Finally, I've found a review/guide from a fellow taller driver. Looking to get a 2020 Kona EV, so will still have at least a good year+ on the warranty (UK). Great that you've mentioned the 12v issue, people have said about it on the forums I've seen. I'm wondering if I could get better front end grip from Pirelli's or something, so this was good to see I would probably prefer the Niro, but here in the UK they're about 2-3k more (like for like) so it may have to be a Kona! A good honest review from you 2, that's very refreshing on YT!
You'll love the higher seating position in this car! A nice bonus is that the Kona has a little more range than the Niro due to a different final drive gear ratio. If you need to change out the 12v battery at any time, a 96R battery fits with the small tabs trimmed. This makes it easier to pick one off the shelf rather than wait for Hyundai to order one in. As for tires, I made the mistake of ordering sticky summer tires. They cost around 50km of range and you still get some lift due to the geometry of the suspension. Thanks for the comments! We really appreciate them.
@@livewirereview The original battery in my 21 kona was just so small. I believe it was like 45ah battery. Changed it to a 100ha battery and no issues since then even with below freezing temperatures (3-5 months a year).
@@livewirereview same here. I had to squeeze our Subaru Ascent in when we had that. There is space to park them and work on the Kona EVs, especially since I now have your vid on how to lift them and support them properly! th-cam.com/video/Hn_khviKV5g/w-d-xo.htmlsi=AZR5-x8DzPFY0WdQ
Thanks for the video. Just have my 2020 Kona 64kwh Premium SE in the UK and learn a lot from your video. Especially the secret of hiding the degradation (clever) and the issue of the 12v battery.
Seized brake pads on ALL Canadian Hyundai and KIA models (including the EVs). Hyundai and KIA have designed the brake pads to fit very tight on the caliper brackets. After one winter, the rust on the pad metal base will cause the pad to get completely seized on the caliper bracket, causing the pads not to retract properly when not braking, causing very premature wear on the pads. It's actually very difficult to even remove the pads from inside the caliper, need to force with a flat screw driver. Hyundai is now coating the pads 'legs' with copper grease to prevent rust. Another severe problem is completely seized electric parking brake securing screws (two tiny torx screws). These completely seize after 1 winter, meaning impossible to separate the motor from the caliper. On the reliability of the Kona EV. 2019-2020 models have premature problems with bearings on motor and transfer gear, especially in cold climates and with drivers that 'push' the motor. Another annoying problem in Canadian climate: when stored outside in winter weather, snow will melt inside the charging door hinge then will freeze causing the door not to open. Better bring the car inside a heated garage to have the ice melt and be able to open the door for charging. The original calcium 12V battery is poor, when it fails doors won't unlock, car is 100% dead. Need to unlock door with mechanical key, open hood, recharge 12V battery, even if main battery is fully charged. Hyundai is replacing the 12V battery with standard acid-lead - good idea to do so before the original one fails Main Li-Ion battery. Mine was outside the recall period and still failed - electrical error message - at only 20,000 kms. Replaced by Hyundai, took 6 months due to shortage
You're right about tight brake pads. Especially in the rear. All Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Chrysler, Hyundai/Kia, and other Asian brands all seize brakes early here. We service EV/hybrid brakes every spring. As for motor and reducer, there is a TSB for this and Hyundai will replace mounts, then reducer, then motor (if required) all under warranty. It's due to a rumble sensation at a specific speed range. When replacing the 12v, a 96R battery will fit. That should be an easier trip to your local battery supplier. Check out our battery rebuild video. We had one hybrid battery with a bad cell. One bad cell means the whole thing has to come out. Hyundai is launching a battery rebuild course sometime soon. I'll report back after we attend.
