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Considering A Small Crossover EV? Steve Says The Kona Electric Is A Great Choice

Steve Hammes with the 2022 Kona Electric and his 2020 Kona Electric

  The Kona Electric advertises a 258-mile driving range and offers 3 levels of charging – the quickest of which takes less than an hour if you drain the battery all the way to zero – an unlikely scenario, so in most cases, it takes about 30 minutes to reach an 80% charge…just enough time to go shopping.  And even then, fast charging at Electrify America stations is free for 3 years.  I plug my Kona into a standard outlet in my garage and for me an overnight charge typically brings me back to 100%.

The most notable change this year is the Tesla-inspired, smooth front end with slimmer headlights.  I think Teslas are the ugliest cars ever produced so this is not a selling point to me but I kind of like the deletion of the SUV-like, gray body cladding.  It’s now all body color and it classes the car up.
Hyundai really loads up this Limited trim so you get all of the safety features, the best infotainment and high-end convenience features like a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated seats, and 3 years of BlueLink telematics which includes a great app for connecting with and controlling your Kona.  There’s even a height-adjustable passenger seat.
Available in SEL and Limited trims with a starting MSRP of $35,185 the Kona Electric does qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit but this model – like many others – are currently pretty scarce so pricing may vary.
Much like we had to convince my grandmother back in the 80s that a microwave oven was something she would enjoy – and in a short time very much did – driving an electric car is similar in that once you experience it there’s no looking back.  
For TestDriveNow car critic Steve Hammes’ complete video review & test drive of the Hyundai Kona Electric go HERE

By TestDriveNow Car Critic Steve Hammes for SouthFloridaReporter.comNov. 23, 2021

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Republished with permission

A premiere automotive resource featuring video reviews by America’s top automotive critic Steve Hammes. Having road tested more than 2,000 new vehicles, Hammes, known as “The Go-to-Guy Before You Buy”, delivers at least two new reviews of his first-hand test drive experiences each week.