Kia e-Niro vs Hyundai Kona Electric review - which is the best electric car? | What Car? 

Why do people think under floor storage is the correct place for cables? I regularly have a full boot so the cable underneath is the worst possible place for them

I have a 2017 Niro Hybrid and I LOVE IT. Kia has really hit it outta the park with their vehicles

You forgot to mention the amazing detail that the E-Niro has a cargo space for the cargo space layer thingie that sits on top of the cargo bay. It's the only car I've ever seen that has that, and it's almost enough reason to buy it :D Great review. Thanks. :)

Fantastic review! Great comparison. You answered all my questions. Thanks... Now if only Kia would hurry up and bring the e-Niro to Australia!!!

250 miles is a great real world range. Would be more than sufficient for my needs.

Great commentary. Factual, clear, easy to follow and low on presenter “presenting” himself. Good stuff

Sorry, but this seems biased towards E-Niro. Both are great cars and I guess it depends where you live, but in Norway, Kona is 4-6k€ cheaper than the E-Niro + the only extra equipment you need to pay for is leather seats and sunroof, otherwise everything else is standard. Both has its pros and cos as stated, but you didn't talk about all the pros of owning a Kona. In my opinion, Kona wins. Yes, it's smaller than E-Niro, but you can't deny how badass it looks (subjective), LED lights when you open the doors (footwell), HUD (heads up display), when you put the charger in, there's a green color that appears (perhaps when it's dark outside), you have cooled seats (and heated obviously), you have electric adjustable seats on both front seats in the Kona, while in E-Niro you only have it on the driving seat and no cooled seats! One last thing. Kona is smaller, so it's easier to park as well, so being smaller can also be a nice thing. If you gonna compare two cars, please at least show the good side of both cars, not only one of them. Again... both cars comes down to what's most important for you. We picked the Kona because we think it looks a lot better and we don't need the extra space (the size is fine for a family, not sure why anyone else says otherwise) and the extra goodies as HUD and cooled seats. PS: Kona also has heated steering wheel!

I test drove both the niro and the Kona and settled on the Kona. I get approximately 300 mi on a charge, find it to be very comfortable. The upgrades to the 2020 have solved some of the issues with the 2019, and for me it's a great car.I'm surprised there's much of a difference considering they are practically the same company :-)

I will take either one of them. Waiting for them to be released into Canada. Will trade my 2018 Santa Fe for one of these. Spending 400-500 dollars a month on fuel now. 5 free charging stations at work. It's a win win.

This is a very good review! I am planning on buying an EV and have already test drove both of them. I very much agree with your comparison! The biggest difference for me was the lack of leg room in the Hyundai Kona, which I had read about onelin, and which I confirmed sitting at the back of one. Of particular interest to me in your video was that you managed to get 253 miles in the Kia Niro, even though it is only spec'ed at 239 miles. I was told by the Kia dealer that this number was conservative and the person I talked to thought it was closer to 250 miles, so your information here is useful. From my test drive and on watching your video, I agree that the Kia is slightly better, but both of these are great EV's! Thank you so much for your information!

Rogers S Denmark It took a long time to pursuede myself that I can live without a trailer. But given the opportunity to buy a Kona Electric mid August I gave in for a life without beeing able to pull something behind my car - As a testdriver during 45 years i wonder why ALL “modern” testdrivers I have read forget to tell their readers that the Niro as well as the Kona and with them mostly all other ecars can’t be fittet with a tow hitch - AND WHY NOT. In my part of Denmark at least 33% of all fusil cars are able to pull a trailer or a caravan. Meaning that lots of buyers have to refrain from an electric car. By the way - why did’nt I chose the Niro? - Answer: Beeing nearly 91 I dont want to wait another year to join the modern world of transportation!

I went from an i20 to a Kona and am chuffed with its small size. It's only 10cm longer yet still is a breeze to park and drive.

Grest honest review, thanks!!...

I sat in both recently at a car show. I liked the Niro but the Kona felt cramped inside. Im not a large or tall person at all. Even my 10 year old said it felt small inside. I hit my head getting out of the back. I actually like the look of the Kona more though.

Great review but why don't you cover the Apps and what functionally you have with them?

You forgot to mention that the kona has a head-up display. Otherwise, great review!

