Hyundai Kona Electric (2026) Review

Introduction

Hyundai has been a highly regarded brand for many years now. It’s also navigating the road to electrification with apparent ease, with the likes of the impressive Ioniq 5 leading the way, and the sporty Ioniq 6 not far behind.

The larger electric SUV, the Ioniq 9, is also here. But there’s a smaller crossover that’s hoping not to be forgotten about: the Kona Electric.

It’s into its second generation now and has plenty going for it. Hyundai aims to attract those wanting something compact, agile, but also practical, without breaking the bank.

Petrol and hybrid models are offered too, but it’s the engineless one we’re interested in today. The Kona Electric first appeared around nine months after the petrol version’s initial launch in late 2017.

But when the second-generation model arrived in 2023, the electric version took priority – unlike the original, this has been designed from the ground up to be an electric car. So, is it any good?

Let’s find out.

What are the Pros & Cons of the Hyundai Kona Electric?

Pros:

• Impressive straight-line performance and ride comfort
• Practical boot and spacious cabin
• Well-equipped with a great infotainment system

Cons:

• Not much fun to drive
• Plenty of rivals offer faster charging
• Stormtrooper looks won't be to everyone's liking

What are the first impressions of the Hyundai Kona Electric?

If you’re into Sci-Fi, you might like the Kona.

It has been likened online to a stormtrooper, Robocop, and the robot costumes of French electronic group DaftPunk. We have even seen people compare it with the mysterious novelty general election candidate, Lord Buckethead (or his arch-nemesis, Count Binface).

Whatever your light-hearted take on its resemblances, the Kona is definitely from Earth - South Korea to be precise. The likenesses come from its rounded front end and the lightbar spanning its full width.

There are more lights to the sides, while an added layer of bodywork cuts inwards like two arrows. There is a blank space beneath, large enough to accommodate the charging port on one side, while underneath, there's a modest dotted pattern towards the floor.

Around the sides, there are creases, while the side skirts have an aggressive, straightened bulge.

The rear vaguely resembles the original Kona, with the old taillights replaced by a horizontal lightbar across the width of the tailgate, with the Hyundai badge and Kona lettering underneath. It is certainly a lot more imposing than the first-generation model.

What are the Hyundai Kona Electric’s key features?

The Kona Electric is offered in four trim levels.

Entry-level Advance gets 17-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, digital radio, navigation, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and keyless entry and go. Full LED automatic headlights and daytime running lights, LED brake lights, cloth upholstery, electric windows and a leather-wrapped steering wheel are also included.

Next up, N Line upgrades to 19-inch alloys, adds ambient cabin lighting, a heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats, silver side sills, privacy glass, an electrically operated tailgate, and a wireless phone charger.

N Line S gets a Bose premium sound system, electrically adjustable ventilated front seats, a head-up display, full LED projector headlights, N Line Alcantara and leather seat trim. It also adds a Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) function, enabling you to power other items from the car’s battery.

The top trim, Ultimate, gets eco suede and leather seat trim, an electrically openable glass sunroof, and satin-finish beltlines. In the petrol and hybrid models, a choice of 1.0-litre and 1.6-litre petrol engines is offered, with power outputs of 115, 129 or 138PS, though the equipment lists differ slightly. It is the electric model we’re interested in, though, which comes with front-wheel drive and 218PS – and we’re testing the top-spec Ultimate trim.

What is the range of the latest Hyundai Kona Electric, and what are the battery options?

There is only one battery option on the Kona now – there used to be two – but only the Long Range model is still offered.

It gets a 65.4kWh (usable) battery pack, capable of a claimed range of up to 319 miles depending on trim (our test car's is a bit lower at 290 miles). It is not class-leading, but the figures beat plenty of rivals.

Of course, don’t expect to achieve this range in practice –anything around two-thirds of the claimed figure is about right in the real world. Achieved range depends on many factors, including ambient temperature and driving style.

What’s the performance and drive like with the Hyundai Kona?

With 218PS from the electric motor, the Kona has plenty of poke in a straight line. Zero to 62mph takes 7.8 seconds – not bad for a car of this type – and more than four seconds quicker than the entry-level petrol model. The top speed is 107mph.

Accelerating quickly to motorway speed isn't an issue, and if you do a lot of three - or four-lane driving, you’ll find it comfortable, fairly refined and quiet. Smart (adaptive) cruise control on all models helps maintain the gap to the vehicle ahead, making longer journeys even more relaxing.

Around town, though, is where the Kona really excels. It has light steering, making easy work of navigating the tighter turns of town centres, and it has enough punch from the electric motor to make good progress on ring roads.

