We got the 2024 Kona Electric SE and are loving it. It replaced a 20+ year old Honda CR-V with 260K miles. 99% of the travel will be around town, and so far it's doing great. We have one trip set 100 miles away, so should get there and back just fine, with charging once we are there.
Bought a 2024 Kona Electric SEL in February - getting about 5.1 miles per kW. Did a trip to Flagstaff recently, charged up at Level 2 chargers no problem. Average for the trip was a bit over 4 miles per kW. Love the car. Have solar at home, so almost free to charge. Traded a 2016 Nissan Leaf SV that I bought August 2019 used. Another great EV, but city driving only - short range. Driving under the speed limit can be more relaxing on a long trip and give you much better range. Also, the cold temps cut range - the same trip in summer with temps around 70-75 would be ideal.
I was going to get a Ioniq 5 but I got am Ultimate Kona instead. I car camp a lot when I see family and having a 4KW capable plug in the back means I no longer need to deal with power stations when I travel. Also as charging is free where I go I can sit by the charger for days and properly camp. I love it especially as the seats go all the way back
hey I am thinking of doing a similar thing . When you say car camp, do you mean you sleep inside the car, or just camp next to the car? I noticed the Kona has some small weird windows in the back, do you cover all of them?
We just bought a 2024 Kona SEL, and love it. That $7500 discount brought it down to $33k (here in Kona, Hawaii) which is an awesome deal. My guess for why you got weird low mileage on your first leg would be ... climate maybe? You didn't mention how many watts your climate system was drawing. Here is Hawaii we usually drive 60 mph max, and >4 m/kwh is typical.
I believe it was due to ambient conditions (i.e headwind). Doing 72 MPH vs 60 MPH is a huge difference also for efficiency. Around town this vehicle can easy to 4.5 mi/kWh (Which I saw briefly in stop and go traffic).
The HVAC and if he has heated seats would've eaten quite a bit of the efficiency. I drive 20 mi round trip in Chicago every day and when we had our first 50° weather day I was shocked when I easily got five miles per kilowatt hour. With the heat on and seats on low, I can struggle to get above three usually. Also, I really haven't seen much difference between driver only heat and full cabin heat in energy use. But I do find myself getting cold drafts every so often.
@@kevinanddog Heated seats do not use any substantial energy. HVAC over the entire trip was typical, not extreme given mild temps. Your efficiency should not vary by 2 mi/kWh just due to using climate controls. Ambient temperatures and driving habits will certainly impact it more than HVAC.
My husband definitely thought it was worth updating from my planned SE to the SEL. I was glad because I found it in blue and love it! I'll be doing a slightly longer trip this summer so I'm really happy to see this! (I cheered when you found a parking spot with an outlet!) Also, I think I have seen that the guess-o-meter gets better after the first few trips when it has more data about how you drive. Also - no regen braking?
Awesome! I did have regen set to level 2 but with this type of driving, there is essentially no meaningful braking. Thanks for watching and congrats on your Kona EV!
Wow... didnt realize this new model year 2024 base trim SE has a smaller 48kWh battery, whereas earlier models all trims had the higher 64kWh battery... that's a bummer... they should have kept all trims at the larger battery.
Ok, I just updated my comment to say year 2024 has 48kWh battery option now... also, I didnt see your video about DCFC charging speed that you said was upcoming shortly?
Thank you for your video, I dislike Yellow in most of the cars however for some reason I like the way that Yellow Kona Looks its cool and because is electric you can get away with that color. I have gas turbo mirage green. I really like it
Looking at a 2024 (2025?) Kona Limited AWD ICE for October when lease is up on my 2022 Kona. By then, the price point between leasing a 2024 Kona Limited ICE versus EV may be worth going with the EV as I would qualify for State and Federal Tax Credits when leasing (not buying). Something for me to think about in 5 months.
@@XpR74 Only reason why I wouldn't would be that the Ioniq 5 won't fit inside my garage. Either way, I'm leaning towards a KIA Niro PHEV instead. I am finding out that there are too many negative issues with KONA.
3 hour drive and you said you were pretty tired. is that from the driving, or trying to drive and do the video, and navigate. anyway it is a good review, thanks. have a good weekend
Thank you! It was a long couple days outside of the trip including filming videos at the Chicago Auto Show. The trip back was easy considering I didn't have to charge. It would have been the same as an ICE vehicle had the plan working and I hadn't had to charge on the way up either.
Nothing. I just continued driving and decided to stop based on range and efficiency. I *probably* could have made it but it wasn't a comfortable margin for me.
Love the looks of this model Kona. But, it wouldn't work for me and road trips. Would have been great if they had hybrid version for those of us who don't have charging at condos. Nice review.
