Hyundai KONA Electric Review

Anyone getting into this car who has driven a previous Kona may wonder where the gear selector has gone, as there used to be a collection of buttons for the gears located between the front seats, but they’re no longer there. Instead the gear selector has moved to a position on the right of the steering column, under the windscreen wiper stalk; you twist it to change gear.

You can also change the level of regenerative braking by using steering wheel-mounted paddles (giving regen options of 0, 1, 2 or 3) – which is a better solution than having to delve into touchscreen sub menus to do this.

Drive modes can be selected using a rotary dial at the bottom of the centre console, giving you the options of Eco, Normal, Sport and Snow.

The Kona has a 12.3-inch central touchscreen, and underneath this are separate heating and ventilation controls, which means that it’s always possible to quickly and easily adjust climate settings. Unusually for a new EV, there are also various physical buttons on the dashboard. The touchscreen, the separate climate controls, and all the physical buttons mean that the Kona’s dashboard is very easy to operate.

For AC charging, the Kona has a 10.5 kW on-board charger.

The KONA Electric has a heat pump, which uses waste heat from the electric powertrain to warm the cabin in cold weather, so reducing the impact on the battery range.

Other aids for a longer driving range are heated front seats, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel – as well as heated door mirrors. A heated charging cover is also an option.

There’s a 3-pin plug socket in the rear footwell which allows you to power electrical equipment.

The new Hyundai KONA Electric is available in four trim levels. Entry-level trim is Advance, which is the only spec that’s available with the smaller 48.4 kWh battery (from £34,995), as well as the larger 65.4 kWh battery (from £38,595). The other three trim levels – N Line, N Line S and Ultimate - all come with the 65.4 kWh battery as standard.

The Hyundai KONA Electric offers a (WLTP) 300-mile electric driving range in a practical compact SUV body style at a competitive price. It also delivers very comfortable ride quality and an easy driving experience. On the downside, the front-wheel drive chassis doesn’t provide much grip on cold and wet roads, and the Kona has a slow charge rate for public DC chargepoints.