How’s that old song go? Something about not knowing what you got until it’s gone? Well, it seems Hyundai Ioniq 5 owners found out a little too late about how important a rear windshield wiper is. Fret not! The Swiss have created a solution!
Okay, so, Hyundai finally admitted that being without a rear wiper is all a big mistake and added one to the 2025 Ioniq 5. But should early adopters learn to live without it as they watch rain, dirt, debris, snow, and other muck accumulate on that rear window?
Robert, a Swiss R&D engineer, has entered the chat. With him is a removable rear wiper he spent three years developing specifically for pre-2025 Ioniq 5 models. Launching on Kickstarter, the GeckoWiper uses both a vacuum seal and magnet to keep it in place while in use and as the vehicle is moving.
The retrofit also comes with a dash-mountable remote key for easy operation. No need to download an app or grab a bunch of tools. The GeckoWiper is a genuine plug-and-play. When not affixed to the rear windshield, the wiper assembly can be charged via the included USB-C cable.
There are caveats, however. Although the installation takes seconds and the magnetic remote makes activation easy, it’s going to require some repetition. Turning on the GeckoWiper requires either a two-second button press or a double-click, which is easy enough. You’ll be rewarded with two swipes of the windshield before the wiper turns off and goes into standby mode. Yes, it turns off, which is not ideal when some skyfall requires a constant clearing of the rear windshield. Still, the occasional double-pass is better than none.
The design itself is also clunky. Not at all sleek like the Ioniq 5, but anyone considering the GeckoWiper is doing so for function and not fashion. But the device is merely a wiper. There is no washer fluid reservoir for those times you just need clean some dirt off. You’ll still need glass cleaner, a towel, and some elbow grease for that. The removable design could also make the GeckoWiper susceptible to theft. The how-to video shows you need to remove the interior magnet mount first, so that might be enough of a deterrent.
For now, the GeckoWiper is only fully compatible with the Ioniq 5, but Robert and his team are working toward adapting it for other non-rear wiper applications. This includes the Kia EV6, Genesis GV60, Polestar 2, and the non-Cybertruck Tesla lineup. No word on the Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X twins, which also have the same design flaw.
The GeckoWiper price is about 385 Swiss francs (CHF) or $459 at today’s currency rate. Super early bird backers were able to snag one for CHF 269 ($320) or you can reserve one now at the discounted price of CHF 369 ($439). Available to ship worldwide, deliveries are expected to start in February.