I bought my MY 2019 base model in 2018, in NZ, the first in my region, because of the heat pump and massive range. I got used to the FWD and tires in a few weeks and don't have any major issues with brake rust. I still like the car because I've adapted to the few quirks and the local dealer service is competent. I think you'll find the 2023 has a disk cleaning function if you hold down Auto Hold for a few seconds. Obviously that just turns off foot-brake blended regen. The only actual defect in at least the 2019-2021 (and possibly up to 2023) is that the GRU has a minor design mistake that means initial break-in particles are not properly sequestered and in a very few case a tapping noise results. A gear oil change by 1,000 km is a good idea for any new 2023 Kona. Once past that the benefit of an oil change diminishes to about zero by 20,000 km as the damage is done. I haven't had a problem myself but it's really only the luck of the draw. If you open up a failed GRU you will find the internal magnet is loose and missing the debris it should be holding. The 2024+ Kona is of course an entirely new design and avoids this issue, as with the 2023+ Niro. th-cam.com/video/YquYZPTkcmI/w-d-xo.html
I recently serviced a 2019 Kona EV that doesn't drive on our overly salted roads. The brakes were still at 10mm at 54000km! The gear reduction unit actually doesn't have a magnet on the drain plug... I have changed the fluid on a few of them so far. We change around 50 to 60,000km as it's fairly dark at that mileage. It's odd because the transfer case on ICE Hyundai products uses a magnet on the drain plug, but not the EV reduction gears... I'm glad to hear yours is working well! Ours is 4.5 years old with 85,000km, and we still have the original wiper blades on it. Thanks for your comments!
Just saw your video. Looks like they just placed the magnet in the bottom. It's not very useful, considering we clean those off when we change transfer case oil.
@@livewirereview, fixed, non-serviceable particle magnets are fairly common in ICE automatics as well as a 1950s 3-speed Saginaw manual I once opened up. These are not intended to need cleaning over the vehicle's expected lifespan. Magnetic filters used in industrial applications of course are always serviceable. Hyundai's mistake was allowing it to rattle. Oddly the Kia Soul EV from 2014 has a similar design to the Ioniq, Kona and Niro but the magnet is square and fits closely in the pocket. I wouldn't be surprised if a production planner at MOBIS (their powertrain division) found a cheaper round magnet and got the engineering change signed off without anyone recognising the long term implications, which in my estimation has cost them a few $ million. Another amusing note is that Hyundai offer a "Plug - Magnet" which looks identical to the existing plug. Three Kona EV owners ordered this part from their dealer and in all 3 cases the delivered plug turned out to be NOT magnetic.
I'm about to buy a 2021, and watching every Kona's videos are making me smile. Even with the overpriced market that is still going on, at least by dealerships, I don't think $29k for a 2021 ultimate with 60k km is such a bad deal, considering it costed $52k after $9k rebate here in BC. So 50% off for a decent none-tesla ev? Small, big range, heat pump, safety features, a hud, even if it is not the best implement of it! Woo it will be an upgrade to my 2022 Corolla for sure :D Almost all the "negative parts" of this car are a positive for me. maybe a bigger back seat but I'm a smaller guy, and. no kids, and I think I'm gonna drive this car till it dies/next 10 years. The plan is to buy a 2nd ev, this time something fancier before no PST on ev exemption is ended in 2027 here in BC! That's 7% that ICE cars have on them that I don't have to pay.
@cupperdigger3494 I think you're going to love it! By the way, it was $52k before rebates, not after. Our 2019 Ultimate came to $54k with dealer add ons, but there were no rebates at all at that time. You might be able to negotiate an even lower price, I would think 🤔. It never hurts to try!
@@livewirereview Hi. I appreciate your response :). That's right, it was $52k before rebate but taxes and rebate sorta cancel out each other at least here. Yep I'm gonna offer dealership $25 :D I'm hoping we can settle on 26 ish, so with $1k dealership fee and $1500 GST I end up paying $29k all in.
Watching from the US as the EV market has come down a bit and now might be time to adopt an EV. Hyundai ICE engines are sus, but their EVs are well engineered. Between an KEV ultimate or a I5 SEL....the latter being a bit pricey still. Great video!
Between this and the BOLT UEV, what do you think? Currently a 2023 Demo mdel in Premier version for $44,000.00 all in or a 2023 Bolt UEV upgraded package with super cruise that has 10k KM for $39,000.00 all in. I live in Toronto, do about 160KMs of driving per day, I have level 2 charging at home and level 1 at work.
@begley09 that bolt should be fine for your driving. The heater is the drawback in the bolt though. It will sacrifice more range than the Kona will in cold weather. But that pricing is pretty good!
@@livewirereview Good to hear, thanks. Yeah well I guess EVs in general have come down A LOT in price. Even looking at pulling the trigger on the model Y right now with 1.99% financing.
