- Button-heavy dashboard untrendy but functional
- Boot capacity better than rivals
- Odd feel to brakes with hybrid powertrain
The Hyundai Kona offers a range of specs that should suit most buyers’ needs, if perhaps without an outstanding USP.
Overview
Amid the excitement of Hyundai’s SUV model launches over the past couple of years – the funky Inster and cavernous Santa Fe among them – the brand’s customers could be forgiven for overlooking the Kona. However, evidence suggests this isn’t happening, with the model ranking as Hyundai’s second best-selling model in the UK in 2025, behind only the Tucson.
The first-generation Kona, launched in 2017, became an early example of a car being offered with or without a plug – the electric version (which arrived in 2018) was Hyundai’s second full EV – and a hybrid also followed. This breadth of powertrain options continued when the current, second-generation version was introduced in 2023. At present, there are two petrol engine options – a 1.0-litre with 115PS and six-speed manual transmission, and a 1.6-litre with 150PS, with either six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission. The hybrid, which we tested, pairs a 1.6-litre, 102PS petrol engine with a 32kW electric motor, with a total system output of 138PS. The Kona Electric comes with a 218PS motor and a 65kWh battery.
Hyundai describes the Kona as a B-segment SUV, however at 4,350mm long – a 145mm increase compared with the first-gen version – it’s really at more of a halfway point between B-SUVs such as the Ford Puma and the C-segment likes of the Nissan Qashqai. The most obvious rival for the Kona is its group cousin the Kia Niro – however, this is currently only available to order as a plug-in hybrid from run-out stock, pending a decision on whether the UK gets a newly facelifted version. Other rivals for the Kona include the Citroen C3 Aircross and Toyota C-HR.
Pricing and spec
The Kona range includes four trim options: Advance, N Line, N Line S (as tested) and Ultimate. Standard features of Advance trim, priced from £27,290, include 17-inch alloy wheels (18-inch with hybrids), roof rails, automatic lights and wipers, dual-zone climate control and keyless entry.
Further features of N Line trim, priced from £30,040, include N Line styling, heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, ambient interior lighting and a power tailgate.
N Line S trim, priced from £33,290, adds equipment such as Alcantara and leather seat trim, electrically adjustable front seats, three-zone air conditioning, a Bose premium sound system and full projection LED headlights.
Ultimate trim, also priced from £33,290, shares many features of N Line S spec without the sporty design features, but does add an opening sunroof.
The Kona’s range starting price is around £5,000 above that of the more value-focused C3 Aircross, but well below that of the hybrid-only C-HR. In the hybrid N Line S spec we tested, priced at £35,655, the Kona comes in around £4,000 cheaper than an equivalent C-HR.
The Kona Electric recently became eligible for the UK Government’s full £3,750 Electric Car Grant. With this applied, the model now starts from £31,250 – still nearly £7,000 more than an e-C3 Aircross in more comparable Extended Range form despite that model only getting a £1,500 grant, although the Hyundai is much more powerful and has a bigger battery. The Kona Electric is also pricier than a similarly sized Jaecoo 5 EV.
The Kona comes with Hyundai’s impressive five-year/unlimited mileage warranty – the Kona Electric also gets an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty for the EV battery. Service intervals are one-year/10,000 miles for petrol and hybrid Konas – double that for EVs.
Related reading: Long-term review: Toyota C-HR keeps you happily hybrid
Technology
All Konas come as standard with a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen next to a 12.3-inch driver display, both of which perform well. Sat-nav is standard, as is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.
The infotainment screen sits above a big panel of buttons, which looks a bit outdated in terms of design, but is a functional way of controlling climate and media functions.
We appreciate the way the car warns you when a phone is left in the wireless charger (standard with all but Advance trim) as you exit.
Safety
Standard driver assistance systems with the Kona include downhill brake control, driver attention warning, forward collision avoidance assist with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection and junction turning function, intelligent speed assist, lane keep and follow assist, cruise control (smart cruise control with automatic models), front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera. Further features with the N Line S and Ultimate trims include blind spot collision avoidance assist, rear cross traffic collision avoidance assist, side parking sensors, reversing collision avoidance assist, safe exit warning and a 360-degree camera system.
The blind spot system with camera views appearing on the instrument panel when indicators are switched on has been available with Hyundais for a while, but we still think it’s a great idea – very useful both when changing lanes on a motorway and when parking next to a kerb.
Audible overspeed warnings and the lane assist system can be switched off, should drivers wish, with an extended press of buttons on the steering wheel.
The Kona received four out of five stars from safety organisation Euro NCAP in 2023, with relatively stronger scores for occupant protection than for vulnerable road user protection and safety systems.
Driving experience
With the hybrid powertrain’s 138PS, the level of acceleration on offer is reasonable – it’s best to take a measured throttle approach and ride the torque from the electric motor, since flooring the accelerator just seems to bring increased engine noise (though not too loud) without much in the way of extra propulsion. It also doesn’t feel that responsive when accelerating out of corners.
We averaged 53.8mpg during our time with the Kona. An official WLTP combined figure of 60.1mpg is slightly better than the equivalent C-HR.
We found the Kona’s brakes a little tricky to use smoothly – it feels like the pedal always needs a bit more of a shove than you’d expect. There is adjustable regenerative braking available – three different levels of regen, or off – but experimenting with this didn’t seem to help. The level of regeneration is selected via paddles, which when the Sport drive mode is engaged instead control gearshifts. Speaking of drive modes, there’s also an intriguing Snow option, which sadly we weren’t able to try out during our summer test.
The Kona’s handling is OK – body roll is well controlled and composure is maintained in bends, but it isn’t what we’d call engaging. Ride quality is reasonably good, though not outstanding.
Practicality
Red interior elements with the N Line trims add some sporty style to an otherwise dark colour palate. The seats offer a good level of side bolstering and comfort, while their ventilation function (standard with the N Line S and Ultimate trims) proved very welcome in hot weather conditions during our test, particularly when the car had been parked in the sun for a while.
Given that N Line S trim sits alongside Ultimate at the top of the Kona range, we would describe interior trim quality as decent but no more than that, with a fair amount of scratchy plastic still present. Between the front seats there’s a useful storage area with retractable cupholders.
Given the size of the vehicle, rear legroom is impressive, standing comparison with medium SUVs. Headroom is also good. Rear passengers also have access to two USB charging ports, although their integration looks a bit of an afterthought.
Whichever powertrain is selected, all Kona’s come with a usefully large 466-litre boot – slightly bigger than the boot of the C3 Aircross and a chunk larger than that found with the C-HR. All but entry-level Konas benefit from a 40/20/40 split rear seat folding arrangement. The seats nearly fold flat with the adjustable boot floor in its highest position, with which you also get a near-flat load lip and a fairly large underfloor space.
