The Hyundai Kona Electric SUV has received refreshed styling and a raft of technology upgrades for 2021, and is now available to order from £30,125 after the government's £3000 EV grant.
That price is for the entry-level SE Connect car equipped with a 134bhp motor and a 39.2kWh battery giving 189 miles of range. The longer-range 64kWh battery pack - giving 300 miles of range - and more powerful 201bhp motor are available from £35,225 in Premium trim, or £37,375 in top-rung Ultimate guise.
The most dramatic of the changes for Hyundai's flagship EV is the removal of the grille panel, with the front end adopting a smooth look that sets it apart more obviously from the regular Hyundai Kona.
That car’s new narrow LED daytime-running lights and redesigned headlights are carried over, however, as are the wraparound body crease and aerodynamics-enhancing lower air inlets. The rear end has largely been left untouched, but subtly reshaped lights help to distinguish it from the old car.
The Kona Electric now has a 10.25in digital dial display as standard, while a recent update ushered in an optional same-sized touchscreen, up from the standard 8.0in one. In addition, rear passengers now gain heated seats and a new USB port.
Upgrades to Hyundai’s Bluelink connectivity service bring voice control, remote charging to benefit from off-peak energy rates and remote climate control to preheat the car if it’s plugged in.
New safety features for 2021 include blindspot assistance, rear cross-traffic assistance, safe exit warning and eCall, which automatically alerts the emergency services in the event of an accident.
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New-look Hyundai Kona gains N Line trim, mild-hybrid options
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Nice to see some people still can't have a civilised discussion without childish insults or taking offence at legitimate comments.
Regarding this car, the bottom line for me is that it costs too much for a small hatchback, no matter how it's powered.
Running costs of an EV are also controversial, and their manufacture, the energy source used to charge them and battery disposal / recycling are anything but emission free.
A quick look on Nissan's website at servicing costs on the Leaf shows prices that aren't much different from the servicing costs for my current ICE car so finding out facts before making assumptions is worthwhile, even if the assumptions are based on what seems like common sense.
Charging away from home is much more expensive (at the moment but who knows what extra taxes or increased tariffs the energy companies will introduce) but with so many cars having small real-world ranges, you're likely to have to charge away from home more often.
Buying a car to take advantage of politically-motivated incentives (such as free road fund licence and congestion charge exemption) is never a good reason to buy a car (especially one that costs around £40k) because they can be taken away at any time and should never be considered to be a long-term benefit. Just look at what happened to people buying diesel cars which used to be entitled to low road fund licence rates.
Comparisons between prices of ICE and EVs now ignores the fact that car manufacturers have been rapidly increasing the price of ICE cars in recent times to close the price gap with EVs (which will never become cheaper as the technology becomes cheaper as predicted). Those ridiculous price rises have been hidden behind monthly payment finance deals and mild refreshes – when do you ever see car adverts quoting the list price? It’s just the monthly payment and some people don’t bother finding out about how much it’s really going to cost them. My current car that's just a few years old now costs 60% more for the same trim / engine. It's all part of the plan to get people signing up to EVs with huge prices via finance deals but people will just end up wasting huge amounts of money on something they never actually own and like a drug addict are left with no option but to take out another lease at the end of the term because the final payment to own the car will be out of reach.
So what's the answer? For me, thanks to lockdown, I can now work at home and that will continue after Covid-19 is dealt with. I've got used to walking a lot more too, and like the idea of getting a bicycle and public transport is there for longer journeys. So we don't need two cars in our household, and can probably do without a car at all for most of the time.
Yes, as a lifelong car enthusiast that's quite a change of heart, but politicians, car makers and councils have made me like this. And at the end of the day, I'll be damned if I'll pay approaching £40k for a small hatchback in the trim I want, no matter how it’s powered.
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