I have mine from 2019. September, now 99700km ,still fully satisfied, range fully charged on dashboard shows summer 550km reality it consumes ~>10% on 50km, mixed, city/highway, so I am getting 450-480km. On winter fully charged it shows range 430-450km, I drive about 360 and som 70-80left. About 12v battery, changed twice, and dealer electrician dig and find out that if you just sit inside with keyless key in your pocket, or just left key in the car, even if dashboard is fully shut off, no radio, nothing the whole sistem is sort of ignition position, and it drains 12v battery. it sense keyless is in the car, first it happened, I was waiting while my wife were shopping, had some work on my laptop, and in those 2 and half hours could’nt start it, luckily I always carry booster, battery was totaly dead, replaced, second time my wife arrived home and left key in the car for the night. All that happens in first two years, now 3 years last battery keeps just fine. So if happens you need to wait in the car for awhile just leave engine on. It consume maybe 1%in 2 hours
@@u.dobbermann9602 Had mine to over 100,000km as well. No major issues. Still original brakes. About 480km in summer on back roads. Great little car. 🙂
Yes, there is a very thick aluminum plate between the road and batteries. The coolant runs below the battery modules and is designed with crash compression areas surrounding it. It even cuts power between the modules in the event of anything happening inside. The coolant is now also electrically insulated.
@@livewirereview thanks so much. I'm sold. Going to get my daughter a 2023 model. The value for the money is awesome. Thanks for the great information and content on TH-cam
Hmmm is a real problem, We have/had a 2020 Kona EV, the car was just totalled by Hyundai since we hit some road debris and dented the front left corner of the battery case. The dent is about an inch deep and about 5 inches wide ... I sourced some pictures of the battery pack apart, where we hit is totally empty. No codes, no problems, still driving it but Hyundai told our insurance company to replace the battery pack, the estimate is almost the value of the car. Be aware of this huge weak spot, Hyundai says any impact to the battery means replacement since they are avoiding any liabilities. I even wonder if you get say rear-ended and do not touch the battery, does the shock of impact mean the battery is totalled? And the plate is not that thick and its' more of how the damage impacts warranty and liabilities that you got to watch out for. Best of luck, we are likely not to buy another one, perhaps a hybrid where where the battery tends to be tucked up under the rear seats.
Well we live in the uk and our car 2020 with Hest pump and we are still getting over 300 uk mile from full charge infact last week our journey was 308 mile and on a mixture of motorway and A&B roads we had 8% left after 308 British miles. The car only dipped 295 once I was doing driving I do not use full regen or eco mode. I think as we are European our disc must be different the car has just had it 4 birthday and no4 service where all fluid including battery fluids are change abd remember our car have go through MOT exam every year our breaks are fin no rust and we have 10% wear on pads the break are check but we never had them serviced they pass the safety inspection and physical test every year not sure why you are changing ever year our cars don't 40k miles Our car is se premium model but our car has led lamp but we have the 1.5 model as there was a change to infotainment screen and operating system and it had the upgraded battery system. It would seem the uk version is different to cad version our car looks like your 2019 but has the wide screen 2023 infotainment sat nav is standard blu link standard so everything do via your mobile phone no need to carry your car key. Can pre condition battery etc via smart phone. Set up charging timer etc and there the global tracker included 7 free updates heated rear seat heated cooled front seats phone wires phone charger Android auto apple car play its got everything . Your 2023 got harman kardman sound system. Our key is the same as the 2023 model . In the uk the did an update in 2020 just before face lift adding extra bit to the mk1 kona
Motorway about 75 mph the cars been great the checked the battery for degradation on 25 Aug 2024 and it was zero . We are so impressed with the distance there are a few of use reporting the same on the upgraded battery pack
Another talking heads video with 100 accelerations tests. Have you guys dont want one day film smth different? A car probably? How Kona acting with ACC downhill, how its learning regeneration and so on? Personaly me, Im not interested to watch 17 min of mens beards. Or maybe its barber video?
