure carefully before you commit to a build.
V2L: the shared electric superpower
This is the best reason to camp in either car, and it’s a genuine tie.
Both the Ioniq 5 and EV6 deliver Vehicle-to-Load power up to 3.6 kW — enough to run a portable fridge, an induction cooktop, lights, a laptop, and device chargers straight from the car’s drive battery, using a simple adapter at the charge port or an interior outlet.
Because the drive battery is enormous compared to a 12V starter battery, you can run camp power all night without the range anxiety of draining a normal car. Utility mode keeps climate and accessories alive while you rest, so you can sleep with the fan or heat on.
Many EV campers still carry a small portable power station as a backup and to keep heavy loads off the drive battery when they’re far from a charger — a sensible habit with either car on a longer trip.
V2L is also what makes these two so much easier to camp in than a gas SUV. There’s no idling to keep warm, no rationing a tiny 12V battery, and no fumes — you can run a heater or fan through the night and still have plenty of range to drive out in the morning. The only real discipline is charging strategy: know where your next fast charger is, and treat the drive battery as both your engine and your generator. Plan the trip around charging and the electric-camper experience is hard to beat.
Driving, range, and living with it
Off the campsite, the personalities diverge:
- The EV6 is the sportier, more planted drive — firmer, sharper, and arguably the more fun car on a winding road, thanks in part to that lower, sleeker body.
- The Ioniq 5 rides a touch softer and trades some outright sportiness for space, comfort, and that flexible, lounge-like cabin.
- Range and charging are broadly similar — both use the same 800V architecture for very fast charging, so a road trip to a far-off site is realistic in either.
If the car has to be a driver’s car first, the EV6 makes a strong case. If it has to double as your basecamp, the Ioniq 5’s room and flat floor are worth more.
Which should you camp in?
Match the EV to your priorities:
- Choose the Hyundai Ioniq 5 if camping matters — more cargo, more headroom, a flat floor long enough for a tall adult, and a sliding console that opens up the cabin.
- Choose the Kia EV6 if you want the sportier, sleeker car to drive daily and are willing to camp in a snugger space.
- Either way, you get 3.6 kW V2L and Utility mode — the electric camping superpower is shared.
If you can, sit in the back of both with the seats folded before you buy. The spec difference sounds small on paper, but the Ioniq 5’s upright roof and flat floor feel meaningfully roomier in person — especially if you’re tall or plan to sleep two. The EV6 wins that same in-person test the moment you drive it. Let whichever experience matters more to you settle it.
The verdict
For camping, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the clear pick: its boxy roof, flat floor, roughly 9 extra cubic feet, and sliding console make it one of the most livable EVs to sleep in, and it shares the EV6’s 3.6 kW V2L power exactly.
The Kia EV6 is the better car to drive — sleeker, sportier, sharper — and it still camps well thanks to the same platform and V2L. Its trade-off is a lower roof and less cargo, which a tall sleeper will notice.
Pick the Ioniq 5 if the back of the car is where you’ll spend nights; pick the EV6 if the driver’s seat is where you’ll spend your days. Either way, V2L, a fitted mattress, and window shades make a capable electric basecamp — and both are among the best value EVs you can sleep in today.