I was about to get the tucson hybrid. In the last minutes, I went for the ultimate kona 2025 . It's cheaper than normal or hybrid even if you have to pay for charging points. You will save a lot of money. Myself I haven't got the charging point a home just why I was a lot hesitating, but when I find out I can get 20 mn quick charge with 80% , the full charge will be over 300 miles . This is a gift. This is a lot . I can't wait to enjoy mine at the beginning of the new year 2025. See you later for the full review when I have mine. I ready do the test drive last month. I am happy with that. 🎉😊
@@CarsMadeSimple Not knowing where DC fast chargers are before starting your trip. Blaming the charging network for your ignorance shows you are not informed.
@@jimshafer970 I wasn't expecting to need to stop based on my drive otherwise I would have done the work ahead of time. I likely could have still made it if I pushed it out of my comfort zone. During this trip I met with Kyle Connor and based on his conversations he was very impressed with my knowledge even though I am not on his level. Making a statement based on this video alone says more about you than me.
@@CarsMadeSimple 6 years experience with EVs and 75000 miles of travel have taught me that all trips need planning. I travel frequently now that I am retired and always know where DC fast chargers are along the route. I plan to arrive at my recharge points with 10% charge so small changes in environment can make it necessary to change my charge location.
We got the 2024 Kona Electric SE and are loving it. It replaced a 20+ year old Honda CR-V with 260K miles. 99% of the travel will be around town, and so far it's doing great. We have one trip set 100 miles away, so should get there and back just fine, with charging once we are there.
Nice! It should do that trip just fine as long as you are able to charge there like you mentioned.
Bought a 2024 Kona Electric SEL in February - getting about 5.1 miles per kW. Did a trip to Flagstaff recently, charged up at Level 2 chargers no problem. Average for the trip was a bit over 4 miles per kW. Love the car. Have solar at home, so almost free to charge. Traded a 2016 Nissan Leaf SV that I bought August 2019 used. Another great EV, but city driving only - short range. Driving under the speed limit can be more relaxing on a long trip and give you much better range. Also, the cold temps cut range - the same trip in summer with temps around 70-75 would be ideal.
This is a great around town electric car. A friend has the last version and it's his daily.
I was going to get a Ioniq 5 but I got am Ultimate Kona instead. I car camp a lot when I see family and having a 4KW capable plug in the back means I no longer need to deal with power stations when I travel. Also as charging is free where I go I can sit by the charger for days and properly camp. I love it especially as the seats go all the way back
hey I am thinking of doing a similar thing . When you say car camp, do you mean you sleep inside the car, or just camp next to the car? I noticed the Kona has some small weird windows in the back, do you cover all of them?
We just bought a 2024 Kona SEL, and love it. That $7500 discount brought it down to $33k (here in Kona, Hawaii) which is an awesome deal. My guess for why you got weird low mileage on your first leg would be ... climate maybe? You didn't mention how many watts your climate system was drawing. Here is Hawaii we usually drive 60 mph max, and >4 m/kwh is typical.
I believe it was due to ambient conditions (i.e headwind). Doing 72 MPH vs 60 MPH is a huge difference also for efficiency. Around town this vehicle can easy to 4.5 mi/kWh (Which I saw briefly in stop and go traffic).
The HVAC and if he has heated seats would've eaten quite a bit of the efficiency. I drive 20 mi round trip in Chicago every day and when we had our first 50° weather day I was shocked when I easily got five miles per kilowatt hour. With the heat on and seats on low, I can struggle to get above three usually.
Also, I really haven't seen much difference between driver only heat and full cabin heat in energy use. But I do find myself getting cold drafts every so often.
@@kevinanddog Heated seats do not use any substantial energy. HVAC over the entire trip was typical, not extreme given mild temps. Your efficiency should not vary by 2 mi/kWh just due to using climate controls. Ambient temperatures and driving habits will certainly impact it more than HVAC.
My husband definitely thought it was worth updating from my planned SE to the SEL. I was glad because I found it in blue and love it! I'll be doing a slightly longer trip this summer so I'm really happy to see this! (I cheered when you found a parking spot with an outlet!) Also, I think I have seen that the guess-o-meter gets better after the first few trips when it has more data about how you drive. Also - no regen braking?
Awesome! I did have regen set to level 2 but with this type of driving, there is essentially no meaningful braking. Thanks for watching and congrats on your Kona EV!
Wow... didnt realize this new model year 2024 base trim SE has a smaller 48kWh battery, whereas earlier models all trims had the higher 64kWh battery... that's a bummer... they should have kept all trims at the larger battery.
Correct. This is a 2024 model year vehicle but is likely to carry over to 2025 with little change.
Ok, I just updated my comment to say year 2024 has 48kWh battery option now... also, I didnt see your video about DCFC charging speed that you said was upcoming shortly?
