I waited for the Kona EV because of my past experience with Hyundai and faith in their process. Since 2000 we've owned three other vehicles besides a Hyundai, but have always owned at least one Hyundai beginning with an Elantra Wagon and progressing through the first Santa Fe, a Tiburon GT V6, Sonata, one of each generation of Santa Fe, an Entourage (which we really enjoyed), and the Ioniq hybrid prior to the Kona EV. All together our family has owned 10 Hyundai vehicles over 20 years. I often reference the warranty as the primary reason, and I confess that once when discussing getting a Toyota Sienna with the wife, she reminded me of Toyota's skimpy 3/36 warranty at the time versus Hyundai. I'm also aware that friends who chose other brands came to regret it soon after their skimpy warranties expired!
Despite the warranty, none of our Hyundai vehicles has ever needed major work, nor anything more than the most minor of warranty "look see" fixes and not one has ever left us standing on the side of the road! I've seen plenty of Jaguars, BMWs, Mercedes, and and even a few Lexi sitting beside the road with a formerly arrogant driver standing there looking all shame-faced!
After owning my Ioniq with its 39 hp assistive motor supplementing the ICE, I was hooked on electric as the way forward. Even the Ioniq had an amazing amount of take-off speed and I knew a purpose-built electric had to be impressive. So when Hyundai finally brought the Kona EV to market I bought one of the very first to arrive in our part of the country, and the reason was absolutely because I trust Hyundai. I also know that Korean companies in general take extreme pride in what they make and sell and it matters to them to be seen as doing it right! Bear that in mind when you read about how Toyota knew they had defective main bearings in engines for both Toyota and Lexus models and chose to sell them and let the consumer find out the hard way rather than do the right thing...this was just one of Toyota's 13 million vehicle recalls a few years back.
I also did a bit of study...something people tend to under appreciate is the 100+ years of evolution that's gone into interior cabin design and all the switches and buttons. A touch screen only looks all sleek and cool, but starts to get old every time you need to look at it to turn on the wipers, or adjust the climate control system. The buttons and switches in my Kona EV can be operated in total darkness by feel, without looking. And how much do you think Tesla saves by NOT adding full instrumentation with all the associated switches? Adding conventional controls would probably tack on another $2K easy. Tesla's big advantage over Hyundai is they designed clean sheet electric cars with outstanding packaging of components. The rear-mounted motor delivers superb traction, is compact, and far less complex to engineer since it drives a non-steering axle. The ability to add a second motor up front is also a totally electric kind of thing Tesla has an enviable and well-earned reputation for cars that deliver extreme performance even though they are all family sedan/SUV type vehicles! When you see a Model S blow away a Dodge Hellcat on a drag strip, you have to give Tesla props. Plus Tesla created the supercharging network that is standardized and well positioned for its customer base. Meanwhile, Hyundai chose to go with a conventional platform and package in an electric motor up front...a pretty good solution but not nearly as well done as Tesla. The Kona could easily have a small "frunk" space above the motor, but instead they left it open. The front drive gives up performance due to the inability of the front tires to gain maximum traction, and it's not all the tires either. The tail squats low under hard acceleration, shifting weight off the fronts which lessens grip. As a result, Hyundai took a car that could have probably run high-5 second 0-60 and made it into a 7+ second car in the hands of most, indifferent testers. I keep hoping Hyundai decides to introduce a performance upgrade in the form of traction bars to eliminate tail squat, but that isn't likely. Especially because we already know they have clean sheet designs just over the horizon.
But, the Kona EV is a great daily driver! It sits higher than a Mod 3, handles and feels much like a "hot hatch" when driven with gusto, and with a bit of practice, acceleration is superior to anything that doesn't have electric motor(s) installed! The Kona EV comes fully equipped for it's asking price, not stripped with the very first option adding another $10K to the tab, then more for paint color, interior color, and another huge bite for the dubious privilege of autonomous driving - someday. A Model 3 optioned up a bit runs solidly in the mid-$50K to over $60K range. An SEL Kona EV is a good $20K less! My Limited was a bit over $42K which looks to be close to the listed price of a stripped Mod 3 at $39,900 but we all know that car doesn't exist...and if you can get one it's only 240 miles of range, though I think they finally made 310 the basic package. The Hyundai Limited comes with a gorgeous Pebble Blue leather interior, very open and airy inside, with plenty of light from all directions. The rear seat folds to create a lot of carry space if needed, plus, if one really wanted extra cargo space the first thing to do is remove those styrofoam trays from under the rear deck lid, the deck lid, and maybe through down a layer of surplus carpet to end up with a "yhuge" trunk well! By moving the deep styrofoam tray to the front and mounting it under the hood after removing the plastic trim cover from the engine, one can carry items right over the motor unit! Also, the Kona EV has a very efficient regeneration system and the 3-stage paddle operation really makes it superb! There are times when one wants to coast without drag on the driveline, and times when wants the instant slow-down of regen "3" in heavy traffic. Hyundai gives you that, and I've seen over 70 kWh roll up in the form of regen when applying the brakes...that's a LOT of energy being returned to the battery! The Kona EV also uses the same liquid cooled battery system as Tesla and it seems to work considering mine still charges like new, though everyone says Hyundai has an upper buffer...okay, great, another score for the Kona!
The only thing I can absolutely say Tesla has over Hyundai is performance. Everything else is in Kona's favor. Better warranty - especially for those who snatched one up during the "lifetime battery warranty" period! Kona has convenient switches, buttons, knobs, etc. Kona has very high quality leather seats, high seating position, and ample space - even in back for me to take my four kids - two of whom are teenagers and despite the added weight of a fully loaded car, the motor has power to spare to make the car surge forward with sufficient force to feel the seat pushing hard into the shoulder blades! Also, the Kona has excellent fit and finish, and just like all those I've owned before it, this Hyundai has been problem free since day one. Also Hyundai has an extensive dealer network, but an electric car like the Kona EV needs almost no maintenance!
So would I buy the Model 3 over the Kona EV...no, otherwise I would have, but I do admit, seeing what's coming in the next few years in terms of styling and performance does make me aware of the price of being an early adopter in a market that's soon to be awash in ever more technologically advanced cars. I wish the Kona EV had a bit more stylish nose...I liked the Ioniq nose...the new Leaf nose, the Mustang Mach-E nose...by comparison the Kona electric's nose is quite bland. The rest of the car is very nicely executed without a doubt. Considering the entire nose-cone can be unbolted quite easily, maybe someone will eventually start marketing a more aggressively styled snout! I still love to drive my Kona EV as much as I did when I first go it.
