FINALLY! Real Range! 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric Review 

Win your Dream Car here 👉 bit.ly/BOTB-Win-A-Dream-Car

I've had my Kona electric since March of 2019 and now have over 24,000 miles on the clock! The only "maintenance" it's had was to be taken in for inspection when the pre-programed alert came on. So far, total cost of maintenance on the car = ZERO! All one need do is look in the owner's manual to discover the first actual, real "service" is to change the oil in the reduction drive at 75,000 miles. Everything else is just a "look at it" thing. Since last March I have put gas in ANY car exactly ZERO times. Since I purchased a 240V 50A charger when I got the car, the "inconvenience" of waiting for the car to charge has been exactly ZERO! Apparently car reviewers spend every day cavorting around the world and must use public and commercial chargers, but for most of we folks who have to actually GO TO A JOB for a living, the dreaded "daily commute" is 99% of all travel, and the Kona electric is GREAT at the daily commute! First let me state that at 24,000 miles and however-many chargings, the battery shows ZERO lose of charge capacity. During the winter months when the car knows it's cold outside, the car will state a 100% charged range of around 260 miles. However, when the driving starts, thanks to the efficiency of the Kona's regenerative braking, and the ability to coast without drive line drag, the total of miles driven + remaining range tends to go UP. So the car might start off with a stated 260 miles range, but after a few commutes which comprise about half and half freeway and city street, the projected total distance that can be traveled has risen by 10 or more miles. In the warmer months such as now, 100% charge just the other day showed 282 miles range and THAT "guesstimate" includes the car's knowledge that I've been driving 70-75 mph on the freeway! By setting regen to max on the freeway it's possible to average over 3.5 miles/kWh at 70-73mph. By actively working to "hypermile" by dynamically adjusting regen for varying road conditions, I've been able to record 4.1-4.2 miles/kWh while also driving 65-75 mph on my daily 40 miles each way commute. In town driving, if one simply sets the regen and leaves it, expect efficiency to cap at around 4.5 miles/kWh, but for those who learn to use regen aggressively, combined with coasting, efficiency >5.0-5.5 miles/kWh is possible. The "problem" with the Kona electric is that when it's new and the owner doesn't have range confidence, they tend to drive it gently with a more econ-friendly approach. But as the owner gets used to the car, the tendency is to begin to explore the Kona's amazing acceleration in traffic situations! However "slow" the Kona EV might ultimately be, coming off the line as it were in a "stoplight race" the only cars that can stay with it are made by Tesla - or maybe that ONE by Chevy! Even in econ mode the car will zoom, but when placed in sport mode and traction control turned off, the car will SPIN the front tires unless the throttle is properly modulated to limit wheel spin until the car is rolling, then add-in more accelerator pedal to maintain the rate of acceleration. In countless "stoplight" pulls with cars of EVERY brand - including BMWs, Lexi, Chargers, etc., the Kona EV has left them behind as if it was launched by catapult off a carrier deck! And these are California drivers which means they are almost always going "hammer down" when the light changes! Do I think the Kona EV can beat a powerhouse ICE car in the long run? Nope, but from 0-50 mph which is where 99% of all street encounters top out, the Kona EV is half a mile out front by the time they've even gotten their engines revving! IF the car has tries for traction it would easily drop into the high-5 second 0-60 time, and IF somebody ever makes "traction bars" for it to prevent tail squat, (maintaining weight over the front tires) it could probably drop into the low 5 second 0-60 range! I'm a lot more impressed with my Kona EV today than I was even when I first bought it. I like the mini-SUV style and layout a lot more than the Tesla Model 3, and the Model Y is clearly just a more bulbous, "tad-pole" shape. Tesla makes great EV and deserve respect, but they do tend to all look alike. When reviewers and non-owners consider electric cars they obsess over range and cost to replace the battery as IF that's something needed every month or two! By now there are enough used EVs on the road for people to know how well range holds up. Nissan's early batteries were air cooled and degrade faster than Hyundai's (and Tesla) liquid-cooled batteries. And speaking of all the "advice" by many who don't even own an electric, I have charged my car to 90% consistently, with probably 25% being taken to 100%. I usually recharge it around 30%. As far as I can tell the battery has just as much capacity today as it did new. if that's because Hyundai put in a 64kWh battery that's "really" 75kWh to compensate for battery degradation - GREAT! It's working! And it shows how smart the engineers at Hyundai are! But whatEVER the reason, my Kona electric is still going strong 16 months and 24,000 miles after "new" and makes a fantastic daily driver!