I like the constructive comments! I always add little ideas that I find in the comments to future videos. Since we're licensed technicians, we like to add reliability and repair based questions to our reviews and often cover what it's like from an owner's perspective. My first couple reviews covered far too much information and ended up over 30 minutes long. We have found that most people watching reviews only want an 8 to 13 minute video with a few key points. In this one, we mentioned the suspension as it was a standout for us and repair expectations as it's more budget conscious. ACC downhill uses regen and is very smooth, but it doesn't learn in this one. That's more of a feature you'll find in the Toyota Prius Prime. Smart regen in this car just uses radar to change the level of regen braking depending on a vehicle in front of you. Take a look at my recent 2024 Kona review. Leave a comment there on what I might be missing that you want to see in the future. I have no problem adding in new ideas, and thank you very much for the comments!
I just bought a 2020 Kona EV today and I'm super happy about it. So far everything you said checks out for me.
I'm happy to hear that! My friend just bought a 2019 Kona Electric too, and she's also very happy with hers!
I have 2019 model with 60k miles and getting 320 miles of range in summer in UK its brilliant.
We top out around 484km with ours in the summer. (About 300 miles)
Got my new 2023 in December, was quoted as getting 480-490 in ideal conditions. I am getting 500-560 and not even going easy on it.
@@docification94do you have heat pump?
What's the average range in highways speed at 110 kmh?
@@livewirereviewdo you have heat pump?
What's the average range in highways speed at 110 kmh ?
do you have heat pump?
What's the average range in highways speed at 110 kmh
Finally, I've found a review/guide from a fellow taller driver.
Looking to get a 2020 Kona EV, so will still have at least a good year+ on the warranty (UK).
Great that you've mentioned the 12v issue, people have said about it on the forums I've seen.
I'm wondering if I could get better front end grip from Pirelli's or something, so this was good to see
I would probably prefer the Niro, but here in the UK they're about 2-3k more (like for like) so it may have to be a Kona!
A good honest review from you 2, that's very refreshing on YT!
You'll love the higher seating position in this car! A nice bonus is that the Kona has a little more range than the Niro due to a different final drive gear ratio.
If you need to change out the 12v battery at any time, a 96R battery fits with the small tabs trimmed. This makes it easier to pick one off the shelf rather than wait for Hyundai to order one in.
As for tires, I made the mistake of ordering sticky summer tires. They cost around 50km of range and you still get some lift due to the geometry of the suspension.
Thanks for the comments! We really appreciate them.
@@livewirereview The original battery in my 21 kona was just so small. I believe it was like 45ah battery. Changed it to a 100ha battery and no issues since then even with below freezing temperatures (3-5 months a year).
@ozzi958 same here! We put a 96R battery in, and it's been just fine 🙂.
Love our 2022 and 2023 Kona Electrics. Amazing vehicles. Easy parking is a real thing. These are super short for how much interior room they have!
They fit in our garage beautifully!
@@livewirereview same here. I had to squeeze our Subaru Ascent in when we had that. There is space to park them and work on the Kona EVs, especially since I now have your vid on how to lift them and support them properly! th-cam.com/video/Hn_khviKV5g/w-d-xo.htmlsi=AZR5-x8DzPFY0WdQ
Looking at buying used 2019 Kona with 50 K, this is very helpful!
Thank you! Keep those brakes serviced every spring!
Thanks for the video. Just have my 2020 Kona 64kwh Premium SE in the UK and learn a lot from your video. Especially the secret of hiding the degradation (clever) and the issue of the 12v battery.
Great choice! Still under factory warranty, too. I love how easy it is to park, which is probably very handy in the UK.
Seized brake pads on ALL Canadian Hyundai and KIA models (including the EVs). Hyundai and KIA have designed the brake pads to fit very tight on the caliper brackets. After one winter, the rust on the pad metal base will cause the pad to get completely seized on the caliper bracket, causing the pads not to retract properly when not braking, causing very premature wear on the pads. It's actually very difficult to even remove the pads from inside the caliper, need to force with a flat screw driver. Hyundai is now coating the pads 'legs' with copper grease to prevent rust. Another severe problem is completely seized electric parking brake securing screws (two tiny torx screws). These completely seize after 1 winter, meaning impossible to separate the motor from the caliper.
On the reliability of the Kona EV. 2019-2020 models have premature problems with bearings on motor and transfer gear, especially in cold climates and with drivers that 'push' the motor. Another annoying problem in Canadian climate: when stored outside in winter weather, snow will melt inside the charging door hinge then will freeze causing the door not to open. Better bring the car inside a heated garage to have the ice melt and be able to open the door for charging.
