Used Hyundai Kona Electric 2018-present review

Before the Hyundai Kona Electric came along in 2018, it used to be accepted wisdom that in order to get an electric car with a petrol-equivalent driving range, you'd need to buy an expensive new Tesla Model 3 or Jaguar I-Pace.

The Kona Electric changed the rules. It was a car you could buy that claimed to be able to travel up to 300 miles between charges, thanks to its large 64kWh battery.

No Kona Electric feels particularly slow, but it's the 64kWh version that's a real tyre-shredder. No really, you do have to be quite careful with the accelerator because the performance on offer is available in an instant and can easily overwhelm the low rolling-resistance rubber, leading to some unruly tyre squeal unless you restrain yourself. 

Body lean is kept in check better than an MG ZS EV, for example, but the Kona Electric doesn't drive as well as a Kia e-Niro because the steering isn't as accurate, nor does the Kona grip as well in the corners. The Hyundai will also jostle you over smaller bumps more, plus it suffers from greater levels of road and wind noise once up to speed.

Visually, the interior is appealing to look at and is well-screwed together, but there aren't the plush soft touch plastics you'll find in an e-Niro. The driving position is pretty good, mind, and the steering wheel has a full range of adjustments, unlike the Nissan Leaf. Rear seat accommodation is on the small side in the Kona, as is the boot, which also has a bit of a lip to lug items over.

The Kona EV was heavily facelifted in 2021. It features a mildly restyled front end, an updated interior and a host of new safety technology, with blind-spot and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance systems. 

If you're interested in finding a used Kona Electric, or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to the Used Car Buying pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

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