When you compared the cost of driving the EV to the ICE, You left out oil changes, and the periodic planned and unplanned repairs Such as timing belts, tuneups....

When comparing costs of ownership you should also factor in maintenance that are generally not required on electric vehicles. Oil changes, spark plugs, starter battery changes, transmission fluid, new belts, are all not needed for electric vehicles.

4 years lates Im looking into gettin an used one, numbers look even better now ❤

Thank you for making this video! My wife and I are considering an EV for our next vehicle purchase. We have good access to charging stations away from the home and the Kona is definitely one of the models that we will consider.

My 2007 Subaru Imprezza is pretty much on it's last legs and wanting to go full EV, the Kona was the best bang-for-buck by far. As much as I love AWD and going fast, if I'm honest with myself, most of my driving is to the hockey rink or to the theater. The opportunities for me to go fast are limited.

Great review as always Mr. Baldland! Thumbs up!

Cool video.... we need this car in Boston

Really like the styling

Great review. On cost, also factor in lower maintenance cost and better depreciation values. So the 10k extra up front cost is not the full story. Lease costs for example are very similar.

@1.00 that bump on the front light lens is done to amplify the visibility of this light (to other cars/pedestrians) from various viewing angles.. this is to to meet safety regulatory requirements for all the countries it is sold in.

7 years of driving to recover the cost difference. THANK YOU First review I’ve seen of dozens that was honest about the cost.

Something you didn't mention when I tried the ev and non ev varients the ev battery pack is heavy and low down which made it feel much more stable in normal driving which offset the slightly lower grip in terms of comfort and driving pleasure and may contribute to the better damping of road inperfections.

I owned my kona electric premium se for 2 months. Great car overall, but needs 1. better suspension to fix jittery ride. 2.sound deadening as road noise can be intrusive, 3 the phone app. Note..Rear passenger comfort is limited due to high rear floor..

Love the color

The EV Kona may cost £10k more to buy than a fossil fuel version, however along with fuel costs being lower and servicing costs, it will sell for more than the fossil car when you’ve finished with it. So the whole £10k does not have to be recovered in fuel costs. Look at total cost of ownership and it’s probably the same or less, especially if the vehicle is leased.

Good review! In terms of running costs you need to mention EV road tax, insurance and maintenance savings which add up to a tidy sum over the year! (Depending on previous vehicle of course) and as a company car there is currently no BIK tax to pay.

Great video, thank you. I'm just about to change from a VW ID4 1st Edition to a Kona Electric. I can't fault the ID4 apart from the transmission selector on the right hand side of the steering column which is so counterintuitive.

Thanks for your video. Everyone talks about cost. EVs give you pleasure while driving, they reduce your stress by a huge amount, they entertain you, they benefit everyone else as they don’t make noise as you drive by people having a morning coffee at the sidewalk cafe. We pay big money to be entertained and most EVs give it back in spades!! No I did not forget to mention the price of clean air, it should be obvious to everyone. Please, please, stop talking about cost. Climb out of the polluted box your in and see what EVs really are. Thanks.

What about other servicing costs of the ice vs the bev

Great review! Very useful! Barely wait for my 2020 Kona EV in April!

Great and informative review. Thinking of making jump from hybrid to full electric. Can't find this question answered anywhere: Does the car or charger make any noise- inverter buzzing, fans etc while charging at home. My garage is right under house first floor. . Thanks

Subscribed. Very honest video. I own a leaf 30kwh coz it was on offer half price. I wanted to test EVs first and kept my zafira as a backup incase goes terribly wrong. Even though I drive super careful, having the heater on drains the battery like mad. In the mixed driving winter, it's between 70 to 80 miles at its best. 100 in summer. I'd love a higher range, BUT.....as you stated about cost, it's a bit tricky. I like working the exact costs out, compared to petrol and as you stated, it takes years to gain back. The other issue is also down to how far you drive per year. For instance, my neighbours have asked me about my ev and although it's a great drive, they say they hardly do many miles per year, so prefer a cheaper car to just get from a to b. I can't blame them tbh. I mean it's like me buying a Porsche and just parking it on the drive all year. Just not really any saving or point. The only other issue is public chargers, as I can save alot at home, but if I had to travel longer distances daily, then public would be necessary. However, I fear that if they start pushing prices up, they would be too close to petrol. As an example, I pay 15p a mile on diesel at its worst. I pay up to 5p worst in winter on electric leaf. I worked out that if it was to be the same price as my diesel, it would be 44p kwh. Now I know that podpoints about the best in my area at 23pkwh. But ecotricity has put theres up to 39p now. So if I had to go very far, and needed several stops to charge with several waiting times, I'd rather just go with the diesel. Not to mention that alot of people don't even have drives or garages, so are not allowed to have one fitted at home or flats. So no real extra savings there. So I feel that people will eventually buy them, but like everything, the cost has to come down before they bite the bullet. Gr8 video, thanks.

