Hyundai Kona Electric long-term review

In two generations, the Hyundai Kona has fast entrenched itself as one of the Korean brand’s most important nameplates.

We reviewed the Kona Electric at its early-2024 launch and walked away quite impressed with the overall package, but what’s it like to live with this small battery SUV as a daily drive over a long-term period?

Does the ownership experience stack up, and should Aussies be considering this over the petrol and hybrid variants? And, crucially, is the value proposition there in the face of ever-increasing Chinese competition?

With the Kona Electric becoming the newest long-term member of our Chasing Cars garage, we intend to find out.

Navigate this long-term Hyundai Kona Electric review 

• Why we chose the Kona Electric
• How we specified our long-term Hyundai Kona
• Month 1: No power point? No worries!

Why we chose the Kona Electric

It’s our aim at Chasing Cars to run a variety of powertrain types – as well as different vehicle styles – in our long-term fleet, and with several petrol-powered SUVs in the garage already, our appetite was whetted to snag the keys for another electric car.

But which to choose? The only other EV in our garage was the slower-selling Ford Mustang Mach-E, so we were tempted by something smaller, more affordable, and more mainstream.

Enter the Kona, which we’ve affectionately dubbed ‘Agnes’!

When it comes to Australia’s small-SUV segment, the Kona is currently the second-biggest seller behind the MG ZS, and Hyundai’s second-highest selling nameplate year to date, narrowly behind the larger and recently facelifted Tucson midsize SUV.

The Hyundai Kona is also a rare breed of vehicle offering whatever powertrain flavour you desire: pure combustion, hybrid, or fully electric, with hybrids accounting for 23 per cent of sales and electrics 10 per cent in the first six months of 2024.

Importantly, the brand says the second-generation Kona was designed as an EV first before being reconfigured for its petrol and hybrid variants, so theoretically there’s no reason the electric variants shouldn’t be the best of the Kona range…

And, equally significantly, if you discount the MGs and BYDs of the world, the Kona is one of the surprisingly few electric small SUVs you can get below $60K from a mainstream legacy manufacturer, at least for now. And, until the smaller Inster arrives next year, this is the most affordable electric Hyundai you can buy.

So, a warm welcome to Agnes. Let’s find out what you’re like to live with.

How we specified our long-term Hyundai Kona Electric

The Kona Electric lineup is simple to navigate.

There’s the entry-level Kona Electric that you can get in Standard or Extended Range, while the extended range is also available in Premium specification with additional creature comforts.

Aside from that, the only remaining choice is whether to option a sporty N-Line styling pack, available on both Extended Range variants.

So, which did we go for? Well, forget Extended Range, forget Premium, forget sporty N-Line packages… we have the bog-standard base-spec Kona Electric in Standard Range form, which will set you back $54,000 before on-road costs, or about $60,000 driveaway.

Our test car is specified in Ecotronic Grey premium paint, which adds $595 to the asking price.

You’ll be able to identify it as an entry-level Kona by its 17-inch wheels, where the Premium and N-Line models run on 19s.

Under the bonnet, the base-spec Kona has a single front motor, with total outputs of 99kW and 255Nm, coupled with a 48.6kWh lithium-ion battery (gross) and a claimed WLTP range of 370km.

All variants are front-wheel drive, however the Extended Range receives a power bump to 150kW and an increase in range to 505km WLTP thanks to a larger, 64.8kWh battery (gross); the Extended Range Premium, which runs on larger 19-inch wheels, has a claimed WLTP range of 444km.

In terms of standard features, highlights include:

• 12.3-inch centre touchscreen
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster 
• Six-speaker sound system
• One-pedal drive mode
• Virtual engine sound system
• Integrated navigation
• Dual-zone climate control
• Cloth seats 
• Wireless phone charging 
• Leather steering wheel
• LED headlights and tail-lights 

Below are key features buyers gain if opting for the higher-spec Premium:

• Larger 19-inch alloy wheels
• LED quad-projection headlights 
• LED front parking light 
• Head-up display 
• Bose eight-speaker sound system
• Leather upholstery 
• 10-way powered driver seat 
• Eight-way powered front passenger seat 
• Heating and ventilation for front row seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Ambient lighting 
• Wide glass sunroof

Stay tuned for our monthly reports to see how ‘Agnes’ handles the daily grind as well as a few weekends away, our detailed thoughts on its interior and powertrain, our official Chasing Cars range and charging test results, and more.

Month 1: No power point, no worries…?!

Month one was a period of getting acquainted with Agnes on two fronts – the actual vehicle, but also the lifestyle, which is where we’ll start.

Driving the Hyundai Kona Electric as a daily was a particularly big change for me given I’ve never had to live with an EV long-term beyond a week-long test car.

A six-month period requires some recalibration given that I don’t have the ability to charge the Kona at home by nature of the apartment I live in – there’s no powerpoint near my car spot, meaning I will be limited exclusively to Australia’s public charging infrastructure to charge the car.

That instantly meant a bit more logistical thought was required:how to maintain adequate charge? My daily commute is about 30km return – across the Harbour Bridge in peak-hour Sydney traffic both ways. Across five days that’s half the Kona’s range, excluding non-work-related travel, and that’s charge that I can’t simply top up overnight while I sleep.

My approach to this was simply looking at how I could align charging sessions with other tasks – for example, charging the car while I shop or have dinner with friends.

I soon found my favourite local charger – a 50kW EVIE charger in the local shopping complex, of which there were only two.

Sometimes I got lucky, but I also quickly became acquainted with the electric car waiting game: waiting for others to finish charging their cars, often while their vehicles to trickle over 80 per cent while they shop for hours on end. And while trying to keep my spot in the charing cue.

It made me wish there was a more formalised or structured ticket system with EV charging so that drivers could be placed in a queue rather than being subject to the wild west it can sometimes be.

Nevertheless, I got into a routine relatively quickly and learnt to avoid peak hour during the day – evenings were where it was at for charging.

So – what about Agnes and my initial impressions?

Overall, these are positive. The cabin is what I would describe as honest – it’s a bit dark, with a lot of hard plastics that reveal its entry-level specification, but on the other hand it has a pragmatic blend between the functional and the modern.

I appreciate the clear and simple digital instrument cluster, and the media screen is quite intuitive, with Apple CarPlay working seamlessly.

We’ll see how the interior and tech stack up over the coming months.

The Kona Electric has also felt easy to use on the road.

Ride quality is the stand-out feature so far. If some buyers might feel they are losing out by only having the smaller, 17-inch wheels on the base model, the upside is a ride that’s supple and wonderfully compliant – soaking up bumps and imperfections on the bumpy streets around my neighbourhood particularly well.

The benefits of electric vehicles in the daily grind of Sydney traffic compared to traditional petrol cars has also been notable… but more on how ‘Agnes’ stacks up in more rigorous testing over the coming months.