Take it out of town and on to a winding B-road, though, and you’ll quickly find the Kona feels out of its comfort zone. There is quite a lot of body roll around faster bends, and it’s not much fun to drive. The compact SUV is not hopeless, though.

There is enough grip around corners, but the steering doesn't weight up much, and it's not designed for agility on rural, national-speed-limit roads. The soft suspension gives that away immediately - but that means it’s comfortable and quite serene to drive, especially as wind and road noise are well contained.

Admittedly, its absorbing nature can make it feel a bit bouncy over rougher road surfaces, taking time to settle back down. Regenerative braking helps to recoup some energy under deceleration, with the system’s ferocity adjusted by pulling paddles behind the steering wheel.

One-pedal braking is possible in its maximum setting, while at the other extreme, the system can be turned off entirely. In all modes, though, we found the braking to be consistent and predictable.

How fast can the Hyundai Kona Electric charge?

The Kona isn’t the quickest, but at a rate of 101kW DC, a 10-80% battery top-up takes around 40 minutes at maximum speed. Using a typical home wallbox at around 7kW AC will result in a full 0-100% charge in about ten-and-a-half hours.

What are the running costs and emissions for the Hyundai Kona Electric?

It will be cheap to run, that's for sure – especially if you charge the Kona at home and avoid more expensive public chargers. Electric cars no longer get free road tax, but it’s only £10 for the first year, then £195 a year thereafter (subject to annual increases).

If you were buying rather than leasing, the Kona costs under £40,000, so you wouldn't have to pay the Expensive Car Supplement, which adds £425-a-year (again, subject to annual increases) to your road tax for years two to six inclusive.

However, our top-of-the-range Ultimate test car is the outlier: add on the most expensive optional extra pack (which we’ll cover later) and the price creeps past the threshold. But there’s good news if you’re buying and really want everything the Kona has to offer, as the threshold for zero-emissions cars is being raised to £50,000 in April 2026.

Even better, the Kona has just been approved for Band 2 of the Government’s Electric Car Grant, saving you £1,500 on the purchase price if purchasing new. But you’re here to lease with our fab prices – and, as an electric car, the Kona is in the bottom band for Benefit-in-Kind tax. This makes it very attractive to lease as a company car, though, of course, all zero-emissions cars can say the same – there’s no shortage of them nowadays.

In terms of reliability, the Kona has performed reasonably well so far. Hyundai still ranks fairly high up the league tables, though its position towards the very top is slipping slightly as other manufacturers finally catch up.

What’s the interior and technology like with the Hyundai Kona Electric?

The Kona Electric has a pleasant, yet conservative, interior design. Silver detailing is modest, though you’ll find some on the steering wheel spokes, while a lighter grey on the controls beneath the infotainment screen ensures it’s not entirely monotonal.

The steering wheel is bold with a large airbag box in the middle, but it’s the 12.3-inch infotainment screen that grabs your attention, housed in a single unit along with the large digital driver’s display behind the steering wheel. The resulting wraparound effect makes all the difference in how premium the cabin design appears.

Sharp graphics and a screen that’s very responsive to touches, swipes and prods from your fingers result in an infotainment system that's nice to use. The menu layout is intuitive, and the addition of physical shortcut buttons makes it even easier to navigate, making it one of the best systems on the market for this type of car.

As we said earlier, the Kona comes generously equipped, with heated front chairs and a wireless phone charger included as standard on all but the entry-level model. Our test car, in Ultimate trim, gets an electric glass sunroof and, along with the N Line S, ventilated front seats, a rather cool head-up display, and a seven-speaker Bose Premium sound system with a banging subwoofer.

Build quality is also high, with a fine choice of materials resulting in solidly built switches and buttons that feel well-damped and satisfying to press or adjust. There are plenty of soft-to-the-touch, plush materials, too, though the cabin isn’t free of plasticky bits, which cheapen the feel.

Is the Hyundai Kona Electric practical, and how big is the boot?

The Kona offers a pleasingly high driving position. Our Ultimate trim comes with electrically adjustable front seats, making it simple to find a supportive driving position. However, you'll have to make do with manual seat adjustment on the bottom two trim levels.

Driver’s lumbar support is included on all models, and once you’ve found a fitting driving position, it remains comfortable throughout a long journey. Visibility is reasonably good, too, in part thanks to the perched driving position and, more importantly, because the front windscreen pillars have been designed to be as thin as possible.

Inevitably, as in most cars, the rear pillars are thicker, and the view is not helped by the side supports of the roof spoiler, which itself dips slightly, and a thick black border around the rear windscreen.

As a result, you won’t be able to see as much over your shoulder, though the back window isn’t as shallow as some competitors. A rear-view camera and fore-and-aft parking sensors are included on all trims, while N Line S and Ultimate also get them on the sides.

