2024 HYUNDAI KONA ELECTRIC: PROOF THAT EVS DON’T NEED TO BE COMPLICATED
Hyundai's Kona Electric might not be as fancy as the Ioniq 5 or Ioniq 6, but it's still charming and easy to use.
Electric vehicle diehards are very opinionated about the guts of the car they own, or just like. Even if they’re not doing any mechanical work or modifications themselves, the hardcore fanboyism around some cars—400-volt vs 800-volt whatsits, prismatic vs. cylindrical batteries, cell-to-body, charging curves and so on—can rival that of the Mac vs. PC flame war on early 2000s internet message boards.
One constant, though, is the belief in the supremacy of a “dedicated EV platform” versus a “converted gas car.” It's the difference between a car designed from the ground up to be an EV like a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or, say, the Audi Q8 E-Tron, which is heavily adapted from its gas-powered counterpart. And to the social media and forum warriors, the former is always the best way to go.
I’m here to tell you that it’s never been that serious, and the 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric proves that. Some EV enthusiasts might not like the EV Kona sharing a basic platform with its gas-powered sibling, but I think the vehicle’s merits are enough to keep its detractors quiet. In fact, I liked the Kona Electric more than the Hyundai's dedicated-platform EVs. Yes, really.
Let me go put my flame suit on, y’all.
Driving The Hyundai Kona Electric
There’s not much special about the Kona’s guts. Take away its Robocop-esque styling, and you’ll find the same small car and crossover platform that underpins the Kia Niro and Hyundai Elantra. It doesn't even look radically different from the regular Kona, which is powered by a choice of four-cylinder gas engines.
Take a look underneath and it will resemble any small crossover made in the past 15 years, save for the big boxy battery that sits in front of the multi-link independent rear suspension setup. The Kona is front-motor, front-wheel-drive, and is set up in a way that’s similar to the small four-cylinder engines that would have sat in the motor’s place in the car’s ICE version.
To some, that’s a huge step back from the skateboard-like chassis and tiny rear-mounted, RWD motors found on modern EV platforms. But, in practice, the Kona’s conventional guts make for a conventional driving experience—and that's not a bad thing. Consumers buy crossovers because they’re easy to drive and comfortable.
By and large, the Kona Electric keeps that same standard crossover energy going. On the road, the crossover is comfy, quiet and easy to drive.
Like all EVs, the Kona Electric is naturally heavier than its gas-powered sibling. Yet, Hyundai kept that weight gain in check. On average, the Kona Electric is only about 500 pounds heavier than the ICE model and about 150 lbs heavier than its predecessor.
If you’ve driven the old Kona Electric, you’ll find the 201-horsepower motor and 65.4 kWh familiar, but there are a few changes this time around. It might have the same power, but it lost more than 100 lb-ft of torque, from 291 lb-ft to merely 188 lb-ft.
On paper, the lack of torque shows. The Kona Electric is slower this time around. Its 0-60 mph time grew from 6.2 seconds to 7.0 seconds flat. Yet, in practice, I actually prefer the reduced torque of the new model. Despite being numerically slower than its predecessor, I never felt like Kona Electric was ever out of its depth.
Like most EVs, throttle response is instant, so the Kona still feels swift, albeit not fast. To me, the car never felt like it needed more power, but if you’re searching for the neck-jerking acceleration of other EV crossovers, then look elsewhere.
In fact, the Kona Electric follows its gas-powered sibling, trading outright speed for smoothness and refinement. This new motor feels like it’s part of that idea; Hyundai has changed up how the Kona EV delivers its power. The old car was prone to chirping its tires; tip the throttle in too hard, and it would burn through its tires like a 12-year-old burns through his allowance.
This time though, the Kona Electric rolls onto its power. It’ll still spin its wheels when pushed, but the low to moderate-pedal demand power delivery feels far more progressive this time around.
Similarly, the Kona has three levels of regenerative braking plus one-pedal driving. Like other Hyundai and Kia vehicles, the implementation is smooth and progressive. No head bobbing and irritation from the passengers when the driver lets off the throttle here.