The original calcium 12V battery is poor, when it fails doors won't unlock, car is 100% dead. Need to unlock door with mechanical key, open hood, recharge 12V battery, even if main battery is fully charged. Hyundai is replacing the 12V battery with standard acid-lead - good idea to do so before the original one fails
Main Li-Ion battery. Mine was outside the recall period and still failed - electrical error message - at only 20,000 kms. Replaced by Hyundai, took 6 months due to shortage
You're right about tight brake pads. Especially in the rear. All Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Chrysler, Hyundai/Kia, and other Asian brands all seize brakes early here. We service EV/hybrid brakes every spring.
As for motor and reducer, there is a TSB for this and Hyundai will replace mounts, then reducer, then motor (if required) all under warranty. It's due to a rumble sensation at a specific speed range.
When replacing the 12v, a 96R battery will fit. That should be an easier trip to your local battery supplier.
Check out our battery rebuild video. We had one hybrid battery with a bad cell. One bad cell means the whole thing has to come out. Hyundai is launching a battery rebuild course sometime soon. I'll report back after we attend.
@@livewirereview Great info
Such a great review of these cars, well thought out and relevant information coming from daily use.
Very helpful, thank you!
Thank you for this! I appreciate it!
I bought my MY 2019 base model in 2018, in NZ, the first in my region, because of the heat pump and massive range. I got used to the FWD and tires in a few weeks and don't have any major issues with brake rust. I still like the car because I've adapted to the few quirks and the local dealer service is competent. I think you'll find the 2023 has a disk cleaning function if you hold down Auto Hold for a few seconds. Obviously that just turns off foot-brake blended regen. The only actual defect in at least the 2019-2021 (and possibly up to 2023) is that the GRU has a minor design mistake that means initial break-in particles are not properly sequestered and in a very few case a tapping noise results. A gear oil change by 1,000 km is a good idea for any new 2023 Kona. Once past that the benefit of an oil change diminishes to about zero by 20,000 km as the damage is done. I haven't had a problem myself but it's really only the luck of the draw. If you open up a failed GRU you will find the internal magnet is loose and missing the debris it should be holding. The 2024+ Kona is of course an entirely new design and avoids this issue, as with the 2023+ Niro.
th-cam.com/video/YquYZPTkcmI/w-d-xo.html
I recently serviced a 2019 Kona EV that doesn't drive on our overly salted roads. The brakes were still at 10mm at 54000km!
The gear reduction unit actually doesn't have a magnet on the drain plug... I have changed the fluid on a few of them so far. We change around 50 to 60,000km as it's fairly dark at that mileage. It's odd because the transfer case on ICE Hyundai products uses a magnet on the drain plug, but not the EV reduction gears...
I'm glad to hear yours is working well! Ours is 4.5 years old with 85,000km, and we still have the original wiper blades on it.
Thanks for your comments!
Just saw your video. Looks like they just placed the magnet in the bottom. It's not very useful, considering we clean those off when we change transfer case oil.
@@livewirereview, fixed, non-serviceable particle magnets are fairly common in ICE automatics as well as a 1950s 3-speed Saginaw manual I once opened up. These are not intended to need cleaning over the vehicle's expected lifespan. Magnetic filters used in industrial applications of course are always serviceable.
Hyundai's mistake was allowing it to rattle. Oddly the Kia Soul EV from 2014 has a similar design to the Ioniq, Kona and Niro but the magnet is square and fits closely in the pocket. I wouldn't be surprised if a production planner at MOBIS (their powertrain division) found a cheaper round magnet and got the engineering change signed off without anyone recognising the long term implications, which in my estimation has cost them a few $ million.
Another amusing note is that Hyundai offer a "Plug - Magnet" which looks identical to the existing plug. Three Kona EV owners ordered this part from their dealer and in all 3 cases the delivered plug turned out to be NOT magnetic.
I bought a 23 but ended up liking more and keeping my 19. Both excellent cars.
We still have our 19 and our friend just got a 19 as well!
Great video, thank you!
You're welcome!
Great video! Helped me make my decision. Thank you!
You're very welcome. My friend just bought the same car too!