Thank you. Some feedback: the way you jump around between the two is quite confusing. Hard to keep track of which is which.

I think you forgot to mention that the boot floor can be lowered in Kona. I have an e-Golf today, but have ordered a new Kona electric. It will be delivered in September. (Sweden)

Great video - thanks!

I think I'll wait for the e-Soul to arrive in UK, then Buy the 'r' version with bigger battery.

The Kia was tested in real world testing and the only other electric that went farther was the Tesla model 3, and only by 20 miles

I think this is bias to the e Niro 1 kona led head lights 2 kona head up display 3 kona cooled front seats 4 kona in a dark interior looks very nice I think if you compare like for like Nina a little cheaper not by much though So I am a kona driver but the points above are great

My e-Niro has blind spot detection. You said it did not From the window sticker Blind Spot Detection System (BSD) Smart Cruise Control w/ Stop & Go (SCC w/ S&G) Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA) Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) Lane Following Assist (LFA)

At 13:25 you started with saying "when difference in price is as small as it is, the e-niro worth the extra money" where at the very beginning you indicated the e-niro at a bit cheaper than the kona. That's confusing!

Neither can charge at 100kW, they advertise that using a 100kW charger will take so long ie marketing. Max charge rate is only 70kW.

Why no reviewers mention battery TMS which is really important for EV performance and battery degradation in long term? Also what about heat pump? Does it come in standard? I know for Kona not all markets get heatpump installed, but it can significantly reduce energy consumption in winter. Furthermore for Kona if you have 3-phase 16A charge point (11kW) you can fully charge it in just like 7 hours at home. Does E-Niro have 3-phase charging option? For me as a potential buyer these are far more important infos than knowing if the car is more fun to drive or if infotainment system is a bit leggy and in the right position. My opinion. Otherwise thank you for review, it was generally good.

Great review that we need👍

It's impossible to order an E-Niro for me, as the waiting list is apparently too long for KIA to supply reasonably. So I'm now waiting a year to get my Kona delivered, but I like the styling of the Kona a lot more, and the boot space is something which is always going to feel limiting in every car at one point.

Strange it wasn't mentioned these are both Hyundai owned brands. That use the same Hyundai EV powertrain. But the batteries come from different suppliers...Can't wait for the new Kia EV Soul ...

Have my Kia e-Niro about 3 months and overall very happy with it. The roof rails however are unsafe. The middle section is bolted down to the roof but the segments at the front and rear of the rail are just plastic and clipped on rather than bolted down. Could be really dangerous if you were heading down a motorway with a load on your roof. We had an incident where a kayak came off the roof while on holidays. No mention of this in the voluminous owners manual. May not be a problem if you don't intend using roof bars but if you are, make sure to keep the roof bar away from the front and back sections of the rails.

The Kia e-Niro UK Interest FB group contains loads of info on the UK spec Niro..For me the front seats of the Kona are more comfortable than the Niro. But it’s all personal. I prefer the Niro centre console. For me the Niro will possibly have the edge when it gets the LED headlights, other tech options, sunroof, light grey leather interior, and improved infotainment system, phone app, as shown on e soul in Geneva...

Any one miss the entry/exit driver assist handle above the door?

The Kona is sooooo much better looking tho... The front on the niro is just... off

Kona's got an awesome design.

They can't actually charge at 100 kW, they both cap out at 77 kW. Which is the most fundamental flaw of both cars. If they had been able to charge at 100 kW or more then they would have both been great cars.

Nice comparison. In "the states," the Kona Electric is rated to have about 19 miles more than Niro EV (258 miles vs 239 miles). Still it's comfortable to know that your real world testing shows Niro EV is close to Kona Electric range, since I'm in a location when I can get Niro EV, but harder to get Kona Electric. And I think Niro EV , from the outside, looks better than Kona Electric (especially the front grill area).

Small kids actually need a fair bit of leg room in the back. (1) child seats (even the booster plus type) sit them forwards from the car’s seat back and (2) little legs stick out and often into the front seat ahead of them. If you have kids age 4 to 8 the longer leg room will be appreciated. They’ll also walk across the floor rather than scramble over the upholstery.

Great review....... however, they are almost unobtainable, 12- 18 months wait. I would love an E-Niro, but with such a lead time not practical to order. By the time it arrived, there will hopefully be other alternatives. ID.3 for example. If I could have one within 4 months of ordering....I am sold!