But like other Hyundai EVs, it won’t stay in one-pedal mode when you restart the car. It has to be enabled every time. I don’t mind it though, a quick tap of the lefthand paddle on the steering wheel and it’s back on again.
As a whole, the car’s extra physical girth feels like it’s adding to the perception of a more mature car. I liked the old Kona Electric, but at times it felt like it was a small car whose chassis and suspension weren’t coping all that well with the extra weight of its newfound electric drivetrain. The new one is a huge improvement; the ride is smooth, it glides over bumps without any shudder and bounce.
The bounce was a telltale sign that the old Kona’s shocks and springs couldn’t keep up with a big box of electrons mounted underneath the seats. In my opinion, the Kona Electric felt smoother over the road and behind the wheel than its larger Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 stablemates.
Compared to its mechanical cousin, the Kia Niro EV, the Kona Electric feels more like a crossover while the Niro is more akin to a standard-sized hatchback. For some, that’s a dealbreaker, but for those in search of the heft and height of a crossover, they’ll be more at home behind the wheel of the Kona Electric.
Range, Battery Size, Observed Efficiency
The Hyundai Kona Electric’s basic powertrain comes in two forms; base SE trimmed models are powered by a 133-horsepower motor fed by a 48.6 kWh battery good for a 200-mile EPA range.
Our Limited trim came with the larger 64.8 kWh, which feeds a 201-horsepower motor. This is also the standard powertrain for the mid-tier SEL trim. This combination is good for a 261-mile EPA rating. For 2025 Hyundai has introduced a new N-Line trim using the larger motor and battery. Its range is between the SEL/Limited and base SE, at 230 miles.
Over 1,070 miles, I averaged 4.0 miles per kWh according to Hyundai’s onboard trip computer. That’s an exceptional efficiency figure. We didn’t do a full range test, but if we extrapolate its average consumption numbers against the car’s 64.8 kWh usable battery size, we would have achieved a maximum range of 259.2 miles, almost hitting the EPA’s advertised range right on the head.
The Kona was driven about half freeway, half city, during ideal conditions. During my two weeks with the car, temperatures averaged about 85 degrees. These aren’t bad numbers for a car that’s technically not built on a ground-up EV platform.
By comparison, the last time I had driven an Ioniq 5, (AWD, Limited) its efficiency numbers stayed closer to the low 3 miles per kWh range.
Charging Experience
On paper, the Kona Electric’s DC fast charging speeds aren’t all that strong. It doesn’t have the newfangled 800-volt architecture of its E-GMP cousins, the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, and thus, can’t touch the triple-digit charging speeds of those cars.
It’s not all bad, though. The Kona Electric’s battery is relatively small and it’s charging curve is robust. It may only do a max of 85 kW, but it holds close to its max speed for most of its charge time. Hyundai says our Limited model with the larger 64.8 kWh battery will zip from 10% to 80% in 43 minutes.
I actually beat Hyundai’s time in my test. When plugged into an Electrify America station, my tester Kona did the 10-80% dash in 41 minutes and 16 seconds. Some spec-sheet racers might say this is too slow, but in my experience, the Kona’s charging times felt perfectly agreeable. I mean, on a long road trip, is an extra 20 minutes that big of a deal?
Both trims of the Kona Electric can AC charge at speeds of up to 11 kW.
Interior
The interior of the Kona is mostly the same as its gas-powered sibling, save for a slightly higher floor now that there’s a big battery underneath the car. So, like its gas-powered sibling the Kona Electric grew in physical size for this generation, paying big dividends in interior room and comfort.
The old Kona’s interior could be described as snug, but this new model finally has class-competitive interior space. The Kona’s rear seat gained nearly three inches of legroom. There’s ample space for four adults in this car, although do keep in mind it’s still technically on the smaller side of the compact SUV segment—a Model Y has more legroom still.