There is a lot of head and leg room in the front seats, while the cabin is sufficiently wide to avoid shoulder brushing when two people are up front. The rear is notable, too, with taller adults fitting in well, even if someone lofty is sat in front of them – it's certainly more accommodating than some rivals.

Getting three adults in the back is possible, too. Mind you, this is unlikely to be comfy on longer journeys, as the middle seat isn’t that wide and has a hump, but the cabin’s overall width and flat floor make things more bearable. The back seats can recline slightly, too, though not much.

It has a 466-litre boot – about on a par with plenty of peers, including the Kia Niro EV (which offers marginally more at 475-litres) and significantly more than the 273-litres you'll get in a Smart #1 – though the Smart’s interior looks nicer. Cargo space increases to 1,300 litres with the rear seats folded in a versatile 40:20:40 configuration, instead of the 60:40 split you’ll get in many competitors.

The boot floor is height-adjustable, reducing the loading lip and removing the ridge created when the rear seats are folded down. Underfloor space lets you store charging cables and other small items. You will find a large cubby in the centre console, two cupholders and a USB port, though the door bins aren't the largest.

How safe is the Hyundai Kona Electric?

The Hyundai Kona was tested by Euro NCAP in 2023 and earned a four-star rating, scoring 80% for adult occupants, 83% for child occupants, and 60% for safety assists. That is not bad, though every single Hyundai tested since has earned higher scores in each category, except for the tiny Inster crossover city car.

The Kona's safety kit includes automatic emergency braking, tyre pressure monitoring, lane keep assist, intelligent speed limit assist, manual speed limit assist, forward collision avoidance assist, lane following assist, and adaptive cruise control.

You also get a rear-view camera, highway drive assist, driver status window, and front and rear parking sensors on all models. Our Ultimate-trimmed test car, as well as the N Line S, adds blind-spot monitoring, parking and blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, and upgrades to a 360-degree camera.

Can I choose optional extras with the Hyundai Kona Electric?

There are many optional extras offered on the Kona, but you can downgrade from 19-inch to 17-inch alloys on the Ultimate trim without charge, which will improve ride comfort, even if it won’t look as impressive. You can also pay extra for black or grey leather upholstery.

The Lux Pack adds a digital key, driver’s seat memory function, enhancements to forward collision avoidance and highway drive assist, a heated charging door, premium relaxation front seats and remote smart park assist.

For some reason, choosing either the leather upholstery or the Lux Pack mandates downgrading to 17-inch alloys. As we said earlier, if you were buying outright, choosing the Lux Pack with leather option ups the asking price to just above the £40,000 threshold for the Expensive Car Supplement (ahead of the EV threshold rising in April 2026) – it's the same as adding the Lux Pack to N Line S.

There are several colours to choose from, including solid bright red, the default colour. If you pay extra, you can have solid white, metallic in red, orange, or silver, or pearl in black, dark grey, light blue, dark blue, white, or, in the case of our test car, dark green (officially called 'Cypress Green'). N Line and N Line S get slightly less choice in terms of paint, though N Line can get a black roof – but only if you choose the light blue body colour.

What are the rival cars to the Hyundai Kona Electric?

The Hyundai Kona Electric is not short of competition. Kia offers the Niro EV and the EV3, while MG has the ZS EV and S5 EV, and Skoda is hot on their heels with the Elroq.

The Vauxhall Mokka Electric is also worth considering, as is the Peugeot e-2008. There is also the Volvo EX30 and Ford Puma Gen-E. Failing that, you could look at leasing a Nissan Juke, Renault Captur, or Volkswagen T-Roc, though none are electric.

What’s the final verdict on the Hyundai Kona Electric?

The Hyundai Kona Electric is a good bet in many ways. 

It offers suitable performance, a comfortable ride, a reasonable interior, plenty of cabin space, and a practical, on-par boot. Its official range figure is impressive, too, and the infotainment system is among the best we’ve used, while the list price undercuts plenty of competitors.

But although it’s suited to motorway and around-town driving, plenty of foes offer more engaging handling and faster charging speeds. The entry-level Advance model will suffice for most, though we’d recommend the N Line trim, which offers a lot of additional equipment. Our Ultimate model, though, is not to be shied away from if you can make the jump – it’s also priced the same as N Line S, so you’re effectively getting slightly more for free.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Hyundai Kona Electric 

**Correct as of 12/03/2026. Based on 12 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 12 monthly payments, or £3,779.76 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.

Every lease deal is a fixed monthly cost for the whole of your contract, apart from changes to government costs, e.g. VAT changes or road fund license cost changes and in certain specific cases where the funder changes the price. Electric range quoted is WLTP.

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