Hankook iON evo AS SUV Tire Review Update: EV Tires Are Asked to Do It All

• Designed for EVs, these tires boost range, cut noise, and grip under heavy electric torque.

• Original equipment on Lucid Gravity and Hyundai Ioniq 9, proving their serious EV-focused engineering credentials.

• An unexpected vibration and subsequent verification showed that the tires were not at fault.

The iON tire lineup has one goal: to do everything for EVs. When I first read about them, I was intrigued by the specs, and curious as to whether they would deliver on their promise. I can report now that, roughly 4,500 km after wrapping the Hankook tires around a set of Fast Wheels EV01 wheels and mounting them on my 2025 Kia EV9, they are impressive.

What makes the iON evo AS SUV tire an appealing choice is the sheer depth of engineering baked into it. Hankook’s EVolution technology uses eco-friendly, high-silica compounds to help manage even tread wear while reducing rolling resistance, which can stretch that precious battery range. The tires also feature robust EV Contour Technology, which bolsters lateral and cornering rigidity. That’s critical when your SUV tips the scales at nearly 6,000 pounds and channels 516 lb-ft of torque directly to the wheels.

Hankook iON evo AS SUV tire Review: Tires for EVs Have Big Shoes to Fill

I am an aggressive driver and expect tires to respond to my every whim. Granted, the EV9 is far from being nimble; however, within reason, I demand positive steering input response and serious grip under braking and acceleration. The iON evo AS SUV tires are, in short, occasionally being tortured. But they seem unaffected by the demands of the job, with one possible exception.

Over time, the EV9 developed a shimmy or shake at highway speeds – nothing severe, but from 110km/h, the steering wheel noticeably shook. I asked a few tire experts I know, and they explained that some EV-specific tires, which have noise-absorbing material inside, can sometimes come loose and cause vibrations. To their knowledge, Hankook tires do not fail in this way.

And they were right, as I had the tires dismounted, inspected, and re-balanced – nothing wrong with the iON evo AS SUV tires. The good news is that the vibration is now gone. I suspect that the tire may have slipped on the wheel under heavy repeated loads, perhaps nothing more than a ¼ degree, causing them to be out of balance.

As such, I’ll be doing plenty more driving in the months ahead. I’m eager to find out if the vibrations return (I won’t be changing the way I drive) as well as continuing to enjoy the surprisingly low NVH. The next step is discovering how well the wheel-tire combo will help offset the range loss due to the roof-box. Stay tuned.