Those bumps in the headlights helps with drag reduction. It’s called vortex generator.

As for cost calculation you're forgetting that there is virtually NO maintenance cost for the kona ev. No oil changes, wear on brakes is very little because of regenerative breaking. Add that cost to your gas cost of the gas kona and you will break even a lot faster!

I think the bumps on the headlights are to deflect wind away from the side mirrors thus reducing aero drag. 1st gen LEAF had similar albeit larger bumps.

I drove the 64 Kwh e-soul in Ireland last week, it would get 300-320 Kms at 75 Mph clock speed or 120 Km/hr as we have it here, that was based on the trip comuter reading of 20 Kwh/100 kms, I was very impressed, a lot less wheel spin too than the Kona and it has fantastic lane keep assist which is the most advanced of all the Kia/Hyundai electrics as it's newer, I was very impressed. The e-soul is much quieter inside too, the Kona I found I would need ear plugs it was that bad but perhaps this is down to the tyres. I could estimate 260-270 miles in the E-soul on slower non motorway roads and possibly close to 300 miles in Summer, very impressive.

was hoping to hear you rev it ;) ev's are actually improving a lot since they started appearing on the scene.

Brilliant little review; better than some of the so called "professionals" ... Thank you ... bought my tickets

I wish you tried a 100kw station, because I want to know if they fixed that for 2020. They capped the old one at 200amps or 75kw because the ccs standard at the time defined those limits.

I have this car for the last few months and it’s great. The lumbar support for driver and passenger is great benefit for those who suffer with back pain. You can also raise the height of the seat. However my one complaint is the heating controls. Having buttons instead of dials is a disaster. They are very hard, if not dangerous, to adjust as you are driving. With only the slightest adjustment of the controls you go from skin-burning heat levels to ice-cold air. It very hard to get a happy medium.

Great presentation very realistic and closer to home. Is there a mobile battery charger that can be manufactured with these units just to give the ability to do another 50miles out of say 25mins of charging in emergency situations

As others have said, this is the 2019 model, not 2020. Nevertheless, an awesome vehicle (we've done 10k miles in ours now, love it!)

0:13 foot got cozy

1. New 2020 model has replaced the 8" infotainment screen (as seen in this video) with a 10.25", this shows 3 blocks of info rather than the 2 blocks seen in this video. 2. A 100kWh rapid charger gives 80% charge in 55 minutes giving you about the right amount of time you need to have a break. Remember that mostly you charge overnight at home whilst you sleep.

I have the Kia Niro, same car and it does not wheel spin. Chirps the tires and then traction control steps in.

People get hung up on the cost but who actually these days buys a car outright, the finance deals, running costs on a monthly basis such as fuel,road tax and as they are becoming more widespread emission charges,emission free zones and congestion charges are be best way to look at cars these days.

It’s true. If you have a daily short commute then it’s very expensive. For me, I have 110km commute a day and the cost is the same to own for the first 3-5 years as an equivalent Tucson if you factor in oil changes, etc... except, EVs are more fun to drive, have better tech and will keep their value a lot better at the end of a term. Also, it seems you guys pay a lot more for electricity there. To charge a 64kw battery here is more like $5 per charge at home.

the bubble on light is a side repeter

But the cost of service on the petrol is also a must too mentioned

Wht abt the maintenance charges..!! So effectively u would recuperate all the expenses in jst 3-4 years..

Sounds really good, my concern would be three or four years down the line, how much would battery replacement cost? also battery performance does degrade over time

If by your comments about wheelspin would suggest its bit lighter at the front does that not bode well for icy or slippery road holding ?

I'm fortuned have had the privilege to own ( company car tho ) and drive one since September. Loved every km which I've driven. What I also would like to point out when taking about costs is the insurance. At least in Finland it's almost the double in price compared to normal Kona.

I test drove one of those, in the dry there is no wheelspin issue at all, in the wet there is a wheelspin issue with any fwd car and that kind of torque, even my Tourneo spins wheels and it has "good" Michelin tyres. It is cheap on the inside and the adaptive cruise control is a nuisance. You forgot the battery "maintenance" issue. The battery needs changing at least once during the car's useful life, which means shelling out about a quarter to a third of the car's buying price each time.

