2026 Hyundai Kona Electric N Line review

The Hyundai Kona was first introduced to the Australian market in 2017 with the rapidly increasing demand for small SUVs.

It quickly became one of the most popular models in its category, with the nameplate becoming the best-selling small SUV in 2025, with 22,769 rolling off Hyundai's showroom floors.

Those numbers are also impressive given the fact that the current generation is celebrating its third birthday in 2026, meaning it’s a properly tried-and-tested platform.

It now offers three powertrains – electric, hybrid and regular internal combustion engine (ICE) – with the ICE version always excelling in its category. In fact, it took out the top spot for Drive Car of the Year Best Small SUV Under $60K.

While the ICE version seems to get it right, the electric version has a lot more to compete on – massively increasing the price over its fossil-fuel counterpart, and competing in a completely different field of unrecognisable model names with some seriously low prices.

When the electric model first made its way Down Under in 2019, it was marketed as a new entry point to electrification, but the market has changed a lot since then.

However, is it still good enough to poke its head up above packs of BYD Atto 3s and Leapmotor B10s? Or is its trusted Hyundai badge the only saving grace for what is one of the more expensive electric small SUVs?

The Hyundai Kona Electric range starts at $54,000 plus on-road costs for the 48.6kWh battery, 99kW, 370km WLTP-claimed range, standard-range model.

You can opt for the base model to receive the 'Extended Range' package with a 64.8kWh battery, 150kW motor, and 505km WLTP range for $58,000 plus on-road costs. Anything above this, including the base with the N Line pack starting from $62,000 plus on-roads, only has the Extended Range battery and motor.

You can bump your budget to the Premium variant for $68,000 plus on-road costs, and top-of-the-range is the $71,000 plus on-road costs for the Premium N Line version.

Standard equipment sees much of the same equipment found in the ICE counterparts, with a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch full-colour instrument cluster, cloth seats, rain-sensing wipers, LED lighting all round, and dual-zone climate controls.

Opting for the N Line kit (as fitted to the car we had on test) sees the addition of colour-matched plastics around the outside, N Line-specific bumpers, side skirts and spoilers, wheels upped from 17-inch to 19-inch alloys, N Line badging, leather-appointed/Alcantra interior trimming, sport steering wheels, red highlights and metal interior trims.

If you’re coming from a standard ICE Kona, the majority of the equipment will be the same, besides the EV getting smaller 17-inch wheels on the base, built-in satellite navigation, voice control, different driver assist systems, and a few EV-centric things like vehicle-to-load and single-pedal mode.

The price is still very pre-2020. The market has moved on a lot, and it seems that the Kona has stayed the same. Since its launch, a plethora of small SUVs have reached the market, and the BYD Atto 2 holds the current record of the most affordable EV SUV at $31,990 plus on-road costs.

I’d say the Atto 3 sits closer to the Kona than the Atto 2. Still, the entry cost of those has been permanently discounted to $39,990 plus on-road costs in recent years. The Leapmotor B10 is also an excellent comparison, starting from $37,888 plus on-road costs.

If you want an EV from an equally historic brand as Hyundai, a Kia EV3 starts from $47,600 plus on-roads, while the Skoda Elroq 60 starts from $49,990 drive-away.

There are certainly better value-for-money vehicles on paper available, and Hyundai knows it. Drive-away offers occasionally pop up for the Kona, like currently, where you can get into an electric Kona for around a $9000 discount over the standard list price.

Sure, it’s not the best-equipped car or the cheapest by far, but it certainly has some saving graces that make for an excellent drive experience.

Hyundai states the Kona EV is good for a WLTP-claimed 370km in its base guise, the Extended Range bumps that up to 505km, while the Premium and N Line kits see it drop back down to 444km. You can read more about the other trim levels in our existing tests here.

The N Line with a range of 444km through the 64.8kWh battery translates to an energy usage of 16.7 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres. That is a relatively average power consumption when compared against others in the class like the Atto 3 (14.5kWh/100km) and Kia EV3 Earth/GT-Line (16.2kWh/100km).

