Hyundai Kona Electric Standard Range 2026 Review

The base 2026 Hyundai Kona Electric Standard Range tested here is the entry point to the Kona EV range. Until recently it would set you back $54,000 plus on-road costs (ORCs), but Hyundai has taken a hatchet to pricing and now offers the same vehicle for $45,990 driveaway, which amounts to around a $13,000 saving depending on the state you live in.

As before, you can get an Extended Range version for another $4000 or the Premium (which only comes as an Extended Range) for an extra $14,000. The catch is that these lower prices are only applicable to vehicles ordered and delivered before March 31, 2026 or while stocks last, but it certainly makes the Kona EV much more competitive against its small EV SUV competition.

There are now plenty of alternatives in the class, including the Chery E5 (from $36,990 +ORCs), the Kia EV3 (from $47,600 +ORCs), the MG S5 EV (from $40,490 +ORCs), Nissan Ariya (from $55,840 +ORCs) to the likes of the Renault Megane E-Tech (from $54,990 +ORCs). The BYD Atto 3 (from $39,990 +ORCs), while classed as a medium SUV, also nudges close to Kona in size and spec.

Standard equipment on the 2026 Hyundai Kona Electric Standard Range extends to 17-inch alloy wheels, rain-sensing wipers, heated and power-folding exterior mirrors, an auto dipping interior rear-vision mirror, dual-zone climate control, smart key with push-button start, remote start and remote front window opening, three driver profiles for preset preferences, vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality and power lumbar adjustment for the driver’s seat. A space-saver temporary spare wheel is also standard.

The only major option is to have your Kona in a different colour to the no-cost Atlas White. For an extra $595 you can choose from Ecotronic Grey, Abyss Black, Ultimate Red, Mirage Green, Denim Blue and Meta Blue.

The Kona Electric is covered by Hyundai’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre vehicle warranty while the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years/160,000km. Scheduled servicing is due every two years or 30,000km, with Hyundai’s capped priced servicing costing $725 at 30,000km/24 months, $747 at 60,000km/48 months and $725 at 90,000km/72 months, for a total of $2197 over the first three visits.

Occupant safety is strong for the 2026 Hyundai Kona thanks to its seven airbags, including a front centre airbag, which led to an adult occupant protection score of 80 per cent and a child occupant protection score of 84 per cent when it was tested by ANCAP in 2023.

However, the Kona was awarded just four stars due to its vulnerable road user protection (64 per cent) and safety assist (62 per cent) scores, both below the 70 per cent threshold required for a maximum five-star result.

According to ANCAP, the Kona’s autonomous emergency braking was ‘adequate’ in tests with pedestrians and cyclists, while the emergency lane keeping system was also given an ‘adequate’ result.

As with most new cars, there is a long laundry list of standard active safety features. Those that rate a mention include rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot collision avoidance, driver monitoring and safe exit warning.

Among the tech features in the 2026 Hyundai Kona Electric are a 12.3-inch infotainment system and a 12.3-inch digital display, all encased in the same dash screen that dominates about two-thirds of the dashboard.

Hyundai Bluelink connected services via an embedded SIM give over-the-air software update capability.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (wireless) are integrated into the system, along with embedded satellite navigation and voice recognition.

A 15W wireless charging pad plus two USB-C data/charging ports are up front, while rear passengers get two USB-C outlets. These Type-C outlets are designed around the Power Delivery 3.0 standard, providing 27W/3A output for rapid charging.

A front-mounted permanent magnet synchronous electric motor sends 99kW/255Nm to the front wheels via a single-speed reduction gear, fed by the 2026 Hyundai Kona Electric's 48.6kWh lithium-ion battery.

An average of 14.8kWh/100km in combined-cycle WLTP testing is the official energy consumption figure for the 2026 Hyundai Kona Electric Standard Range, with a subsequent claimed range of up to 370km. With its Type 2/CCS2 charging port, AC charging on a standard domestic plug for a 10-100 per cent charge is 20h40m, on 10.4kW AC charging it's 5h15min and 100kW DC charging takes about 45 minutes for a 10-80 per cent charge.

On test, we averaged 12.9kWh/100km, though the usable range displayed was only 351km. While it appeared to be quite efficient in its kWh/100km figure, the issue of range might remain a problem for those who like to use their EV often for interstate travel.

The 2026 Hyundai Kona Electric Standard Range is much like the petrol Kona, except of course its engine bay remains silent and torque off-the-mark is instant. With the Eco drive mode selected, the Kona is a satisfactorily responsive, quiet (of course) and serene method of getting around. It plugs traffic gaps easily, pulls away from corners quickly — all the kinds of low-speed response situations EVs are known to be good at.

On the highway, the Kona Electric Standard Range lacks the instant response that marks its around-town behaviour. The 150kW option might be the alternative you need if quick highway overtaking is one of your priorities.

This is one of the better EVs around in terms of its suspension tuning. It doesn’t provide sports car traction or driver engagement, but neither is it the lumpy, ponderous, bump-crashing experience some newcomers to market are. The turn-in response, grip, suspension composure and ride quality make this a reasonably sharp tool for carving through a twisting country road.

While the cabin is on the large side for a small SUV, the 2026 Hyundai Kona Standard Range is well, a little plain. Buyers might expect a little flair at this price point, even when it has an expensive EV powertrain that bumps the sticker price well beyond an ICE equivalent.

Having said that, there are loads of amenities here. It’s an easy interior in which to get comfortable and use on the daily grind, with accessible controls and instruments and loads of storage for cups, sunnies, trinkets and so on. Press vehicles get a hard life – this one had 14,000km on the clock, which is about the same as 140,000km in private use. Okay, that’s somewhat of an exaggeration, but the point is that the Kona was holding up very well with no rattles bar a very light squeak from the tailgate area.

In the cargo space there’s 407 litres of seats-up space that increases to 1241L when rear seats are folded (plus 27 litres of storage space in the frunk). Hyundai must be commended for fitting a space-saver spare under the cargo floor. In an age of decreasing road surface quality and increasing numbers of new vehicles with no spare wheel at all, this is a great standard feature.

The 2026 Hyundai Kona Electric Standard Range is a good electric SUV. It gets a tick for basics such as a spacious, well packaged interior, generous tech package and good dynamics. But the Kona Electric Standard Range lacks the crash safety score, value for money, touring range and interior fixtures appeal to claim it as a stand-out in its class.

2026 Hyundai Kona Electric Standard Range at a glance:
Price: $45,990 driveaway
Available: Now
Powertrain: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 99kW/255Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 48.6kWh lithium-ion
Range: 370km (WLTP claim)
Energy consumption: 14.8kWh/100km (WLTP claim)
Safety rating: Four-star (ANCAP 2023)

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