Hyundai Kona Electric – Back to Basics

Hyundai Kona Electric 39 kWh Comfort

€34,495

Even before the facelift of the Kona Electric, Hyundai put a smaller battery with a capacity of 39 kWh on the price list in addition to the large battery pack of 64 kWh. That Kona with smaller electric lung capacity came in early 2020 and made the model almost €5,000 cheaper. With the introduction of the facelift, the starting price of the model was even lower. In the meantime, the initially communicated price has risen slightly, but with a current starting price of €34,495, the entry-level Kona Electric 39 kWh Comfort is still €2,300 cheaper than its equivalent before the facelift.

For that money you get a range of 305 kilometers and 136 hp power under the power pedal. The Kona can charge AC with a charging speed of up to 11 kW, fast charging can be standard with a maximum of 50 kW. According to Hyundai, the latter results in a charging time of 10 to 80 percent in 47 minutes. In addition to the 39 kWh version, the 64 kWh and 204 hp version is still on the price list. Thanks to that larger battery, you should be able to travel 484 kilometers on one battery charge. As a Comfort, the 64 kWh is on the price list from €38,495. That is also a pretty competitive price if we consider that the exact same version cost €39,995 in 2019.

Colorful

For the base price of the Kona Electric, you don’t have to settle for an average paint color. The ‘Dive in Jeju’ in which the Kona is sprayed in the photos is standard. At no extra cost, you can choose from two other colours: ‘Atlas White’ or ‘Engine Red’. If all three of these colors do not appeal to you, you can choose from three metallic paint colors for €695 or order one of the four mother-of-pearl colors for €795. So much for the configuration options for the exterior, because the 17-inch alloy wheels are the only factory available footwear on the Comfort.

Hyundai Kona Electric

The Kona Electric peers into the dark as standard with halogen projection headlamps. This is almost becoming rare these days, many basic versions often already have LED lighting. LED daytime running lights and a light sensor are included. The electric Kona also has keyless go, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard. The door mirrors are electrically adjustable and heated, but you still have to fold them yourself.

What’s for dinner

Where the Kona Electric is quite colorful on the outside as standard, it is different on the inside. The Kona Electric Comfort is only available with a fabric interior, with a silver center console to provide some contrast. The Kona Electric does have aluminum pedals as standard. On the center console is a row of blank buttons that immediately indicate the lack of, among other things, seat heating. That’s a shame, because it makes heating the Kona Electric less efficient. The Kona does have standard climate control, so you do not have to constantly adjust the heating or cooling yourself.

Hyundai Kona Electric

The Kona Electric always has a digital 10.25-inch instrument panel in front of the driver’s nose. More towards the center of the dashboard is an 8-inch touchscreen that can handle Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and pumps the sound of the music or the radio through six speakers into the interior. In terms of driver assistance systems, the Kona Electric always has adaptive cruise control, active lane assist and an emergency braking system with pedestrian recognition.

Hyundai offers two more option packages for the Kona Electric Comfort. For €995 you can order a heat pump and for €1,995 you get the same heat pump, but in combination with a 10.25-inch multimedia screen with integrated navigation. In the latter case, it may be worth opting for the €2,900 more expensive ‘Fashion’ equipment level. In that case, you do not only get the aforementioned options, but also things like a head-up display, automatically dimming interior mirror, audio system with 8 speakers, LED taillights and a blind spot assistant. The Premium is one step higher, but it is not available in combination with the 39 kWh battery.

In terms of standard equipment, the Kona Electric can be compared well with the pre-facelift. The digital instruments and the touchscreen are both new. This means that you now get more value for money with the Kona Electric than three years ago, although the Kona Electric has to fight harder on the market than in 2019 due to the arrival of competitors such as the Cupra Born and Peugeot e-2008.