Disappointed With My New Kona EV's Range

[dcisive]

I was enthusiastic about buying a new 2025 Kona Limited EV recently. My first 100% charges at home were indeed right up to that 261mi estimated. It dropped during the first 2 weeks to the 240's. It was perhaps about 45 degrees Fahrenheit in garage. I charged up to 100% prior to a micro trip I wanted to go on which was about 100 miles each way. On the way stopped at Electrify American 350kwh station just to top up as I'd not used one before. I admit I did NOT pre condition the battery on a 40 degree day. I'd basically driven about 55 miles at that point and was already at 72% charge. I was only able to pull 32kwh so only stayed there about a half hour getting it to 81%. I left and continued onto the remainder of the one way part of the trip which was about 50 miles. On the way home it was burning electrons like crazy. I got home at 1%. at 20% on the highway it alerted me to stop and charge. At 10% it warned me once again about taking a break and charging.

I was pleasantly surprised at no point did it slow my speed by default as some cars will do. But I figured it was damn the torpedoes as I had NO Place along the way to charge. Drove up and plugged in my Level 2 charger and was ok. But honestly the estimated 261miles for this car is greatly inflated, which greatly disappoints me. I was coming from a 2021 ID-4 RWD which was rated at 240mi and while it was no long ranger tended to sip it's electrons a bit better.

I have a trip in My coming up I'd strongly considered taking this car on which is about 275mi each way. Plenty of charging places along the way on I-15 but according to A Better Route Planner would spend about 2 hours of charging which is just absurd to me. I thought for sure it could be made with at the most 2 charges and about an hour total. But after this little run this week don't doubt it may be a long road to hoe. I'm hoping it has more to do with the temperature than anything else and that perhaps in May with warmer temps I'll get a lot closer to the estimated mileage. But at 80mph it's not likely. Any thoughts? Sure makes that Ioniq 6 long range look good.

 

[R P]

Range specs are always based on ideal conditions, biggest is temp. It is winter now, and both range and charging speeds will be adversely affected. You mentioned 80 mph. Speed and wind direction also have an impact, and even more so in winter due to the denser air increasing the drag. I had a 2019 Kona and it usually beat the spec range, esp in the summer and with city driving. I would expect the 2025 to be at least as good. One other thing, range gets a little better after a couple thousand kms as parts wear in. And oh, increase your tire PSIs by a couple, and in winter remember those drop also because of temp.

So give your new car a little time to get used to and what range to expect under different conditions. BTW I have an Ioniq 6. Its range is actually pretty close to my old Kona, but charges a lot faster. However, it too, is still affected by speed and temps.

 

[dcisive]

This is encouraging to hear. I won't be too judgmental till The temps begin to head into the 60's and beyond. I keep my air pressure at 37psi which while driving typically reaches 39psi, so I feel that's ideal. I LOVE the built in tire pressure monitor system. Lets me keep an eye on that easily and accurately. I did note virtually NO wind noise at 80mph which is a real first for me with any car I've owned. Very little road noise to speak of as well. One can easily hold a normal conversation no issues. Soaks up bumps real nicely as well. I'll say this when you shut the door on this baby it conveys solid as a rock. Nothing says cheap in fit or finish.

 

[insightman]

This is encouraging to hear. I won't be too judgmental till The temps begin to head into the 60's and beyond. I keep my air pressure at 37psi which while driving typically reaches 39psi, so I feel that's ideal. I LOVE the built in tire pressure monitor system. Lets me keep an eye on that easily and accurately. I did note virtually NO wind noise at 80mph which is a real first for me with any car I've owned. Very little road noise to speak of as well. One can easily hold a normal conversation no issues. Soaks up bumps real nicely as well. I'll say this when you shut the door on this baby it conveys solid as a rock. Nothing says cheap in fit or finish.

You may be happy, but your local gas stations are weeping.

 

[ENirogus]

Range estimates are based on actual use/driving style temperature.
Read up on fast charging. Fast charging when at high states of charge is not very productive.
You went on a 100 mile trip, charged while out and could not make it home?
Were you driving 100 mph and blasting the heat on 100 with the windows open?
That is not normal

tire pressure is rated as 'cold' which means before you start out. All tires have higher pressure after driving

 

[Keith Smith]

I keep my tires at 38-40psi.

