2024 Hyundai Kona Electric

The Hyundai Kona Electric is the entry-level EV in a brand that’s been quickly expanding its electric offerings. Slotted below the Ioniq 5 SUV and Ioniq 6 sedan, the Hyundai Kona Electric is fully redesigned for 2024 with a roomier interior, updated technology, and two electric powertrain offerings. The class-leading warranty of this SUV should give drivers peace of mind about going electric.

The Hyundai Kona Electric competes on the more affordable side of small electric SUVs with the Kia Niro EV, Volkswagen ID.4, and Chevrolet Equinox EV.

The standard, gasoline-powered 2024 Hyundai Kona is reviewed separately.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this collection of small all-electric SUVs.

The 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric is all-new for 2024.

The Kona Electric is on the more affordable side of electric SUVs. Other options at a similar price point include the Kia Niro EV, Chevrolet Equinox EV, and Volkswagen ID.4.

Before buying a Kona Electric, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Hyundai Kona Electric resale value is about average for an electric SUV.

The Hyundai Kona Electric is powered by a 133-horsepower electric motor matched with a 46.8-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack and front-wheel drive. A 64.8-kWh battery is available, upgrading the performance to 201 horsepower. Both powertrain setups are front-wheel drive and generate 188 lb-ft of torque.

Despite the somewhat low horsepower rating of the base model, we still expect reasonably quick acceleration, which is typical with EVs. The more powerful 201-horsepower variant will likely move around town with more confidence and have an easier time passing on the highway.

In our testing of the gas-powered version of the new Hyundai Kona, we enjoyed its pleasant ride, responsive steering, and agile handling that often comes with small SUVs. We expect a similar ride and handling with the electric version, albeit with extra weight.

We love the high-tech design of the new Hyundai Kona Electric interior. We appreciated the minimalistic design and user-friendly tech features when we tested the new gas-powered Kona. Like the exterior design, we find the interior design to be unique without being too showy about being an EV.

The Hyundai Kona Electric has grown with its 2024 redesign, which yields significantly more interior room than its predecessor. The outgoing Kona Electric was low on cargo space, and rear-seat legroom was just OK. That’s been remedied with 25.5 cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seats, plus a little front trunk with just under one cubic foot of volume. That trunk space is a 32% increase over the 2023 Kona Electric. It also boasts 38.3 inches of rear legroom, a 14% increase over the 2023 model.

The stylish new exterior of the Hyundai Kona Electric has bold body lines, a sharp light signature, and what Hyundai calls “parametric pixels.” It certainly stands out in a segment not typically known for daring design. The extra 5.7 inches of length compared to the previous model gives the Kona Electric a slightly bigger footprint, but it’s still pleasantly compact.

Up to 261 miles of range
The optional battery pack in the Hyundai Kona Electric gives this SUV an impressive 261-mile range and 201 horsepower. It’s easy to recommend if your budget allows it.

Fast-charging capability
Hyundai estimates that the battery in the Kona Electric can go from 10% to 80% in just 43 minutes with DC fast charging.

Dual panoramic displays
Dual 12.3-inch panoramic displays have gorgeous graphics and a user-friendly interface. Connectivity features like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come standard.

i-Pedal
The i-Pedal is a new feature in the all-new Kona Electric. It allows for one-pedal driving, so you can accelerate, decelerate, and even come to a complete stop while only using the accelerator pedal.

SmartSense safety features
A long list of safety tech features available in the Kona Electric include automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistant, adaptive cruise control, Blind-Spot View Monitor, and the Highway Driving Assist semi-autonomous driving system.

Bidirectional charging
A Vehicle-to-Load function in the Kona Electric lets you use this EV like a generator. Use it to charge devices or even power the necessities in your home in an emergency.

A significant difference in range, plus the improved performance, makes the bigger battery pack easy for us to recommend. Hyundai estimates a range of 200 miles with the standard battery and 261 miles with the optional bigger battery. For comparison, the estimated range for the Kia Niro Electric is 253 miles, and the range of the Volkswagen ID.4 ranges from 209 to 275 miles.

Hyundai’s estimated charging time for the bigger battery to go from 10% to 80% capacity with DC fast charging is approximately 43 minutes.

According to Hyundai’s testing, the standard 48.6-kWh battery has a 200-mile range and makes 133 horsepower, while the bigger 64.8-kWh battery gets 261 miles of range and produces 201 horsepower. With either battery pack, the Kona Electric makes 188 lb-ft of torque.

5-Year/60,000-Mile Warranty

The Hyundai Kona Electric has a class-leading warranty. It’s backed by a 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. It also comes with a 3-year/36,000-mile complimentary maintenance plan.

Safety

No third-party agency has safety rated the Hyundai Kona Electric. However, it provides an array of safety tech like automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring. The combustion version of the 2024 Hyundai Kona is an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick+. We expect the Kona Electric to do as well when tested.