The bigger wheels are the main difference between the two. If you were really keen on the look of an N Line or a Premium, you could realistically put 17-inch wheels on to bring it closer to the consumption of the base model (14.8kWh/100km).

I was fortunate enough to spend a massive amount of time in the little electric Kona, which saw me drive all conditions from standstill traffic, zipping around town, to intercity highway and country roads, also seeing a mixture of charging experiences.

Not resetting the trip for the majority of my week, running around the outskirts of Sydney, mixed with a drive down to Jervis Bay and back, saw a reading of just 16.9kWh/100km with me not exactly being mindful on the pedal and extended periods at 100-110km/h.

It was quite surprising to see the WLTP claim so close. Even more trips around the city saw the consumption dip into the 13s at times, but it spent the majority of the test in the 15.5–16.1kWh/100km range.

The DC fast-charging maximum is set at 100kW, which is relatively low by modern-day standards, but a test with a 150kW charger saw the Kona peak at 94kW before dropping when another car hooked up to the other side.

I do feel that cars in this price range, and in 2026, should really start at a maximum DC charge rate of 150kW and exceed further with differing battery options. With the development of new charging technologies, we will see bigger peak numbers, and a 10 to 80 per cent 'fast' charge in 45 minutes is an eternity.

The electric Hyundai Kona is covered by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty for everything but the high-voltage battery, which is covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty.

Service intervals are set to 24 months/30,000km, which is twice as long as an internal-combustion Kona, though it hovers around the same price.

Current prices are listed as $733 for the first, $755 for the second service, $733 for the third, $755 for the fourth, and $1095 for the fifth, which will bring you to 10 years and 150,000km.

It’s just a smidge higher than some competitors, with a four-year servicing cost of $1488 compared to the BYD Atto 3 at $1463 and the Kia EV3 at $1308 (five years).

We fetched an online quote for full comprehensive insurance, which came back to $1528 per year for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

The current generation of Kona was awarded four stars by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) based on testing by Euro NCAP in 2023. This rating extends to all variants of Kona, electric, hybrid, and ICE.

The Kona scored 80 per cent for adult occupant protection and 84 per cent for child occupant protection. But, it saw a score of 64 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 62 per cent for safety assist.

A car needs to score over 70 per cent in these categories to be awarded five stars. ANCAP described the performance of its autonomous emergency braking as ‘Adequate’.

The small SUV does driver monitoring systems decently. It’s a similar story with the speed limit assist. Although it occasionally makes mistakes, especially in school zones, it doesn't beep erroneously when you creep over what it thinks is the limit.

The lane-assist, lane-centring and lane-keep need work, as it seems to be too basic a system for a car of this cost. The lane-centring almost didn’t feel like it was on at times, while the lane-keep intervened far too late for my liking. There are some cars that will essentially steer themselves, but the Kona is not one of them.

As mentioned, the Kona is a small SUV. Think of an i30 with a little more ground clearance – around 20mm higher off the ground compared to its hatchback brother.

It’s objectively an odd but cool-looking car, sporting a front end similar to Isaac Clarke from Dead Space 2 with an LED strip across the front bar and the actual headlights hidden in the bumper, following the same family face now found across the majority of the Hyundai range.

The rear sees a similar vibe to the front, utilising a light strip for the brake and running lights, but further signals are located down low, looking more like a reflector than an actual light.

It’s a stealthy, angry-looking car. You need to look at it for a while before you notice some of the sharp lines that run from the front and rear bars, up the side to an interestingly pressed outer skin, boxy wheel wells, and running lines that wrap around the back.

I have to say that the N Line body kit massively improves the look of the car, eliminating the black strips up the side and redesigning the front bar. Hence, it looks less space-age EV and more angry, with little side skirts, that sweet wing, a sportier rear bumper, and some bigger wheels – from 17-inch up to 19-inch – which offset the loss of range by making the car a whole lot cooler.

You have the choice of six different colours, Atlas White and Neoteric Yellow seeing no additional cost, but the Abyss Black, Cyber Grey, Soultronic Orange and Ultimate Red cost an additional $595.