80MPH is going to seriously effect your range. Seriously, seriously. If you slow down to 70MPH you will improve your range by 10% at least. Rain or snow that creates any kind of film on the road will reduce your range by as much as 40%. The simplest way to extend your range if you get caught in a weird spot is SLOW DOWN. Might cost you 15 or 20 minutes, which will be a lot less time than a tow. GOM was dropping 2 for 1 in a steady rain on a trip rolling 65-70mph slowed down to 55 and it changed to 3 for 2. Limped into the EA with '--', thank goodness it was functioning. Once we got off the interstate, and rolled at 40-50Mph the last 10 miles, The GOM stopped dropping like a rock.

You would have dropped to turtle mode at some point, you never actually made it there. I've dropped the GOM to '--' twice since I owned my Niro, never in my Kona, though I did take it down to 20 intentionally once.

At '--' I never hit turtle mode, The last time it stopped guessing I was only about 5 miles from home, and knew I was fine after the earlier incident. I did a good 10 miles the first time. Check some of the you-tube videos, a couple of guys in England drove 4 EV's to the last gasp, 70MPH down a limited access most of the way. Niro did about 270+ to the charger, Kona is the same power plant, slightly smaller vehicle and there have been some firmware improvements that improve range, but the #1 thing is going to be speed. The Kona is not very slick in the drag department.

I'd take a look and see if the extra 10-20 minutes of time you save at 80 vs 70 per charge cycle is worth it. If you can slow down a little and charge at your destination, instead of stopping on the way you make it up. Frankly since I got the EV I really never go over 70 anymore. Safer and my focus has switched from how long it takes to get from A to B to how far I can get on a charge

 

[dcisive]

Range estimates are based on actual use/driving style temperature.
Read up on fast charging. Fast charging when at high states of charge is not very productive.
You went on a 100 mile trip, charged while out and could not make it home?
Were you driving 100 mph and blasting the heat on 100 with the windows open?
That is not normal

tire pressure is rated as 'cold' which means before you start out. All tires have higher pressure after driving

A bit snarky are we. I never exceeded 80mph. But admit no doubt anything above 60mph is likely to suck up the electrons. Heat was on 72 degrees F and set to Driver Only to conserve. This was simply an experiment. Initially a bit disappointed but realize I implemented several things in the worst of conditions. Not pre conditioning the battery prior to my charge stop as it was pretty cold outside (about 27 degrees F). Oh well down the road I'll try this again doing it right.

 

[dcisive]

I keep my tires at 38-40psi.

80MPH is going to seriously effect your range. Seriously, seriously. If you slow down to 70MPH you will improve your range by 10% at least. Rain or snow that creates any kind of film on the road will reduce your range by as much as 40%. The simplest way to extend your range if you get caught in a weird spot is SLOW DOWN. Might cost you 15 or 20 minutes, which will be a lot less time than a tow. GOM was dropping 2 for 1 in a steady rain on a trip rolling 65-70mph slowed down to 55 and it changed to 3 for 2. Limped into the EA with '--', thank goodness it was functioning. Once we got off the interstate, and rolled at 40-50Mph the last 10 miles, The GOM stopped dropping like a rock.

You would have dropped to turtle mode at some point, you never actually made it there. I've dropped the GOM to '--' twice since I owned my Niro, never in my Kona, though I did take it down to 20 intentionally once.

At '--' I never hit turtle mode, The last time it stopped guessing I was only about 5 miles from home, and knew I was fine after the earlier incident. I did a good 10 miles the first time. Check some of the you-tube videos, a couple of guys in England drove 4 EV's to the last gasp, 70MPH down a limited access most of the way. Niro did about 270+ to the charger, Kona is the same power plant, slightly smaller vehicle and there have been some firmware improvements that improve range, but the #1 thing is going to be speed. The Kona is not very slick in the drag department.

I'd take a look and see if the extra 10-20 minutes of time you save at 80 vs 70 per charge cycle is worth it. If you can slow down a little and charge at your destination, instead of stopping on the way you make it up. Frankly since I got the EV I really never go over 70 anymore. Safer and my focus has switched from how long it takes to get from A to B to how far I can get on a charge

I did notice today when I had to take a little jaunt (a half hour drive) to another town to shop I was averaging 63mph and was getting 4.1kwh efficiency which is not too shabby. It was 27 degrees F outside too so hardly warm. Much better results indeed. Like you said well below 70mph will yield some nicer results. That last trip I was at 1% left and was wondering when you reach "0" how many miles can someone actually go before the car literally dies?

