Hyundai has added a new range-topper to the Ioniq 9, and it is worth being clear from the outset about what it is: an appearance package. Calligraphy Black Ink sits above the existing Calligraphy trim, costs meaningfully more, and drives exactly the same.
What Black Ink actually changes
Outside, the front badge switches to matt black, the rear detailing goes gloss black, and the car rides on 21-inch alloy wheels finished in black and exclusive to this trim. Only two paints are offered — Abyss Black Pearl or Serenity White Pearl — which is a deliberate narrowing rather than an oversight, since the whole point of the trim is the contrast between body and trim.
Inside, Hyundai fits black Nappa leather upholstery, a black leather-wrapped steering wheel and black aluminium dashboard trim.
That is the complete list. There is no additional equipment, no software difference and no chassis change.
The price
| Version | UK price |
|---|---|
| Calligraphy Black Ink, seven seats | £79,320 |
| Calligraphy Black Ink, six seats | £80,320 |
| Premium over standard Calligraphy (seven-seat) | £2,350 |
| Abyss Black Pearl or Serenity White Pearl paint | £750 |
For context, that puts the seven-seat car £1,675 above a Kia EV9 GT-Line S — its closest relative, built on the same platform by the same group.
Continental pricing has not been announced. In Romania, where the range is already listed, the Ioniq 9 Performance Calligraphy starts at €83,853, so Black Ink will sit above that figure when local prices land. Hyundai says the trim is being prepared for every European market in which the brand operates, so the question in most countries is when rather than whether.
Mechanically identical
The Black Ink comes with the Ioniq 9's most powerful dual-motor configuration as standard: 421bhp, 0–62mph in 5.2 seconds, and a maximum quoted range of 372 miles (roughly 600km). That range figure is the same for the six- and seven-seat layouts.
Those are the same numbers the standard Calligraphy already delivers. The £2,350 buys black paint on badges, wheels and trim, and nothing else.
Where this leaves a European buyer
Seven-seat electric SUVs remain a thin field, and the Ioniq 9 has had the segment largely to itself alongside the EV9 since launch. New rivals are arriving — BYD's seven-seat Ti7 undercuts both by a wide margin — so Hyundai adding a higher, more expensive trim rather than a cheaper one is a statement about where it thinks the Ioniq 9 competes.
If you want the black-on-black look, the premium is small relative to the car's total price and the wheels genuinely are exclusive to the trim. If you were hoping for a longer-range or better-equipped flagship, this is not it. The honest summary is that Hyundai has found £2,350 of margin in a colour scheme, which is a normal thing for a premium brand to do — but it should not be mistaken for a new version of the car.