It’s all very Hyundai when you open the driver's side door to the EV Kona. In fact, it’s exactly the same as the ICE and hybrid versions, which is a trend that not many manufacturers follow – often opting for a ground-up redesign of their electric models.

The interior is all very basic and approachable. It simply feels like a car, not a science experiment in fitting in as many features as possible.

However, I can’t help but feel like my expectations of an electric car in this price range have been greatly raised over the past few years, and the Kona certainly does not meet what I had in my head.

There is a lot of hard plastic throughout the car. Everything from the centre console to the door cards is met with a tough touch. I was also shocked to reach down to move my seat and feel a manual adjuster – needing to upgrade to the Premium for electric motors to do it for you.

I understand the grade structure and why this version is essentially the base model with some dress-up parts, but this is a $62,000 small car. It’s quite a way behind the interior trim of a Tesla Model Y Premium starting from $58,900.

The N Line gets the aforementioned leather-appointed/Alcantra interior trimming, sport steering wheel, red highlights, and metal trims, which do round off the interior nicely.

Even though you’d consider the Kona a small car, it’s pretty tall-person-friendly. My 184cm frame had no trouble manoeuvring the seat and steering wheel into a comfortable position, even as I slouched down further on longer drives.

The seats are comfortable from the base to the backrest, and the use of cloth trimming in the centre is always appreciated when the seats do not have ventilation. But, comfort is nearly ruined by an odd-shaped headrest. You either need to sit up straight to slot the bend into your neck, or take it off completely.

I have no idea what body shape Hyundai designed these seats for, but they’re angled far too forward. I ended up setting them super high to have my head resting on the bottom part.

Having plenty of buttons for everything makes life a whole lot easier, and all are clearly laid out and labelled properly. Rejecting modernity and embracing tradition means you’re not fiddling with the touchscreen to adjust the volume or change climate-control settings.

The Kona has that typical Hyundai/Kia gear selector on the steering column, which isn’t the most user-friendly location, but I don’t doubt customers will get used to it very quickly.

Two USB-C ports, a 12-volt socket, a wireless charging pad, an open bin-style cupholder tray, and a centre armrest round out the simple yet user-friendly front row.

The second row is pretty standard for a small SUV. You have enough room for two adults for shorter journeys, but longer car rides could see a bit of leg discomfort. Luckily, the flat floor allows you to swing your legs across if you're a solo second-row co-pilot.

There are no funky screens or exciting gadgets for rear passengers, just two vents and two USB-C ports, but the Kona has a trick up its sleeve – a 250-volt 16-amp plug within arm's reach. So your rear passengers could run a coffee machine, charge a laptop, even power an angle-grinder or something to pass the time in the back.

Moving around to the manual-lift hatch (you’ll need to upgrade to the Premium if you want a power one) and it opens up to an impressive 434 litres with the seats up and an average 1268L with the seats down – seat-up space is akin to a Nissan Qashqai and Toyota Corolla Cross.

Lifting the floor opens up a cubby space sporting something rarer than hens' teeth in an EV, a spare wheel. It’s a space-saver, but it beats a tyre repair kit tenfold.

The front storage space also has a mini cubby under the plastic 'engine' cover, measuring up to 27L and likely more of a hiding spot for belongings rather than an actual storage space.

The Kona range uses a 12.3-inch touchscreen, which comes programmed with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, connected wired or wirelessly.

Hyundai has always been good at making a basic screen that runs processes well, providing a nice, fast experience, and neglecting the dropouts found in other cars.

It follows the same idea as the rest of the interior, simple but pretty, while being easy to use. I didn’t really feel the need to search through the menus to play with all the toys Hyundai has given, but if you want to nerd out on the screen, there’s an abundance to see.

Built-in satellite navigation, AM/FM/DAB radio, smartphone connectivity to lock/unlock the car, check status, locate it, and others, and plenty of extra screens like weather apps, efficiency screens, and extra clusters.

My sole complaint about the infotainment is the reversing camera. I understand that there is an expectation for top-spec cars to get the 360-degree camera, but a $62,000 car needs to have this equipment.