Title of the video is misleading. This is not the 2020 version. The 2020 premium SE version has the infotainment buttons below the screen, not on the sides. It also has heated seats for the back and not just the front. The car in this video is the 2019/18 version.

Not sure if available in the UK but in the US you can receive a rebate and tax credit for purchasing a electric car. This should be figured into over all price when comparing purchase between combustion and electric.

If I brought the Kona, I would have to chance the tyres, and that would ad to the cost.

@5:36 no red wires visible to the right side (inside) of the charging station. @5:38 red wires visible?

I'd be interested to know how you'd compare the interior of this to an ID3. I had a bit of a shock getting in an ID3 from my Hyundai Ioniq premium SE.

Petrol in the USA is $2.19 - $2.60 per gallon or 0.57 - 0.68 cents per liter (3.785 liters = 1 gallon) Currently the best selling vehicles are Full Size Pickup Trucks & SUV's

I wonder what would happen with that front charging port after a minor crash.

Compare the resale value of the electric model after that 7 year period, and the petrol. Your battery may need an upgrade, and there will probably be an even better deal available there. Whereas your petrol model is basically just scrap if it ever gets to 7. EVs have great resale potential and some models have held their original price or even appreciated to some extent, according to anecdotal evidence. Be that as it may, the potential longevity and resale will always be a win for EVs.

We seriously considered a Electric Kona. But unfortunately there were two factors that kept us from buying one. 1. in the US this is a compliance car. Not even sold in my State. Closest place to even test drive one was 1,000 miles away (apx 1600 Km). She was able to drive an ICE version to bring us to point 2. She thought it felt like a car for a tiny person.

only available in 10 states in the US

I cannot wait until electric cars come down in price. My dream car is the electric VW ID Buzz that comes out in 2023. So hopefully by then I will have enough to buy one.

My mechanic explained why brake components should also last much longer on EV’s. Like to hear from others on this . . .

I think that when you reviewers test the legroom in the back and front seats of cars, you should let us know how tall you are. Also it would be convenient to have your feet and miles converted into metric on screen.

Krell only makes (pre)amplifiers and streamers, so they are being really creative with the branding there. It's a high-end brand for audiophiles that don't do too much research ;). In audiophile worlds Krell stands for; Harsh as it gets. It's not a brand that knows of any subtlety. It's all about 'live' and 'dynamic' and 'energy' and I don't like it, at all. But since they probably only made one component of the head unit and there's nothing Krell about the thing otherwise, it can indeed be quite good. As for the car; you need to drive it for 7 years and then you'll see how much better these cars will have gotten, range-wise. Hmmm.. You'd need a very specific use case to want a car like this right now, unless you are an environmentalist.

is there a service to charge car if you are caught mid journey?

EVs are definitely getting there. Would love one if I could afford it.

Krell Audio system is worth the price of the entire vehicle... :-)

Just tjek the Kona website, and the fact that you HAVE to buy the power from them even at home is kinda a deal breaker, as we have just seen with Ionity going up 500%, and there is no mention of a guaranty on the battery, like Tesla's 8 year. So how is the thermals in 2 years, and what if it breaks, will it hold it's range and what is the real price saving ? And very little extra things like a hitch or autodrive.

Nice car

You missed servicing costs for the petrol car.

“Green, because it’s a green car.” So why does it look of yellow and maybe it should be noted, that the colour is ‘Acid Yellow’.

A lot of countries have incentives for buying these types of cars as an example here in United States there’s a $7500 incentive for getting the electric car so that would reduce the number of years to recoup your investment by 75%

The expense comes from the larger battery. Cost cutting on materials is obvious with all the plastics, but you get loads of safety tech, a top of the line daily driver EV car. Reliable, and looks great..You said the seats in the back were too high, and your legs were angled upward too far, when that doesn't make sense...the seats, would need to be positioned even higher , for your legs to level out more. The green color is a new scientifically tested paint, first on the 2016 Civic, which was the best color to repel heat and help kep cooling the down. Not white, as one would think. The Kona made North American SUV of the Year for a reason. But the e-Niro, and e-Soul have the top EV cars , for the price ranges of the rest of the other EVs.

It's interesting how no one talks about this car in the real cold. I have lots of trouble with the moisture in the car frosting the inside of the windows. Not only overnight but while I am driving. Battery in summer has 600Km but in winter 300Km. Very important that you cover the windshield in winter. The front charge cover gets filled with snow and ice while driving and you must cover it while charging. The seat cooling is useless and the heated steering wheel isn't much better.

Probably best to lease for now. Wait for the tech to get cheaper.

