Hyundai Kona Electric 2021 review: Highlander EV small SUV - the best electric car in Australia?

00:00 Intro
00:50 Pricing and specs
02:52 Design
04:13 Practicality
06:54 Drivetrain
07:17 Energy consumption
09:23 Driving
13:07 Safety
14:08 Ownership
14:39 Verdict

We take a look at Hyundai's updated Kona Electric for the 2021 model year. Back when I first reviewed it, I said that this could possibly be the best electric car in Australia, but will that still ring true now that it has been updated in a rapidly changing electric landscape?

We take a close look at the range - which most closely rivals the Kia Niro EV, Nissan Leaf e+, Tesla Model 3 Standard Range, and MG ZS EV to find out.

We'll look at eight key factors including Pricing - From $62,000 does the entry-level Elite make sense against rivals, or should you splurge to the $66,000 Highlander? How does its official 480km range stack up?

Design - Does the Kona electric look better or worse this time around? What should buyers be looking for on the outside and in the cabin

Practicality - Is the Kona EV any more or less practical than the combustion version? How does it compare to the segment, and will it fit your standard array of adults and every-day objects?

Drivetrain - what powers the Kona EV? Does it compare well to combustion cars or electric rivals?

Energy consumption - Did I find any surprises when it came to the Kona's rate of battery consumption - and what is it like to charge up?

Driving - How does it feel behind the wheel - will the Kona make first time adopters love or hate an electric motor?

Safety - Does the Kona come fully loaded? Has Hyundai added anything new this time around? We take a look.

Ownership - There's less moving parts, so it should be cheap to run, right?

And ultimately - Verdict: Is the Kona still one of the best electric cars on sale in Australia?

CarsGuide - Go beyond the test drive

#Hyundai #Kona #Hyundai2021 #Kona2021 #2021HyundaiKona #Electric #ElectricCar #SUV #CarsGuide

[danielroden]

you can (just barely) fit a 24 inch dishwasher in the box in the back with the seats down. it has plenty of depth and width but the vertical distance is the limiting factor. if you were wondering.

[justinfreeman]

Great review and thanks for explaining the kw per hour. And greater range for city driving, important points for city dwellers

[michaelsommerauer]

Fantastic review. Nicely put together with good rundown on specs. Please when reviewing seats can you add your height so we have prospective. Thanks

[dindu]

Despite being a tech enthusiast I really don't want to have to do everything on a touch panel display. I prefer to be able to access the majority of functions with a single press of a button. You get to the point where muscle memory means you don't even have to look to access many functions in the Kona whereas navigating menu's on a touch screen is just that little bit too distracting in my opinion. I have to admit I'm a Kono EV 2021 driver in the UK. My previous EV was a Zoe ZE40 and that had an awful user interface on the touch panel. Navigating to a previously saved destination or cancelling a current route could take 4-5 menus. Dreadful.

[aviationboy]

I like this car, but the price is insanely high. At time of writing, the Tesla M3 is now $3000 CHEAPER than the Kona Elite. This is completely unacceptable IMO. Hyundai needs to revisit their pricing, or this car will be a flop. Drop the price by 10k and it will sell like hotcakes.

[owenchuarbx]

I like both this generation and the new 2024 Kona EV

[CamBrehm]

Definitely would love to know the best value for money EV in Australia.

[OggeVideo]

Great review for a great EV!

You get 10, 5 kW AC-charging here in Sweden as standard and heat pump aswell. New Kona Electric 2022 gives you much EV for the bucks.

If you have to choose between Model 3 SR+ and a top-spec Kona Electric. I would definitely pick Kona Electric. More range, cheaper, much better and safer sit position in the Kona Electric too.

[thenextelectriccar]

Great review! Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an 8.0-inch multimedia system, a rear camera, a 4.2-inch TFT color Supervision instrument cluster display, and LED daytime running lights are all standard on the Kona model. All they have to do now is work on the price, whether through auto companies or intervention from the govt. hope this car will be subsidized...

[DavidKent]

I did pick a Tesla Model 3 SR+ over this. The Hyundai Kona EV is an excellent vehicle but the Tesla is $10, 000 cheaper in New Zealand, accelerates faster, has more technology in the software and has the advantage of the Tesla Supercharger network. Despite the smaller battery, my Tesla would only need to stop for 26 minutes to charge on my 470km trip to my holiday house whereas the Kona EV would need to stop for 38 minutes.

[kingwillbisthebest]

They just have to work on the price, whether it be through car companies or govt intervention. The masses will not part with that much money for that little a car.

[tominthebox]

What do you think between ioniq_5 and kona_ev? I think many people would wait ioniq_5 rather than kona_ev.

[kookaburra]

They better move charging port on sides, instead of front.

[Ben-onzz]

Personally I’d take the Tesla sr+ over this. The faster charging and access to the Tesla charging network out weights the slightly better range in this car. Also having Netflix on the 15” screen is going to majorly help make the charging times disappear when on road trips.

[shannonwalsh]

Can you please do a review on the new Haval Jolion!! :)

[carollewis]

Thank you. Great info. I am a tesla fan but this car sounds great.

[behramcooper]

Is this car readily available in Western Australia?

[moestrei]

Looking at prices / specs for Kona vs Model 3: No brainer. But a decent alternative if you don't like Teslas.

[joshowens]

Hyundais and Kias are the genuine leaders of the pack nowadays. Unbelievable how far they’ve come since the very humble Excel

[livingthedream]

Waiting for the Toyota BZ4x to hit the market.