Hyundai Kona Electric: Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2025 finalist

• Base price of $34,270 secures a 200-mile EPA range from less than 50 kwh
• Fast-charging times lag Hyundai’s E-GMP (Ioniq) EVs, but V2L adds usefulness
• Smart interior design, latest infotainment system amount to a modern look and feel 

The Hyundai Kona Electric is one of Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy 2025 finalists, and it exemplifies a formula that’s in short supply in today’s U.S. electric vehicle market: that of the roomy, affordable small car that makes good driving range from a relatively modest battery pack.

The Kona Electric isn’t built on a dedicated electric-vehicle platform, but it might be mistaken for it. Despite its 171.5-inch length, the Kona Electric can fit four adults comfortably—or five in a pinch. Packaging is smart, allowing a roomy 25.5 cubic feet behind the second row and 63.7 cubic feet when folded forward. 

This time around, the Kona Electric outshines gasoline versions of this small-car family in performance, ride, and refinement, with all but the base SE getting a perky 201-hp electric motor at the front wheels. It drives with a lean, responsive feel, and its crisp, modern displays and switchgear feel directly inherited from Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 EVs. All models get a large 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a built-in wifi hotspot, over-the-air update capability, and V2L (vehicle-to-load) compatibility in all versions offers up to 3.6 kw of AC power for worksite tools, camping accessories, and more. 

The Kona Electric runs on 400 volts, unlike those 800-volt Ioniq models and their E-GMP platform, but its DC fast-charging time of 43 minutes from 10-80% is respectable for urban commuters who take the occasional highway trip. 

With the Chevrolet Bolt EV on hiatus until at least late calendar-year 2025 and the 2026 model year, the Kona Electric is the closest modern-EV alternative, landing in a corner of the market—high value, small size—that’s otherwise not well represented in the American market. The Kona Electric starts at $34,270, including the $1,395 destination fee. That’s for the SE, with the 48.6-kwh battery pack and 200-mile EPA range rating. SEL models, which step up to the 64.8-kwh battery pack and 261-mile range rating, cost $38,270, get heated front seats and a power driver seat, and are probably the sweet spot of the lineup for most considering this model. 

Sporty N Line versions start at $40,270, and get various sporty cosmetic upgrades plus Bose premium audio, while top $42,445 Limited versions have a hands-free tailgate, a surround-view camera system, and several additional active-safety systems. At that price, however, you run into some of the same value-for-money hurdles we’ve pointed out for the Kia Niro EV.

Competition is sparse—only the dated Nissan Leaf; the Fiat 500e, which is a two-door model; and the Mini Countryman SE ALL4, which starts at $46,195 and is now a larger vehicle than the Kona. The overdue-and-delayed Volvo EX30, which was due to start at $36,245 will make an especially strong rival to the Kona Electric, when it does arrive. 

Does the Hyundai Kona Electric make a big enough impact on the EV market to top the other four Best Car To Buy 2025 Finalists? Check back Jan. 6.