I'm about to buy a 2021, and watching every Kona's videos are making me smile. Even with the overpriced market that is still going on, at least by dealerships, I don't think $29k for a 2021 ultimate with 60k km is such a bad deal, considering it costed $52k after $9k rebate here in BC. So 50% off for a decent none-tesla ev? Small, big range, heat pump, safety features, a hud, even if it is not the best implement of it! Woo it will be an upgrade to my 2022 Corolla for sure :D
Almost all the "negative parts" of this car are a positive for me. maybe a bigger back seat but I'm a smaller guy, and. no kids, and I think I'm gonna drive this car till it dies/next 10 years. The plan is to buy a 2nd ev, this time something fancier before no PST on ev exemption is ended in 2027 here in BC! That's 7% that ICE cars have on them that I don't have to pay.
@cupperdigger3494 I think you're going to love it! By the way, it was $52k before rebates, not after. Our 2019 Ultimate came to $54k with dealer add ons, but there were no rebates at all at that time. You might be able to negotiate an even lower price, I would think 🤔. It never hurts to try!
@@livewirereview Hi. I appreciate your response :). That's right, it was $52k before rebate but taxes and rebate sorta cancel out each other at least here.
Yep I'm gonna offer dealership $25 :D I'm hoping we can settle on 26 ish, so with $1k dealership fee and $1500 GST I end up paying $29k all in.
@cupperdigger3494 that's the spirit! You're going to love it! ❤️
Watching from the US as the EV market has come down a bit and now might be time to adopt an EV. Hyundai ICE engines are sus, but their EVs are well engineered. Between an KEV ultimate or a I5 SEL....the latter being a bit pricey still.
Great video!
I agree completely! I took a job at Hyundai because of their EV tech. The body steel and build quality is great but their ICE engines are sus.
What's the battery chemistry type for the replaced/new batteries? Is it something like LFP that can be charged to 100% without concern?
@Mububban23 still the same li-ion polymer NCM. But no folded anode this time!
Between this and the BOLT UEV, what do you think? Currently a 2023 Demo mdel in Premier version for $44,000.00 all in or a 2023 Bolt UEV upgraded package with super cruise that has 10k KM for $39,000.00 all in.
I live in Toronto, do about 160KMs of driving per day, I have level 2 charging at home and level 1 at work.
@begley09 that bolt should be fine for your driving. The heater is the drawback in the bolt though. It will sacrifice more range than the Kona will in cold weather. But that pricing is pretty good!
@@livewirereview Good to hear, thanks. Yeah well I guess EVs in general have come down A LOT in price. Even looking at pulling the trigger on the model Y right now with 1.99% financing.
@begley09 1.99% makes a huuuge difference. The borrowing cost was $20000 not too long ago.
I have mine from 2019. September, now 99700km ,still fully satisfied, range fully charged on dashboard shows summer 550km reality it consumes ~>10% on 50km, mixed, city/highway, so I am getting 450-480km.
On winter fully charged it shows range 430-450km, I drive about 360 and som 70-80left.
About 12v battery, changed twice, and dealer electrician dig and find out that if you just sit inside with keyless key in your pocket, or just left key in the car, even if dashboard is fully shut off, no radio, nothing the whole sistem is sort of ignition position, and it drains 12v battery. it sense keyless is in the car, first it happened, I was waiting while my wife were shopping, had some work on my laptop, and in those 2 and half hours could’nt start it, luckily I always carry booster, battery was totaly dead, replaced, second time my wife arrived home and left key in the car for the night. All that happens in first two years, now 3 years last battery keeps just fine. So if happens you need to wait in the car for awhile just leave engine on. It consume maybe 1%in 2 hours
@@u.dobbermann9602 Had mine to over 100,000km as well. No major issues. Still original brakes. About 480km in summer on back roads. Great little car. 🙂
The face lift came november 2020 in the uk but we took preface lift as they offered 5k discount.
@keithnewton8981 great deal! The pre facelift looks better to me anyways! 😆
Have a question. With the battery pack being lower then the undercarriage. Is that design safe in your opinion from road debris?
Yes, there is a very thick aluminum plate between the road and batteries. The coolant runs below the battery modules and is designed with crash compression areas surrounding it. It even cuts power between the modules in the event of anything happening inside. The coolant is now also electrically insulated.