As a whole, the Kona Electric feels relatively spacious and girthy for what it is, without running into the trope of going overboard with its physical size. The Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 are also spacious cars but their clever, trompe l'oeil styling fools people into thinking they are much smaller cars than they physically are. The Kona’s dimensions are still tidy and reasonably small, which is refreshing in an era of super-sized crossovers.
There’s just a huge jump in refinement for the Kona. Like other Hyundai products, the Kona’s buttons and switches feel well weighted and damped. Heck, it’s nice to see actual buttons and switches in a modern interior. Hyundai showed restraint and opted to not make every interaction touchscreen-only.
There are dedicated buttons for volume, drive modes and heating and cooling. Hyundai’s thoughtful design and material choices, like the fabric door inserts and neon green accent trim, make the Kona’s interior look futuristic. Yet Hyundai didn’t fall into the Tesla Model Y or Volvo EX30 route; nothing in the car feels sterile, barren or oversimplified. Add in the heated and cooled leather seats of the Limited trim, and most drivers will find it hard to complain about the Kona’s interior.
Tech Features
The Kona Electric isn't on the cutting edge of technological advancement, but Hyundai doesn’t claim it is, either. It can’t drive itself and it doesn’t have any fancy LIDAR sensors.
That doesn’t mean it’s for Luddites. In top-of-the-line Limited trim, the Kona Electric comes with a lot.
All trims come with Hyundai’s Bluelink plus, which includes niceties like remote start (aka remote heating and cooling), and the ability to see wherever the vehicle’s location is at any time. The Kona also has Hyundai’s Digital Key 2, which allows the driver to use their smartphone as a key—and even share it with up to three other people.
All Kona Electrics get Hyundai’s navigation-based smart cruise control as well as Highway Driving Assist as standard equipment. With the navigation-based smart cruise, the car will automatically slow down and speed up for curves and follow speed limits.
I thought the system was too conservative. It would often slow down too much for even the most modest of banked freeway turns, to the ire of both myself and other drivers on the road. Thankfully, it can be easily turned off, and the Kona’s normal radar cruise control works well.
If you’re game to watch a car awkwardly amble backward and forwards in and out of a parking space, then try out Hyundai’s remote park assist. This gimmicky feature is standard on the Limited trim—it allows the car to drive forward or backward into a parking space (or parallel into a space) without the need for the driver to be inside the vehicle. Some may find it cool. It’s certainly fun to use a modern car like the world’s largest and slowest remote-control RC car. But like with other Hyundai, Kia and Genesis products, the implantation feels more like a clever party trick than a useful feature.
The remote park assist needs a lot of room to operate, to the point that if a normal driver couldn’t maneuver in one of these spaces, then they probably shouldn’t have a driver’s license. This huge berth severely limits the usefulness of the feature, too. If the car thinks a person or object is too close to the car (which often means “not very close at all”), the vehicle will give up and flash its hazard lights, signaling defeat. Plus, the whole process moves at a glacial pace, and it’s never clear from the outside if the car will be able to complete the process.
It seems like every third time I tried to use the feature on the Kona, the car would bail. If it did succeed, it basically meant me holding down a tiny button on a key fob for a minute, watching the car slowly inch out of parking space that was big enough for a GMC Hummer EV.
If you’re really in need of this, then perhaps it’s time to take a class on parallel parking.
Infotainment & UX
Like other Hyundai and Kia vehicles, the Kona uses a tandem mounted twin screen setup running Hyundai Motor Group's current software suite. It’s a solid experience. My two weeks with the car were generally flawless, aside from a couple of small glitches and a bit of lag once while pawing through menus. It only happened once or twice.
I will admit that Hyundai’s system is starting to appear somewhat basic in the era of increasing connectivity from other brands. It also finally has wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay, but if you’re looking for a robust app store like Polestar or GM’s Google Automotive-based system, then look elsewhere.
But basic isn’t bad. The system is easy to use and well-organized. Hyundai’s UX and graphic designers clearly put a lot of time and thought into the design of the interface. It’s pretty, yet professional. There’s a consistent design identity with the vehicle’s functions and icons, but nothing is so over-designed to the point where any action or pictogram is distracting or cryptic. The fonts are easy to read, and there isn’t an overabundance of menus necessary for basic functions, like turning the air conditioning off or changing the radio station, thanks to the Kona’s physical controls.
