Genesis GV70 review (2021 - 2025)

What is the Genesis GV70?

The Genesis GV70 and Electrified GV70 are the same but different. The same, because from the outside you really can't tell them apart. And different because under the skin they are chalk and cheese. To look at, there's no denying that Hyundai's premium brand has come up with quite a sleek design for what is a fairly large and heavy SUV. Granted, the big shiny grille won't be to all tastes, but overall the GV70 is a slick-looking car, and different enough to its big-name rivals (think Audi Q5, BMW X3, Volvo XC60 et al) to make passers-by take notice.

Looks aside, what marks Genesis out among its premium manufacturer rivals is the VIP-like ownership and after sales experience you get with all of its models, the GV70 included. Throw in the competitive pricing, and ignoring the usual suspects in favour of a relatively unknown brand starts to look more appealing.

Go for a standard GV70 and you'll be looking at a 2.5-litre petrol or 2.2-litre diesel engine, but neither is anything to write home about. The fully electric Electrified GV70, on the other hand, is a really compelling option. Its rivals include the Audi Q8 e-tron and BMW iX, and it has the driving manners, performance and interior finish to stand comparison with such heady company.

The Electrified GV70 is underpinned by the same 800-volt electrical architecture as the firm’s GV60 SUV. When it first went on sale it came with a 77.4kWh battery and offered a reasonable 283-mile official range (think around 220 miles in normal driving), as well as ultra-fast charging. In 2025 the Electrified GV70 was updated with a larger, 84kWh battery to boost the official range to 298 miles (think 250 in real world driving), and improved charging performance so that a 10-80 per cent charge is still achievable in 19 minutes from a 350kW charger working at its full potential.

How practical is it?

Climb aboard, and the first impressions are good. The stylish cockpit features an unusual oval motif on the dashboard and steering wheel, with detailing in chrome effect and, as an optional extra, lots of diamond-stitched leather. There are a couple of bum notes, though. For example, the cheap-feeling silver plastic used for the door handles, which would be real metal in the GV70’s rivals.

You get a combination of physical and touchscreen controls for the heating and ventilation, which can be a little fiddly, but the main infotainment system works with your choice of either touchscreen control or a central rotary capstan, which gives you the option to choose whichever works best for you. Moreover, it gets the larger and slicker 14.5-inch screen from the bigger GV80, rather than the smaller display in the more closely related G70 saloon.

Genesis claims the ‘V’ in GV70 stands for ‘versatility’, but while those sitting in the back will find there’s enough room to get comfortable, the car’s German mid-size SUV rivals such as the Audi Q5 are roomier still. On the plus side, there’s a decent amount of storage space, with the usual lidded cubby between the front seats, some large door bins and an array of cupholders. There’s also a tray ahead of the gearlever, complete with wireless charging pad for your smartphone.

Again, the Genesis trails the class leaders when it comes to carrying capacity, with a decent but not cavernous 542 litres of boot space (503 litres in the Electrified GV70). What’s more, the shape of the load area itself isn’t the best, due to some intrusion from the wheel arches and a sloping coupe-like roofline. Still, lower the 40/20/40 split-fold rear seat and the available space increases to an estate car-like 1,678 litres.

What's it like to drive?

Petrol and diesel models come with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Of the two engines on offer, the most powerful is a 300bhp 2.5-litre petrol turbo that’ll cost you less than most rival manufacturers will charge for a petrol engine with less than 200 horsepower.

The (now discontinued) diesel gets 207bhp that will be cheaper still, and therefore seriously competitive against rival manufacturers’ equivalents.

The smooth-shifting automatic transmission and potent engines mean progress is usually fairly effortless, and because the GV70 is sprung quite softly, it does a good job of blocking out most of the road surface’s imperfections. The roughest sections of Tarmac, however, can unsettle it, causing the body to pitch and roll around a little on the soft suspension, despite the car’s fancy Ride Preview Control system that uses a camera to ‘read’ the road ahead and automatically change the adaptive damper settings accordingly.

The GV70’s softness can also knock the front end off-line if you’re cornering quickly, although the majority of the time the GV70’s AWD traction and grip mean it’s quite good fun to hustle along, especially given the petrol engine sounds pretty good when you open it up. That said, it can’t compete with the Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-Pace or Alfa Romeo Stelvio for driving thrills.

