Lewis Standing drives a Hyundai Kona Electric 64kWh 2020.
This is Lewis’s first electric car, he’s owned the Hyundai Kona Electric 2-3 years and drives 5,000-10,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 20,000-30,000 miles and he achieves 260 miles from a full charge.
Why did you choose the Hyundai Kona Electric?
I chose this car based on reviews from the Fully Charged Show, it’s range and that it was cheaper than a Tesla at the time with 50% more range than a 2020 Model 3 SR+. I told myself I didn’t want a luxury car like a Tesla to pretend I wasn’t spending as much money on it 🫣
Positives – List 3 or more reasons why you love this electric car
- Great range
- fulfils all our needs
- efficient
- cheap running costs.
Negatives – List 3 or more things that you really don’t like about this electric car
- Interior looks a little dated now
- headlights relatively poor (premium model but not LEDs)
- seats get less comfortable on 2+ hr trips.
Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?
12 volt battery died and needed replacing. It kept dying for months and was a hassle. Replaced on warranty.
What are the standout technological features of the car?
The lane keep assistance & adaptive cruise control are excellent. The efficiency is only bettered by a Tesla (or original IONIQ), I get 4.5 miles/kWh. Combined with a cheap overnight tariff it means I spend <£200 a year on fuel and save over £1,000 vs petrol.
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Surprise us! Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this electric car
The boot is OK, especially if you remove the false floors for big trips like Christmas, you fit loads more in. You can get an aftermarket front boot from Ireland car accessories to store your cables thereby freeing up space too.
What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?
Hyundai IONIQ 6 – looks great and better charging. The new version of the Kona Electric interior is impressive too, better boot also. Pricing is quite close to a Tesla Model 3 SR though, which now has a bigger battery than before so that’s a bit difficult.
Home charging unit – outline both positive & negative elementsÂ
Wallbox Pulsar Plus – now replaced by Pulsar Max, I think. It’s great & the app is also great. But it doesn’t have a button to just charge, it’s all via the app so it won’t suit some. Doesn’t do solar diversion either but the new one might.
Electricity supplier & tariff – outline both positive & negative elements
Octopus Go – best in class. In summer consider the Agile tariff though as night-time might not be quite as cheap but lots of solar on the grid makes daytime super cheap.
Insurer – outline both positive & negative elements
Churchill – were the cheapest and good when I had a bump.
Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running an electric car
- £200 or less in driving electric for 9,000 miles versus what would have been £1,250 in petrol in a 50mpg car
Servicing contract was £10/month for 3 years and you get free AA breakdown if you service with Hyundai - Hyundai charge card gives you cheap roaming rapid charging too, you need to sort this yourself, it’s not automatic but simple enough.