 

[electriceddy]

Range estimates are based on actual use/driving style temperature.

Seeing as the GOM range is based on the last 30 drives recorded in the driving history , I had a look at mine.
New Kona EV - picked up on January 14, however the first "drive" recorded was on 09/20/2020- 28.0 kWh/100 km (or 28 Wh/km) distance 1km.
2nd recorded "drive" 11/25/2024- 16.8 kWh/100km, also 1 km distance.
After that, the recorded drives were "normal" after delivery date 3rd drive - 14/1/2025- 19.5 kWh/100km, and progressively worse as it is a cold snap here, the least efficient ones being 37.0 and 47.6 kWh/100km.
Door tag reads manufacture date Nov 24.
The attached battery label below reads 2024/10/30

My guess is the pack manufactured on Oct 10/2024 was programed with the original BMS firmware from Sept 9/2020.
On November 25th 2024, the pack was installed into my newly manufactured car with BMS version 6228 ( maybe updated firmware and test drive of 1 km or less).
Where I am going with this is I took delivery of a new car c/w pack at probably the worst time for energy consumption efficiency, with it's pre-set average BMS limitations programmed and cold temperatures which are much below the average.
My new car shows 330 km range @ 80%, my old 21 Kona EV showed 495 range @ 100% the day I traded it in.
Am I worried?
Heck no... I expect that the best GOM range won't show up until mid to late summer when the temps etc have increased and the previous 30 drives which the GOM is based on move that range back up again.
I wouldn't expect the same peak ~ 550 kms that I had with the 21 MY, as the new car is probably less aerodynamic with its front end flatter, bigger car, 19" wheels as opposed to 17" etc, but hopefully ~ 450 to 475 kms would be enough to make me smile again.

 

[Wattson]

2024 Kona SEL purchased in February 2024.
- First trip (490 miles) 1 week after purchase. Temperature in the low 40's. 2.7 to 3.0m/kwh. Charge rate 38kw.
- 10 months later 400 mile trip to Vancouver Island: @26 to 30 degrees 3.3m/kwh, speed 60mph. On the first charge rate 38 to 44 kw. On the second charge we engaged battery conditioning about 15 to 20 minute prior to charging. Battery conditioning caused the range to drop really fast...got to the charger with about 20% remaining. Electrify America 150 kw charger..charge started at 78kw and slowly dropped to 38kw then near 80% it was in the 20's. At 81% it dropped to about 3 kw (caused by Electrify America).
- In 50 degree and above temperature we often get 4.0 to 4.5m/kwh.
- Our longest trip without charging was 200 miles. 100% to 20% charge.
- Range impactors:
1. Speed (usually 60 to 65mph, 80 is sweet but expensive)
2. Heater/Airconditioner (purchased a 12v plug in blanket, turned the heat down, used seat heater)
3. Heavy rain and a lot of water on the road
4. Tire pressure (36lb around town, but 38lb on trips)
- My biggest frustration is that we have never been able to charge at or near the 100kwh rate that was advertised. Perhaps if battery temperature was ideal.
- I really enjoy the Kona EV. Fun and comfortable.

 

[dcisive]

I'll be very curious the next time I try a EA station to see if I pre condition the battery if it sucks the power better. I'm expecting that it WILL we shall see.

 

[Keith Smith]

I did notice today when I had to take a little jaunt (a half hour drive) to another town to shop I was averaging 63mph and was getting 4.1kwh efficiency which is not too shabby. It was 27 degrees F outside too so hardly warm. Much better results indeed. Like you said well below 70mph will yield some nicer results. That last trip I was at 1% left and was wondering when you reach "0" how many miles can someone actually go before the car literally dies?

RE: 0. Some folks have done this on youtube. Looks like you can squeak out about 20 miles in 'Turtle Mode' before it completely dies.

I don't think 'Driver Only' really saves anything. Cabin is too small.