@@livewirereview thanks so much. I'm sold. Going to get my daughter a 2023 model. The value for the money is awesome. Thanks for the great information and content on TH-cam
Hmmm is a real problem, We have/had a 2020 Kona EV, the car was just totalled by Hyundai since we hit some road debris and dented the front left corner of the battery case. The dent is about an inch deep and about 5 inches wide ... I sourced some pictures of the battery pack apart, where we hit is totally empty. No codes, no problems, still driving it but Hyundai told our insurance company to replace the battery pack, the estimate is almost the value of the car. Be aware of this huge weak spot, Hyundai says any impact to the battery means replacement since they are avoiding any liabilities. I even wonder if you get say rear-ended and do not touch the battery, does the shock of impact mean the battery is totalled? And the plate is not that thick and its' more of how the damage impacts warranty and liabilities that you got to watch out for. Best of luck, we are likely not to buy another one, perhaps a hybrid where where the battery tends to be tucked up under the rear seats.
AFAIK heat pump is not available in the US on any Kona EV
Higher trims in the US get heat pumps. Lower trims were offered without to cut costs in warmer areas.
They are great cars, 0 to 60 is more around 6.2, those things just roast the tires, not model three quick but it feels plenty fast
It's true, I love sport mode. We put indy 500 tires on and it's lots of fun!
Well we live in the uk and our car 2020 with Hest pump and we are still getting over 300 uk mile from full charge infact last week our journey was 308 mile and on a mixture of motorway and A&B roads we had 8% left after 308 British miles. The car only dipped 295 once I was doing driving I do not use full regen or eco mode.
I think as we are European our disc must be different the car has just had it 4 birthday and no4 service where all fluid including battery fluids are change abd remember our car have go through MOT exam every year our breaks are fin no rust and we have 10% wear on pads the break are check but we never had them serviced they pass the safety inspection and physical test every year not sure why you are changing ever year our cars don't 40k miles
Our car is se premium model but our car has led lamp but we have the 1.5 model as there was a change to infotainment screen and operating system and it had the upgraded battery system. It would seem the uk version is different to cad version our car looks like your 2019 but has the wide screen 2023 infotainment sat nav is standard blu link standard so everything do via your mobile phone no need to carry your car key.
Can pre condition battery etc via smart phone. Set up charging timer etc and there the global tracker included 7 free updates heated rear seat heated cooled front seats phone wires phone charger
Android auto apple car play its got everything . Your 2023 got harman kardman sound system.
Our key is the same as the 2023 model . In the uk the did an update in 2020 just before face lift adding extra bit to the mk1 kona
@keithnewton8981 that's incredible mileage! I can do that, too, if I stay off the freeway. Speeds 90km/h or less really make this car go far.
Motorway about 75 mph the cars been great the checked the battery for degradation on 25 Aug 2024 and it was zero .
We are so impressed with the distance there are a few of use reporting the same on the upgraded battery pack
How tall are you?
6'1". That's why I was surprised when I fit in the back seat. I don't fit in the back of the huge Ioniq 6, though, for comparison.
@@livewirereview thanks, that’s some good headroom for a small suv!
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Another talking heads video with 100 accelerations tests. Have you guys dont want one day film smth different? A car probably? How Kona acting with ACC downhill, how its learning regeneration and so on?
Personaly me, Im not interested to watch 17 min of mens beards. Or maybe its barber video?
I like the constructive comments! I always add little ideas that I find in the comments to future videos. Since we're licensed technicians, we like to add reliability and repair based questions to our reviews and often cover what it's like from an owner's perspective.
My first couple reviews covered far too much information and ended up over 30 minutes long. We have found that most people watching reviews only want an 8 to 13 minute video with a few key points. In this one, we mentioned the suspension as it was a standout for us and repair expectations as it's more budget conscious.
ACC downhill uses regen and is very smooth, but it doesn't learn in this one. That's more of a feature you'll find in the Toyota Prius Prime. Smart regen in this car just uses radar to change the level of regen braking depending on a vehicle in front of you.
Take a look at my recent 2024 Kona review. Leave a comment there on what I might be missing that you want to see in the future. I have no problem adding in new ideas, and thank you very much for the comments!