Safety and ADAS
My Kona Electric tester came with Hyundai Smartsense, which includes a gaggle of acronyms and safety features, all of them standard across all trims. One of the most interesting features is Forward Collison Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Junction Turning and Direct Oncoming Traffic).
This alphabet soup acronym basically means if there’s a pedestrian, object or other car in the vehicle’s path it’ll warn the driver and apply brakes if necessary. It’s a little more advanced than standard collision assist because it can do it while the vehicle is turning through an intersection. Moreover, there’s a whole smorgasbord of three and four-letter acronyms that come standard on the Kona EV.
- Blind Spot Collison Warning Blind Spot View Monitor
- Lane Keep Assist
- Lane Follow Assist
- High Beam Assist
- Driver Attention Warning
- Safe Exit Warning
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert
The Hyundai Kona Electric has not been yet tested by the IIHS or NHTSA.
Pricing and Trims
For 2025, the Kona Electric comes in four trims: SE, SEL, N-Line and Limited. There have been some minor pricing adjustments for 2025, but by only a few dollars on each trim.
The SE starts at $34,270. It has a smaller 48.6 kWh battery, a less powerful 133-hp electric motor and can only do 200 miles on a full charge.
The SEL jumps to $38,270 and adds the larger 201-horsepower motor and 64.8 kWh battery. The range jumps to 261 miles. Alongside the upgraded battery and more, the SEL adds heated front seats, a power driver’s seat, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and roof rails.
The N-Line is new for 2025. This trim is all cosmetic but adds a racy body kit, unique front bumper and unique wheels. Hyundai also threw in Alcantara seats and an upgraded Bose sound system. It starts at $39,670. Unfortunately, the exterior upgrades and wheels hurt the range. The N-Line only can do 230 miles, down from the 261 of the SEL and Limited models.
At the top of the Kona lineup sits the Limited trim. At $42,445 this trim has all options, including heated and cooled leather front seats and a power-operated liftgate. All prices include the $1,395 destination fee.
Some would insist that the Kona’s pricing is a little lofty, and it kind of is. Our Kona Limited’s $42,000 price tag is on the heels of the base VW ID.4. The base-model VW may charge quicker than the Kona, but it can’t go as far.
The base model Kona Electric SE is more expensive than the Nissan Leaf, but it goes way further and can DC fast charge at stations that aren’t completely outmoded. Still, unlike the U.S.-market Leaf and ID.4, the Kona is imported from outside of North America. It’s therefore ineligible for the federal $7,500 clean vehicle tax credit for purchases, though the credit still applies to Kona lease deals.
Verdict
When the latest generation of the Hyundai Kona Electric first dropped, I really questioned the wisdom of Hyundai continuing to offer an EV based on a gas car platform. I figured the company would just port everything over to its E-GMP platform. Surely that would be a better base, no?
Two weeks with Kona Electric taught me that this so-called fact isn’t necessarily true. The Kona might use a gas car platform, but it doesn’t matter because it delivers so strongly in the real world. This small crossover is friendly, smooth, charming and easy.
In a lot of ways, I found the Kona Electric more likable than the ground-up EV efforts from Hyundai, like the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. Maybe don't judge a book by its cover—or an EV from just its platform.
Contact the author: [email protected]
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| 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric | |
| Base Price | $34,270 |
| Battery | 48.6 kWh (SE), 64.8 kWh (SEL, N-Line, Limited) |
| Drive Type | FWD |
| EV Range | 200 miles (SE), 230 miles (N-Line), 261 miles (SEL, Limited) |
| Motor | Single motor |
| Output | 133 horsepower (SE), 201-horsepower (SEL, N-Line, Limited) |
| Speed 0-60 MPH | 7.0 seconds (SEL, Limited) |
| Charge Time | 10-80% in 43 minutes |
| Efficiency | 4.0 mi/kWh (observed) |