 

[Keith Smith]

2024 Kona SEL purchased in February 2024.
- First trip (490 miles) 1 week after purchase. Temperature in the low 40's. 2.7 to 3.0m/kwh. Charge rate 38kw.
- 10 months later 400 mile trip to Vancouver Island: @26 to 30 degrees 3.3m/kwh, speed 60mph. On the first charge rate 38 to 44 kw. On the second charge we engaged battery conditioning about 15 to 20 minute prior to charging. Battery conditioning caused the range to drop really fast...got to the charger with about 20% remaining. Electrify America 150 kw charger..charge started at 78kw and slowly dropped to 38kw then near 80% it was in the 20's. At 81% it dropped to about 3 kw (caused by Electrify America).
- In 50 degree and above temperature we often get 4.0 to 4.5m/kwh.
- Our longest trip without charging was 200 miles. 100% to 20% charge.
- Range impactors:
1. Speed (usually 60 to 65mph, 80 is sweet but expensive)
2. Heater/Airconditioner (purchased a 12v plug in blanket, turned the heat down, used seat heater)
3. Heavy rain and a lot of water on the road
4. Tire pressure (36lb around town, but 38lb on trips)
- My biggest frustration is that we have never been able to charge at or near the 100kwh rate that was advertised. Perhaps if battery temperature was ideal.
- I really enjoy the Kona EV. Fun and comfortable.

I've seen 70 on my 2019, and '20 Niro but generally not for long, past about 60% or so. I think 'battery conditioning' is probably a waste. I have no 'conditioning' ability on my Kona or my Niro. I charged an an EA 10F at night got about 65KWH to start with. Might be more impactful if your system will charge at 250 or something. YMMV.

 

[electriceddy]

Heavy rain and a lot of water on the road

Reminds me of this road sign:

I really enjoy the Kona EV. Fun and comfortable.

The feeling is mutual

 

[Ferenc Jakab]

Seeing as the GOM range is based on the last 30 drives recorded in the driving history , I had a look at mine.
New Kona EV - picked up on January 14, however the first "drive" recorded was on 09/20/2020- 28.0 kWh/100 km (or 28 Wh/km) distance 1km.
2nd recorded "drive" 11/25/2024- 16.8 kWh/100km, also 1 km distance.
After that, the recorded drives were "normal" after delivery date 3rd drive - 14/1/2025- 19.5 kWh/100km, and progressively worse as it is a cold snap here, the least efficient ones being 37.0 and 47.6 kWh/100km.
Door tag reads manufacture date Nov 24.
The attached battery label below reads 2024/10/30

My guess is the pack manufactured on Oct 10/2024 was programed with the original BMS firmware from Sept 9/2020.
On November 25th 2024, the pack was installed into my newly manufactured car with BMS version 6228 ( maybe updated firmware and test drive of 1 km or less).
Where I am going with this is I took delivery of a new car c/w pack at probably the worst time for energy consumption efficiency, with it's pre-set average BMS limitations programmed and cold temperatures which are much below the average.
My new car shows 330 km range @ 80%, my old 21 Kona EV showed 495 range @ 100% the day I traded it in.
Am I worried?
Heck no... I expect that the best GOM range won't show up until mid to late summer when the temps etc have increased and the previous 30 drives which the GOM is based on move that range back up again.
I wouldn't expect the same peak ~ 550 kms that I had with the 21 MY, as the new car is probably less aerodynamic with its front end flatter, bigger car, 19" wheels as opposed to 17" etc, but hopefully ~ 450 to 475 kms would be enough to make me smile again.

Over winter my 80% gom range was 230 kms now in mid summer it's 290 kms. Our winter was consistently below 12 Celsius daytime and down to 0 celsius night time. There is no preconditioning or battery heating facility on my 2022-23 Kona. My rural location means almost none of my travel is below 100 km/h, but I don't exceed this.

 

[Bruce M.]

I regularly experience the other side of the coin in my 2020 Kona. My normal driving is about 95% on city or rural roads where you can't often go much over 45 MPH, with the occasional 10 or 20 miles at 55 or so. In those circumstances and operating at temperatures between 60-85F, I average about 340-50 miles of range, vs. An EPA estimate of 258. Lately, I have been doing twice weekly roundtrips of about 160 miles, with about 40% of that distance at between 60-65 MPH, and that brings my range down to around 300-310.

