Item: Hyundai Kona Electric 64 kWh 2021
Rating: 9.6
Author: Tomas Zajicek

2021 Hyundai Kona Electric 64 kWh Test Drive

Hyundai Kona Electric

64 kWh 2021

9.6/10not logged21 votes

Hyundai Kona Electric 64 kWh 2021 - low consumption, the basis for great range

The new, smooth front of the car suggests that it is an electric car, unlike its combustion-engine brothers.

Tomas 0 49

06 Oct 2021

Hyundai Kona Electric Pros and Cons

Pros:

excellent measured acceleration via GPS Dragy 6,8 s, official figure 7,6 s
the location of the charging port on the front is absolutely ideal
5 years warranty with no mileage limit
excellent handling
8 years / 160.000 km warranty on traction battery
150 kW (395 Nm) engine provides a very agile ride in the city but also on the highway
low consumption, I drove around 15 kWh/100 km
very good range 400-500 km
great lane keeping assist - on the motorway you just monitor the situation
Comfortable seats including heating and cooling
comfortable suspension
high build quality throughout the car
good LED headlights
operating of many functions with classic buttons (especially air conditioning)
interesting design of the front end after the facelift
DC charging up to 100 kW, which is not bad, but the new Ioniq 5 is much better (up to 220 kW!)
heated steering wheel

Cons:

not enough legroom in the rear seats
problems with power transfer to the road in wet or snow (no problems in dry conditions)
smaller luggage space
no frunk
all-wheel drive not available

Test Drive

Hyundai Kona Electric 64 kWh 2021 - low consumption, the basis for great range

Hyundai Kona Electric has recently had a facelift, resulting in a beautifully clean front grille and an improved interior. The new, smooth front of the car suggests that it is an electric car, unlike its combustion-engine brothers. Kona, that is, is not a purebred electric car. It is based on the combustion version and some details clearly reveal this, such as the absence of a “frunk”.

The front part contains, in addition to very bright LED lights, also the charging port. Its placement is absolutely ideal, and the relatively short cables for public chargers are no problem for the Kona.

Let's have a look at its dimensions. Although one might think that the Kona is a relatively large SUV, its length at just 4,180 mm leaves me just a bit disappointed. Unfortunately, this is reflected in insufficient space for rear passengers and a smaller luggage compartment.

On the contrary, the space for front passengers is perfectly suitable, including very comfortable ventilated and heated seats. Another advantage of the interior is the truly high build quality.

The touch screen responds quite quickly, and the improved graphics are better than ever. Of the driving assistants, I was indeed pleasantly surprised by the lane management, which seemed to make highway driving an almost "autopilot" experience.

Low consumption, great range

Where the electric Kona really excels is in its low consumption. Where I drove a VW ID.3 for 20 kWh/100 km, Kona drove for precisely 15 kWh. On the highway where the ID.3 already exceeds 20 kWh/100 km, Kona still suffices with less than 17 kWh. Meanwhile, both cars have the same 150 kW power output. Therefore, Kona with its battery tested at a capacity of 64 kWh comfortably reaches a range of 400 km.

Charging

Kona manages DC charging with an output of up to 100 kW, which is already an average value today, yet not bad at all. I managed to recharge 100 km of range on a 150kW charger in 13 minutes, and I reached 200 km in half an hour.

Driving characteristics and suspension

The comfortable suspension was a positive surprise. Braking is highly efficient. Another plus is the tight turning circle of only 9.9 m that we measured.