These two and the Kia Soul are the same undercarriage/chassis with the differences being in the cabin and available option packages. Why the differences during the test drive is beyond me.

What is the height of the undercarriage, I.e. what is the clearance on each car?

Are after market wheel's possible

I really love the Kia neo hybrid car I really love to get a 2020 The bummer is that the top line model get 8 miles less per gallon because of the bigger tire mostly.

Will or when will the Vinfast VF E34 EV be available to buy in Europe and the UK?

I have a 1.6 diesel does 55 mpg, 0 road, tax, had it for 6 years it's had 1 problem, front discs and pads nothing else, I service it every year, had it for 6 years and it runs as good as the day i bought it and I bought it when it was 1 year old for £9700 and will have it for a few years more.

In Sweden, the Kia e-Niro is a little bit higher in price compared to Hyundai Kona and we get about £4500 bonus from government...

The difference in stated range is only because the Kona has low rolling resistance tyres and the Niro doesn’t. Otherwise they have the same range.

I bought the Kona and I’m so glad. I live in London and it is the best car for the busy streets of London

Interesting thanks

What car does not service Toronto Canada. Do you know of an equivalent site?

prefer the look of the kona inside and out, shame it seems worse in other areas

Which mode where you driving in?

Hello have What Car doing a review on the standard Tesla Model 3 v Kia e Niro please for UK market? As I'm interested in purchasing either of them before next summer, but like most people wanting to purchase " the better one " . Many thanks

If buy car at whatcar will the warranty and service be same as local dealer?

I have a 2020 niro phev love it but I'm ready for BEV also need more space kinda tight with a baby car seat.

Excellent comparison! Thanks. Does the E-Niro have ventilated front seats? IIRC, the Kona does. I suppose many people can just leave the 3-prong charger at home and use the type-2-to-type-2 connector “in the wild.” That’s odd to me, since, here in the US, chargers all have their own cables built-in.

Get my E-niro in November... Something to look forward to.

I tried the Kona, I loved it (fun to drive) and there's one thing I really liked : the head-up display. And unfortunately, it's not available on the e-Niro. I'd like to buy an electric car, and I'm really hesitating between these two models... The e-Niro is more practical and the kona is more fun (nervous driving) and has the HUD. So is it possible to sum up the choice as: buy the Niro if you think of the daily use with the family ; or buy the Kona if you just want to be "selfish", for the pleasure of the driver? ;-) PS: there's also an aspect that is rarely mentioned but that can matter when choosing a car : Hyundai gives a 5 year warranty, while Kia gives 7 years.

Not sure of the 2020 E Niro prices yet but the Kona causes a problem in that the SE now starts at £40895 and paint options mean more. What this does is put it over the £40000 threshold for car tax. The first year is free but the next 5 years cost £320 per year. The Premium comes under the £40000 but such things as LED headlights, heated seats, electric adjustment of seats and HUD are all missing. Of course when you are paying over £40000 for a vehicle perhaps £320 is not a lot. You pays your money and takes your choice. I’ve got my £500 down for the E Niro but the Kona does look good and drives well. Not so good in rain with that massive torque though!

Do they have a heat pump to scavenge heat from the battery?

Hoping that you can clear something up for me. I'm familiar with the UK magazine, "What bike?". I've always wondered what that means. I suspect that it's just bad/ pidgin English. You're trying to ask "which car" (as in, "which" car/ bike should I buy?) but you're using colloquial/ incorrect English. "What car should I buy?" instead of "Which car should I buy?" Is there some other meaning?

It is a bit comparing apples and oranges, since the base models of Niro and Kona are on different levels.

The Kona Electric should be compared with Soul EV, E-Nero is almost an electric Sportage

Sorry, if the title is referencing as to selection or predilection of these two EVs, the word is “Which car?” as in which one to buy. Thanks for the review.

This was a great comparison, thank you. Unfortunately I'm still waiting for the perfect large electric SUV

Any chance that auto manufacturers could eventually develop a single standard for batteries, so that they become interchangeable and easily replaced? Instead of pulling up to a charging station to recharge, you pull into a station and swap out your battery? You're in and out as quickly as you were filling your tank with gas? The stations make their money charging the batteries and swapping them out; maybe even make a few extra bucks washing the car?