I’d say that, besides the lack of a good reverse-camera system, the Kona’s infotainment system is what a modern-day car should be – plenty of easy-to-reach physical buttons with a fast, basic screen that doesn’t take up too much space, while giving customers the option to mess around with it as well.

The dash cluster is another big positive. Everything is clear and easy to see with heaps of customisation to set it up how you like it, along with core pieces of information like navigation, tyre pressure monitoring, and range all at a glance with no need to take your eyes off the road.

Where the Kona Electric makes the most sense is on the road. It’s a very composed and genuinely fun car to drive, following the same idea as the internal-combustion versions of the small SUV.

Starting around town sees the Kona show its size. Spacious on the inside, but it feels like a small car to drive, making for a straightforward steer. The steering is light enough for new drivers to buzz around in, but offers enough feedback to ensure it doesn't feel like you're driving a toy car.

It’s not a quick car. The long range bumps the power up to 150kW but the torque stays at 255Nm, so it doesn’t have the most amount of 'instant go' as its competitors in the same price range. Still, those power specifications are good enough for most circumstances.

The electric version of the Kona sees a weight increase of around 350kg over a non-hybrid ICE version, and it can be felt a little when cornering. Otherwise, it does a better job of balancing the car thanks to that heavy battery under the floor, rather than piling all the weight on the front axle.

That being said, it’s not as refined a drive as some of the rear-wheel-drive electric vehicles on the market at the moment. It’s still got the majority of its weight over that front axle, which can sometimes make the rear feel lofty – surely as a means to ensure less bone-rattling rebound – but pushing the car on the softer side.

You begin to notice that softer suspension becomes more noticeable on twisty roads and undulations, where the car gets a little unsettled when pushed or hits uneven sections. But this is an unreasonable expectation for a car built to get you to and from the city.

Understeer is noticeable at times, which I will attribute to the bigger wheels with a lesser sidewall than lower trim levels. This also affected road noise coming back through the cabin, although it sits on the quieter end of the scale for electric vehicles.

Freeway driving was weirdly easy for a car of this size. Despite not being the first choice for many to tour long distances, I don’t see it having any issues with the odd Sydney to Newcastle trip or vice versa. It stays composed and stable at high speeds, with the low centre of gravity keeping the car sticking to the road even with a crosswind.

The EV Kona offers adjustable regenerative braking through the paddles, which can be adjusted between an ICE-car feeling and single-pedal braking. I spent most of my time treating it like an ICE car, using the brakes manually, which have a natural feel. But I played with single-pedal mode, which gives you a very familiar experience like that of other electric cars.

But, I have to give this little car overall props for not putting up too much of a fight when navigating sharp and small carparks, hitting the road and then driving at 110km/h for extended periods, and even handling the odd gravel road with ease.

It’s a well-sorted city car that has capabilities for longer-range drivers, so long as you pay the utmost attention to the road because the lane-centring isn’t going to do it for you.

Since the Hyundai Kona has been out for many years now, you can find new and used examples for sale at Drive Marketplace.

Find your nearest Hyundai dealer here to check out the Kona in the metal.

If you're looking for more pricing, specifications, and latest offers on the Hyundai Kona, click here.

The electric Hyundai Kona is one of the easiest petrol-to-electric adaptations I’ve driven. It actually drives like a car and not an appliance.

The majority of writing this review was made difficult by the fact that it didn’t do a lot wrong, nor did it annoy me living and commuting with it – even doing a drive many would consider 'road-trip' length.

I don’t doubt that this car would be an excellent purchase if your heart is set on a Hyundai. It would even make a very good first car with its approachable nature and drivability.

Unfortunately, I need to address the elephant in the room: the price. It sits very high among a field of cars that are trimmed and fitted excellently, and offering much better value for money than this.

The fact that a Tesla Model Y beats this car on price is cause for concern. That’s a very attractive offering, but it’s also inherently a much better car. Even with that being said, the BYD Atto 3 falls short of the Kona in its drive and usability, but not by over $20,000 short.

It’s funky and looks cool, but not enough to be one of the most expensive on the market. I suggest you take a look at the BYD Atto 3 and the Leapmotor B10 before making your determination.

Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.

Read more about Zane Dobie