 

[Johnnysolar]

I was enthusiastic about buying a new 2025 Kona Limited EV recently. My first 100% charges at home were indeed right up to that 261mi estimated. It dropped during the first 2 weeks to the 240's. It was perhaps about 45 degrees Fahrenheit in garage. I charged up to 100% prior to a micro trip I wanted to go on which was about 100 miles each way. On the way stopped at Electrify American 350kwh station just to top up as I'd not used one before. I admit I did NOT pre condition the battery on a 40 degree day. I'd basically driven about 55 miles at that point and was already at 72% charge. I was only able to pull 32kwh so only stayed there about a half hour getting it to 81%. I left and continued onto the remainder of the one way part of the trip which was about 50 miles. On the way home it was burning electrons like crazy. I got home at 1%. at 20% on the highway it alerted me to stop and charge. At 10% it warned me once again about taking a break and charging.

I was pleasantly surprised at no point did it slow my speed by default as some cars will do. But I figured it was damn the torpedoes as I had NO Place along the way to charge. Drove up and plugged in my Level 2 charger and was ok. But honestly the estimated 261miles for this car is greatly inflated, which greatly disappoints me. I was coming from a 2021 ID-4 RWD which was rated at 240mi and while it was no long ranger tended to sip it's electrons a bit better.

I have a trip in My coming up I'd strongly considered taking this car on which is about 275mi each way. Plenty of charging places along the way on I-15 but according to A Better Route Planner would spend about 2 hours of charging which is just absurd to me. I thought for sure it could be made with at the most 2 charges and about an hour total. But after this little run this week don't doubt it may be a long road to hoe. I'm hoping it has more to do with the temperature than anything else and that perhaps in May with warmer temps I'll get a lot closer to the estimated mileage. But at 80mph it's not likely. Any thoughts? Sure makes that Ioniq 6 long range look good.

Strongly agree. Hyundai overpromised and underdelived. And whats up with the charger port in the snow???

 

[dcisive]

Strongly agree. Hyundai overpromised and underdelived. And whats up with the charger port in the snow???

To be honest I LOVE that front located charge port. It happens to be a heated area so no problems with snow or ice or access in difficult conditions. Smart on Hyundai's part. For me personally it's so convenient. My charger in my garage happens to be on the wall I drive up to so it's not even needing much extension of the cord to easily reach the port. Even at a high-speed charger I just drive up and plug in no manipulating the location of the car or backing in (HATE that arrangement). So far, I played around a bit and preconditioned the battery in my garage, then charged. this time at least it went up to 220mi instead of just 190. But can't wait for that 261 to appear once more when things warm up. But yeah. When my lease is up in 2 years I'm thinking (hoping) that they have an Ioniq 5 or 6 by then that will be AWD but still get at least 350mi per charge and have that 800volt architecture to allow for a 20 minute 10-80% charge. The Kona's charge rate is rather abysmal to be frank. It sure does NOT encourage a road trip. 45-60 minute charges don't excite me, what a waste of time. I have a long trip of 350mi coming up in mid-May and will be having to charge at EVGo's and EA stations. Maybe they will release that adapter as promised 1st Quarter of this year to allow me to use the V3 and V4 Tesla SuperCharger network as well. That would ease things a bit. The only fast charger I used so far was on a 28 degree day at a Electrify America 350kwh charger and it eeked out only 32kwh. They are crappy to say the least. It really ticked me off. Oh well we'll see how thing develop in a few more months.

 

[Ferenc Jakab]

It sure does NOT encourage a road trip. 45-60 minute charges don't excite me, what a waste of time. I have a long trip of 350mi coming up in mid-May and will be having to charge at EVGo's and EA stations. Maybe they will release that adapter as promised 1st Quarter of this year to allow me to use the V3 and V4 Tesla SuperCharger network as well. That would ease things a bit. The only fast charger I used so far was on a 28 degree day at a Electrify America 350kwh charger and it eeked out only 32kwh. They are crappy to say the least. It really ticked me off. Oh well we'll see how thing develop in a few more months.

Different countries different conditions. My Kona is '22-23 purchased in '22. I use it for long trips all the time. Have traveled 78,000kms (48,466 miles). I like to stop every 2-300 kms ( 120-180 miles approx) and by the time I have refreshed car is as charged as I need it to get to the next location. Charge speed varies from 25 to 78 kW depending on conditions and battery level. Tesla Chargers are good and usually give faster speeds but are almost twice as expensive as private charge stations here in Oz.

 

[ENirogus]

Strongly agree. Hyundai overpromised and underdelived. And whats up with the charger port in the snow???

Baloney. The car does what it has promised. Cold weather driving like a banshee one gets what one gets.
The charging port is a poor design. I have learned to put a towel over it if it is snowing or it fills with snow, not because of location but the design