The Hyundai Kona Electric was used by Fully Charged’s Robert Llewellyn and his wife for over a year and 20,000 miles (32,000), which is enough to draw some conclusions.
Is it a game-changer as it was expected to be back in November 2018? Well, for sure it’s a “brilliant” electric car – one of the most popular and for sure, one of the most affordable among BEVs with a long range. It’s easy to drive and reliable too.
The car with a 64 kWh battery (the total capacity is 67.1 kWh) has plenty of range, while the 150 kW electric motor provides good acceleration 7.6 seconds (0-100 km/h / 62 mph). It’s also highly efficient, and charges at up to around 70 kW DC.
One of the things that makes Kona Electric special is regenerative braking power control through paddles on the steering wheel. So far, no maintenance was needed, but since it’s a relatively new car, that’s not a surprise.
Among the few drawbacks, Robert mentions too responsive power delivery at low speeds, which easily spins tires in the parking lot. The UI (touch screen) is not very responsive, but the sat-nav is ok.
Recently, the South Korean company started production of the 64 kWh version in the Czech Republic, hoping to produce over 35,000 units within 12-months.