You can buy two petrol versions of these cars and still have a chunk of change they are more than 100% more expensive. No amount of cheaper running costs can make up the difference.

Kia edges out the Kona a little but that front face of the Kona looks way betterto me. I'm 6 fee 2 inches and the Kia is my choice. I just wish the front was designed like the Kona.

you failed to mention the wireless charging and charging port in that forward cubby.

Do you know if NIO in China EV. Looks like the KIA here in USA

Very good review, thank you. C What would be useful would be a comparison of running costs so, for example, what does it cost to fully charge an e nero from empty to full. If I owned one and drive an average of 1000 miles a month, how does it compare to a petrol, diesel and hybrid. Just some of the questions going on in my mind :-)

I have an 2020 e-Nero and just love it and after charging says you can get 305 miles electric driving

What a review.

The reviewer seems to come from 2134

Was there any mention of what happens when you get a flat tire, where is the spare or what passes for one.

Why do manufacturers still insist on making the satnav look like a bolt on afterthought?

You marked down the Nissan leaf pretty much entirely because of the lack of steering wheel adjustment. Yet you don't even mention it on these cars

With the E Niro being cheaper than the Kona and it also has more trunk space as well as heated front seats as well as a heated steering wheel I think that I am more likely to buy a Niro. Great video man. Thanks Much!

No BSM on the Niro? Strange as I'm sure its on the Hybrid and PHEV models.

That Kia e Niro is the 2019 model. The 2020 model is much different inside.

Trying to see if its in the U.s

Wonder why no one ever talks about electric cars crash results when most of the cars are plastic and batteries?

Hope Hyundai and Kia improve the AC charging to 11 kw or 22 kw soon. Zoe is on a different level on AC charging that makes it very affordable to run with free charging at supermarkets and office.

"The steering wheel rides around your hands"....reminded me of the term "torque steer". sorry for the criticism :)

As a family car the E-Niro wins. You can fit a rear facing car seat in it even if you are 6ft plus. You cant fit one in the Kona. Infact some forward facing seats don't fit in the Kona. They are also different classes, Golf sized E-Niro or Polo sized Kona. If you don't have children then maybe you will prefer the smaller car and the heads up display and slightly funky looks.

Like the Kona number plate......

I think at the price of the Hyundai, they should have let the Genesis division fit out the interior. It looks and feels like an econobox inside and if I am going to extend to an electric to save the planet, I need something for myself as well. That can be comfort, performance, or both, but not neither.

I had to watch this again because this handsome man stole all my attention :DDD

You missed an important factor for a lot of car buyers... The Kona is by far the better looking car!

"upable" what?

Hi are going to do a review on the Kia e-niro and the Tesla model 3 ? Looking forward to this review please.

A detailed an interesting comparison of probably the best two real world EV’s out there today. I took delivery of my e-Niro here in France a couple of months ago..Anyone interested can follow the ownership experience on my Kia e-Niro Diaries, not the most professional Youtubing effort on EV’s here..I would recommend EV Puzzle and EV Opinion for some really well crafted reviews of EV’s from an owner’s perspective.

It was an easy decision for us considering you can't currently purchase or service a Kona EV in my state.

Kona looks amazing. The electric version is really impressive, shame it's so expensive. Toyota said that Hybrid technology is actually really cheap and simple, wonder why all Hybrids and Electric cars are that expensive...

Hold on why do y’all carry 2 chargers? Y’all already have 240v everywhere even in the US with the slower 3 pin chargers (110v) cars only come with 1 charger.

you can't see what in the hidden storage area in the dark... the prius 3rd gen makes the same mistake

Kona..Best range ever ❤️❤️❤️

How about the warranty on these cars?

Tesla Model Y vs Kona video ?

Yeah 30k USD on a subcompact is a bit steep and that is after incentives. I did a cost calculator of keeping my 2011 car vs buying a new 2020 kona and after 10 years of maintenance and cost of purchase and fuel i would still be coming out with 5k more by keeping my current car. It would take 15 years to actually equal out and at that point the kona is gonna be obsolete. That being said, people, keep your car till it cost mors to fix it than what it is worth. You will save yourself tons of money over your lifetime.

Do they have rear AC Vents for the Rear Passengers?