Krell, high end audio company

When will an e car company utilize capacitors for fast charge, fast draw. Not for a total drive but for something like a 30 or 60 sec acceleration. Capacitors can recharge almost instantly so their regen is ideal. But they can only discharge quickly so they can be used for fast acceleration and then the chemical battery takes over for cruising.

you missed out an electric car road tax is 0 what is it for the car you compared it to in petrol as well as servicing

Another cost to consider is maintenance. Electric engines don't need as much regular maintenance (filters/oil change) as gas/petrol.

Can you plug in that charger [bit of an upturned angle] when it is in the rain?

Need to add in some more savings to that cost analysis, zero road tax, no emission charges for going into London and lower maint fees as no oil to change, no belt to adjust, no exhaust to replace, no gaskets to leak. Love my ev when I get in a petrol now they just seem shaky noisy smelly and slow, only drawback is the useable but poor quality fast charging infrastructure.

Interesting, I’ve owned the Kona Electric for a year now I normally drive in eco mode, I haven’t experienced excessive wheel spin. I don’t crawl around just drive with perhaps a more gentle foot than you and I’m not the old fellow up front holding all the boy racer up.

i terms of cost you say that it will take 7 years to get that money back however you ignore the fact that the petrol car will depreciate a lot more.

Very cold here, 3 to 6 degrees. VERY COLD? Alberta Canada -30 is VERY COLD.

Not the 2020. The 2020 has a 10.25" screen, not the 8"

At 7p per kwh it's going to be about £4 for an overnight charge on Economy 7. Pretty good if you can squeeze 300 miles out of it as some people have. Does that £37k purchase price include the government grant. Hopefully not.

Of course, to get the most out of an EV, you need to adapt your driving style. No more flooring-it at every junction, or heavy braking required as you go round corners. A smoother, more relaxed drive is also more economical. It's actually fun, and your passengers aren't puking up on every journey!

One other cost difference that I'd include would be - how much you are spending while you're waiting the 75mins per charge - that's a lot of coffee and cake if you were at a services which would add up to a fair amount of money.

How tall are you so I can judge the interior size. Thanks

Watching from the state's. I'm waiting 3 more years to get a nice EV. Can't afford it plus my car has 6 more payments left. EV would be great for me. I drive roughly 60 miles round-trip spend roughly 35 us dollars a week to fill. Range on a full tank 380 to 400 miles.

Does the UK have the infrastructure to support more electric car chargers especially in the future?

So the rear camera is "rubbish" you say. Why is it rubbish? As this is a review; would appreciate your information on the shortcomings of the device. Thanks...

Odd you would say you get more road noise. You of course do not get more road noise when the engine noise is removed.

Regardless of price I’d still choose the electric over the crappy petrol version purely for the better driving experience.

What is so nice about heated steering wheel and seats? I don't want that and if the car should have it (there is no way to choose a version which doesn't have it) I would never use it. Using electricity for something which is not needed. Grab the wheel for a few seconds and it feels warm already, same with the seat which wil heat up because you sit on it.

I do not live in the UK. Here in the netherlands I do not pay the monthly road tax (saving 600 euro a year) , reduced energy price about the same is in the UK and a reduced maintenance price because electric. In the first year, stiil 2 weeks to go, I've made 28500 KM or about 17700 UK miles. I've made the same calculations and will earn back the extra costs for buying in 4-5 years time....(140000 km is break even ). This without taking in account other tax facilities (income taxes every year 2500 euro less, and an extra 9000 less the year of buying) for driving electric in the Netherlands , which reduces the earning back time to less than two years. In 5 years 21500 euro less income taxes to pay....thats even more than the difference in price between the petrol version and electric version. This income tax arrangements are changed since 2018...it' s now less advantage.

not a criticism but an observation put your mike in the middle a bit lower as your voice goes down when you turn your head from a person who has a hearing problem excellent review btw

Change title please, this is 2019 model. Thx

Dont forget that the electric car does not need a oil change so servicing is much less.

I believe we should also take into consideration that the maintanence on an electric car over a period of 5 years is also much less than its petrol counterpart.

42000 Euro for the electric Kona where I am in the world or 16000 Euro for Petrol version. You can buy a lot of Petrol for the 26000 Euro price difference.

Just to add, the servicing cost is significantly less too, less than a third the ICE equivalent.

I think the bigger problem will be the paint chalking in 3 years, and seals rotting off in less than 5 and generally degradation issues with all polymer compounds used in Hyundai vehicles.

Kia and Hyundai have really come far from 15 years ago