Kona ev vs Tesla model 3 RWD + in winter

Well, the Kona does have more clearance, with being a CUV. And generally, FWD is better than RWD in snow. But you can get AWD with the Tesla, whereas only FWD with the Kona. However, what matters most is true winter tires with the softer tread and extra sipes.

I only drove my Kona in mild snow/ice conditions with the stock tires, and didn't have any problems. But we didn't get a big snowfall this winter in Vancouver, so didn't really put it to the test. I also own an AWD Subaru, which is my go anywhere car in the winter.

My son has a RWD Tesla M3 and winter tires are a must for it in the winter. But he also has a Subaru as his 2nd car, and uses it when the going gets tough or driving up to a ski hill.

 

I haven't driven the M3, but the RWD and tire availability were disqualifying factors for me. We've always had one FWD car (and a 4wd truck) and it's never been a problem in this rural snowy location. As RP said, the real key is getting decent snow tires. We've preferred the type that is Studless (a tire that has been designed to not have studs, rather than a "studdable" tire where they've simply left out the studs), such as Bridgestone Blizzak or Michelin IceX.

We had no problems with the Kona this past winter in lots of snowy and icy driving. Our country road is unpaved, uphill, and privately maintained, so it's often snowy and icy. The Kona was great (as are all our FWD cars with proper snow tires). And the relatively high clearance was really nice, compared to our prius.

(I think I put Yokahama studless snows on the Kona, which were fine, but not quite as good as the two brands mentioned above.)

 

I would say studded tires on front wheel drive would be the cheapest good selection. I personally don't believe in studs as in my 34 year career as a Highway engineer, maintenance worker and safety researcher, much of the damage to our highways are done with studs. Personal choice. I prefer 4wd with good performing snow tires. Ratings above the highest testing standard can receive a snow flake (in US) which gives good performance and much above average snow and ice performance.
Our Kona Ultimate has seen only limited snow and ice but performed great. Traveling in the mountains in Oregon in winter can be very challenging with steep mountain passes and snow packed roads. We decided to keep our 4runner for winter passes and our trailer and use the Kona mostly for fair weather trips all over the US. Cold weather is very hard on batteries as it charges slower, degrades faster and has less energy to use than warm weather.

 

Sorry I kindly disagree that batteries whether lead acid or lithium degrade faster in cold weather. I agree that they don't perform well and potentially can be harmed in extreme cold but its really heat that is harbinger of degradation.

 

When our driveway is icy, we’ve had friends with studded tires unable to get up the hill (only leaving rows of claw marks in the ice, while our studless tires go right up. We’ve just had better luck with them. Nokians are great. We had their studless once. (Hakeppalitta2?)

We’ve not had ABS problems with regen (typically use level 2)

 

Chiming in from just down the road in Vermont - The only regen "problem" I had last winter was when I was descending an iced-over hill on our dirt road and I decided to try the 'pull-the-left-paddle' trick to see how it reacted. Verdict: Not well - the wheels locked up and I slid until I released the paddle and switched to the brake pedal, at which point the ABS kicked in and I regained control. No problems after that episode.

And I'm in the anti-stud camp - I've had them on other cars in the past (both AWD and FWD), but in my opinion they're not worth the extra cost (or extra noise).