18th Oct 2020, 14:33

An update on this folks. The Kona electric doesn't come with a spare tire - the space under the trunk cover is smaller than on the gasoline Kona, so it can't fit a spare tire. It does come with an emergency puncture repair kit - a foam spray can and a small electric pump. Look up on Youtube how to use these, HOWEVER you should know that this foam that is pushed inside the tire can affect the tire pressure sensor. Thumbs down for Hyundai for not including a spare jack and not even boosting cables. You MUST have boosting cables with you because one of the most common problem with these EV is the small 12v battery gets flat and leaves you stranded. Here's what's happening: everything in the car, doors, computers, headlights, etc is powered by the small 12v battery - just like in gasoline engines. This battery is normally kept charged from the main powertrain battery, however the 12v battery is needed to start the car and gets very easily drained if you sit inside the car and change menu settings or listed to the radio without powering up the motor - which is easy to forget. You must ALWAYS power up the motor when you sit inside the car with the ignition on - to prevent the 12v battery from discharging. Even if you sit for only 5 minutes. When the 12v battery drains, you won't be able to start the car, in fact you won't even be able to enter the car if it's locked. You will need to open the door with the mechanical key (press the small button on the fob and remove the key), unlock driver's door, open the hood, and boost the 12v battery (the negative pole has a small cover that has to be lifted vertically from the left side) then start the motor. Make sure you buy a boost cable.

Another thing: the main battery sits under the car in a big aluminum casing. It's very close to the ground: only 6.5inch clearance. It's secured to the car with what appears to be aluminum bolts or studs. I would spray these with some anti-rust because these attach the aluminum cover to the metal underbody and are prone to what is called 'galvanic' corrosion.

29th Apr 2021, 19:14

The Kona EV has been recalled in Australia over fires caused by faulty main batteries. Have a read in this article, and notice the suggested limitation on charging to 90%, suggestion on not parking the car inside a garage and the details about using DC fast charging https://thedriven.io/2020/11/02/hyundai-finally-issues-australia-recall-notice-for-affected-kona-electrics/

5th Apr 2022, 21:39

An update. The brakes started binding and the discs don't wear uniformly. The car has 10,000 miles. I've removed the brakes and the pads were badly stuck on the caliper. The whole design is inferior and you will have to service this at high costs. As always I have videos on my channel, but be prepared for a difficult DIY https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl-l6yge4ast930y0wMiD9IIlDUy1mPFS

15th Nov 2022, 13:44

I see more and more Kona EV owners reporting dead 12v battery well before the 20000 miles mark. This is a lead-calcium battery. It appears Hyundai will replace it with a regular lead-acid battery. Be aware, measure the 12v battery before it fails, if you find it only keeps 12.2v-12.3v replace it, don't wait for it to fail and not be open to start the car. Make sure you have the Utility Mode engaged. Not sure about this, but you may need to recalibrate the computer after replacing the battery. If you replace with acid-lead, I also suggest removing the fuse of the AMS battery temperature sensor.

30th Jan 2023, 13:08

We own a '21 Kona EV, and it's been mixed so far. After the initial buy-in, the running costs are quite low.

It feels like a lot to pay for the amenities the car has - a lot of plastic, manual seats etc... but factoring in the fuel cost savings and maintenance, it's comparable to a Civic or Corolla over a long enough run.

I find the range to be slightly exaggerated living in a climate with colder winters.

The rear brake rotor issue is definitely a thing... we're at 17k kms (10k miles) and we've had our rotors replaced under warranty.

Overall, I'm not sure I'd do it again. The range is better than our family's Leaf, but they've had less issues and the Leaf feels like a nicer car overall. Not a bad car, and Hyundai makes good stuff, but I'm a bit on the fence.