Hyundai Kona EV vs. Kia Niro EV: Which is Better? Or is it something quite different?

if your in the market now, comparisons may be moot. Demand is way up, inventory is near non existant in some markets.

Here in my local market, the Kona 2022 is sold out, not sure about the Niro. The new Ioniq 5 preorders are just arriving, but expectations on new orders are that the wait time is probably 5 months or more.

 

EV are expensive. Assume $14,000 to $18,000, in some cases even more, added to equivalent ICE vehicle. So, you will pay a lot more so you need to think about what you are willing to pay for a new car.

Based on what you said regarding range required, you will need to charge to 100% before going to see your in laws and charge coming back. So, always be conscious of your travel range and where to charge, more so than with an ICE car.

 

In regards to the two cars based on what you need to do, it sounds like you are hauling a family, I think the Kia would be better. I love my Kona and it works for me but it’s small on the inside everywhere except the front seats.

 

The Kia is a bit bigger and more spacious. The Kona has more of a sporty feel and a somewhat greater range. Both are good vehicles, but different strengths and weaknesses. If you're regularly transporting 4 people + luggage, strollers, etc., the Kona may be too small for you. I love my Kona, but don't need as much capacity as you might.

 

Yes, while the Nero is slightly bigger, it's a waste of garage space if you don't need the extra room. Plus I like the funky look of the Kona better.

 

Agree with everything above. We chose Kona over Niro just because we liked the front seats better and didn’t need the extra size.

But range will be an issue for you either way. 440 km return without charging might be doable in either one under good conditions, but not if it’s cold. If you can’t charge at the in-laws you would need to factor in a charge, probably on the return trip.

 

Whether it's more expensive depends on your location, government incentives, your electric rate, and length of ownership.
Reporting indicates that EVs all save money compared to similar ICE cars, in the long run. While sticker price is higher, you'll spend less overall. How soon you'll pass the break-even point will depend on the above factors, but in general, they're always cheaper than gas ownership.

Yes, the Kona is a bit smaller, but we love it. And we've had no problem taking some longer trips with our family of four (two teens in the back). We even brought our kid to college - with all four of us in the car, and carrying a dorm fridge, carpet, and all the other essentials of college life - by using a hitch-mounted cargo rack on the back. Interestingly there was no noticeable hit to efficiency. We were over 4mi/kwh the entire trip from ME to NYC.

The Niro is probably more sensible for you (and might be required because of carseats, travel cribs, etc) but the Kona is fun to drive, and has a more distinctive look to me.

 

to follow up my comment - the local dealer posted that they're selling off their 2022 Kona Ultimate demo car with 1800km for full retail as everything (assuming they mean their 2022 allocation but who knows?) else is sold.

Two locals posted that they've ordered 2022 Ioniq 5s this week and the delivery expectation is October or December.

 

The base Ioniq 5 here in NZ costs the same as the base Kona, $80k. It's a way bigger EV than either the Kona or Niro.

 

Yeah, but which one has better range?...

 

58 kWh vs our 64 and it's a lot larger so somewhat less but I'd be fine with that. There are two top-spec Konas sitting on the dealer's lot priced at NZ$88k and I can't see anyway they will sell because any new EV sold under $80k gets an $8.6k rebate. The long range 72 kWh Ioniq 5 costs $90k. A Model 3 starts at NZ$69k.

New car prices are "fixed" here by the legacy manufacturers. The only way the dealer can lower the price is by registering the car in their own name and selling it as "used". But then the $8.6k rebate won't apply.
There's an Ioniq 5 cruising around this small town now and everytime I see it all I can think about is if it has a magnetic drain plug on the gearbox. I'll bet it doesn't ...

 

Bisky, you mentioned strollers, car seats, and groceries, so it seems clear the Kia will be a better fit for you (no pun intended). Completely disagree that there is only a small difference in size with the interiors. It's significant. I happen to like the dashboard design of the Kia better, but of course that's subjective. On the other hand I like the exterior design of the Kona much more, but again that's subjective. And the Kona drives a bit more sporty, I assume that has to do with its size.

One other consideration. Can't help but wonder if the previous issues with Kona EV batteries will hurt all Kona resale values later on (Niro uses a different battery supplier). Don't know the answer, but what happened with the earlier Kona EV's was a significant black mark on Hyundai. Wonder why Kona pricing (at least in the U.S) was reduced so much for MY22 whereas Kia did not do the same.