Heading off road probably isn’t at the top of any potential GV70 owners’ priorities, but Genesis has tried to give the car some ability in the rough stuff. Not only is four-wheel drive standard, it’s matched to the brand’s Terrain Mode, which allows drivers to select between sand, snow and mud settings at the touch of a button. Each adjusts the throttle response and traction control calibration for the best grip, but it’s unlikely the Genesis will be able to match a Land Rover Discovery Sport when the going gets tough.

Again, the Electrified GV70 is something of a different beast to drive, and all the better for it. The dual electric motors produce 482bhp with the car in its sportiest drive mode (accessed by pressing a 'Boost' button on the steering wheel), which makes for incredible - and instant - acceleration. This is a big and heavy SUV that can still dispatch 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds.

That said, the Electrified GV70 doesn't feel particularly comfortable being driven quickly - it's just a bit too heavy and softly sprung for that. Better to ease back and enjoy the car's superlative refinement. Long motorway runs are devoured in total calm, and the smoothness of the electric powertrain also make it a doddle to drive around town. It is one of the most serene cars to drive we've come across in a long time, helped by the fact is feels very solidly built.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

Three trim levels are available, with the first of them called Premium Line and featuring a very decent amount of standard equipment, including all-round LED lighting, alloy wheels, leatherette upholstery, electrically adjusting front seats and steering column, automatic lights and wipers, front- and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, dual-zone climate control, a powered tailgate and adaptive cruise control with stop and go traffic function. You also get a 14.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with DAB, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist and a shedload of airbags.

Luxury Line cars add a third zone to the climate control, allowing you to set a different temperature in the rear, along with proper leather on the (now heated) seats, and a heated steering wheel. Sport Line cars get pretty much the same, but with an exterior styling pack thrown in.

One intriguing option is the Fingerprint Authentication, which as the name suggests uses your fingerprint to access the car and its various functions. Using a small touchpad on the dashboard, this system not only allows you to start the car without the key, it uses the data to automatically move the seat into your driving position, as well as recall all your preferred settings for the infotainment and audio functions.

One point to note for customers considering the Electrified GV70, is that the facelift of 2025 brought with it a new touchscreen system. At 27 inches, this OLED display looks sensational, and is actually quite straightforward to use because for the most part Genesis keeps the area behind the steering wheel for the (digital) dial display, with the rest of the screen serving as the nav or infotainment. As well as looking smart it's also generally very easy to use, and helps make the GV70's cabin feel really quite special.

Genesis GV70 running costs

Running an Electrified GV70 should prove financially attractive for those who can charge at home and benefit from a decent energy tariff. If you're going to regularly be using the UK's rapid charging network prices are much more akin to what you'd pay for petrol or diesel, although Genesis does offer discounted rates via certain partners.

The most affordable internal combustion GV70 to run is the 2.2-litre diesel, which should achieve somewhere in the region of 35mpg in real-world use. Mind you, this still isn’t a great figure.

The 2.5-litre petrol is even thirstier, as you might expect. Don’t expect to break the 30mpg barrier in daily use. In fact, your fuel consumption in everyday use is likely to be closer to the 25mpg mark.

One thing to note, of course, is that these fuel costs will be largely - if not entirely - offset by the fact that the GV70’s servicing will be free for the first five years. That should save you somewhere in the order of £1,500 over the course of that time versus its rivals, and then of course there's that competitive pricing to take into account, too.

What’s more, the GV70’s engines use a metal timing chain – rather than a rubber timing belt, like many rivals - so a costly replacement every few years won't be needed.

Genesis GV70 reliability

Genesis is still a relatively new brand to the UK, so there aren’t any older examples of its cars to judge its reliability on. However, the company is a luxury arm of Hyundai (think of what Lexus is to Toyota, and if you can remember the Infiniti brand, what that was to Nissan), and sister company to Kia, and uses much of the same technology as both of those brands, so we can get a rough idea of how reliable it’ll be by looking at their records.

And the news is good: not only do both brands have a good reputation for looking after their customers, but they also finish at the top end of the table in reliability surveys with reassuring regularity.

There's that impressive warranty to consider, too, although it should be pointed out that Lexus betters this slightly with its offer of up to 10 years' cover, provided you get your car serviced within the main dealer network according to schedule.