@@be236 It will be published this weekend!
Looked like you had 60+ degree temps on the return trip vs 38 degrees on the first leg. That would affect range, just like in a gas engine car.
Thank you for your video, I dislike Yellow in most of the cars however for some reason I like the way that Yellow Kona Looks its cool and because is electric you can get away with that color. I have gas turbo mirage green. I really like it
Mirage Green is a great color! It's nearly a perfect mix of Blue Stone and Sage Gray on the Santa Cruz.
@@CarsMadeSimple yessssssss. I was looking in that however the money factor on a lease was not attractive as the Kona
I can't believe you just plugged it in in the car park without having to pay for the electricity! Cheeky.
Nice hyundai ev....
Got a limited with sage interior. Love it
Nice choice!
Looking at a 2024 (2025?) Kona Limited AWD ICE for October when lease is up on my 2022 Kona. By then, the price point between leasing a 2024 Kona Limited ICE versus EV may be worth going with the EV as I would qualify for State and Federal Tax Credits when leasing (not buying). Something for me to think about in 5 months.
𝕪𝕠𝕪 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕘𝕠 𝕖𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕒 𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕚𝕢 𝟝
@@XpR74 Only reason why I wouldn't would be that the Ioniq 5 won't fit inside my garage. Either way, I'm leaning towards a KIA Niro PHEV instead. I am finding out that there are too many negative issues with KONA.
3 hour drive and you said you were pretty tired. is that from the driving, or trying to drive and do the video, and navigate. anyway it is a good review, thanks. have a good weekend
Thank you! It was a long couple days outside of the trip including filming videos at the Chicago Auto Show. The trip back was easy considering I didn't have to charge. It would have been the same as an ICE vehicle had the plan working and I hadn't had to charge on the way up either.
Holla, is rear seat can contains 3 adults comfortably?
Probably not but it should fit two extremely well
What happened between the 21 minute highway stop and a suddenly new charge location??
Nothing. I just continued driving and decided to stop based on range and efficiency. I *probably* could have made it but it wasn't a comfortable margin for me.
Love the looks of this model Kona. But, it wouldn't work for me and road trips. Would have been great if they had hybrid version for those of us who don't have charging at condos. Nice review.
go with a tuscon they have a hybrid and plug in hybrid
They do have a hybrid "new Kona" version, I believe its is 1.6l petrol engine 26th DCT transmission
I was about to get the tucson hybrid. In the last minutes, I went for the ultimate kona 2025 . It's cheaper than normal or hybrid even if you have to pay for charging points. You will save a lot of money.
Myself I haven't got the charging point a home just why I was a lot hesitating, but when I find out I can get 20 mn quick charge with 80% , the full charge will be over 300 miles . This is a gift. This is a lot .
I can't wait to enjoy mine at the beginning of the new year 2025.
See you later for the full review when I have mine.
I ready do the test drive last month. I am happy with that. 🎉😊
Do you lose headroom with the sunroof?
Yes
Turning off the Hvac, why compr.ise? If this was ro be a second d around town car it's worth it, if not don't waste your money.
I see the sticker is still on the window. Are you roadtripping a new, pre-purchased car?
NACS charger? Use Tesla’s supercharger?
That color is a bold choice, aesthetically, but I can’t imagine it’s a great business choice. It will repulse the majority of people who see it 😛
Is that $7500 cash back on lease only?
Nope! They have a bonus cash offer available on purchase also.
I think that Deal is not available anymore@@CarsMadeSimple
@@UA-camuseritis It should still be available. Incentives can be regional.
7500 off if you buy the car in cash
I’m afraid someone darling will come along and unplug as you’re charging! That would make me mad!
The connection locks while charging
This is not longe range. Longe range does more than 320
320 seems like a very arbitrary number for a definition of long range
If you want to drive fast over a long distance electric car is definitely not for you.
Limited biter tbattery
Reviews by uninformed EV users do not give a good look at a car's performance.
What's uninformed about my video?
@@CarsMadeSimple Not knowing where DC fast chargers are before starting your trip. Blaming the charging network for your ignorance shows you are not informed.
@@jimshafer970 I wasn't expecting to need to stop based on my drive otherwise I would have done the work ahead of time. I likely could have still made it if I pushed it out of my comfort zone. During this trip I met with Kyle Connor and based on his conversations he was very impressed with my knowledge even though I am not on his level. Making a statement based on this video alone says more about you than me.
@@CarsMadeSimple 6 years experience with EVs and 75000 miles of travel have taught me that all trips need planning. I travel frequently now that I am retired and always know where DC fast chargers are along the route. I plan to arrive at my recharge points with 10% charge so small changes in environment can make it necessary to change my charge location.
@@jimshafer970why do you need to be so rude dude?