Never resting on its laurels, Hyundai has just revealed the 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric, bringing refreshened styling inside and out, together with small tech upgrades designed to cement the Kona Electric as the go to choice for buyers looking for a relatively affordable small electric SUV. The updated Kona Electric follows the design changes already seen in the regular 2021 Hyundai Kona facelift shown just a few months ago, and has a sleeker, sharper look compared to the existing Kona Electric which we reviewed earlier this year.
Doing away with the need for a large radiator, the Kona Electric now has one smooth bumper panel at the front with redesigned headlights on each side, following Tesla’s lead of not giving electric vehicles any front grilles. A narrow strip of LED daytime running lights also features, together with a some vertical inlets cut into the bumper to aid with improved aerodynamic performance. Hyundai claims this helps to reduce the amount of turbulent air reaching the front wheel arches. The charging port can still be found tucked away behind a small door in the front bumper and is now body coloured, as it no longer forms part of the fake grille seen on the pre facelift Kona Electric. The rear has also seen changes with redesigned rear lights, including a new LED signature rounding off the upmarket ambitions of the external design.
Jumping inside, Hyundai has continued with the trend of mild enhancements with new seat and trim designed to lift the cabin further upmarket. Whilst the central 10.25-inch display carries over from the previous Kona Electric, the one in front of the driver of the same size has been vastly improved with clearer graphics and enhanced visibility.
Hyundai has gone all out on the safety front, offering up a host of acronyms designed to make each trip safer. As part of the Korean brand’s SmartSense safety suite, the Hyundai Kona Electric now comes with a host of new Safety Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA), Leading Vehicle Departure Alert (LVDA), Safe Exit Warning (SEW), and Rear Seat Alert (RSA). This is on top of all the usual safety kit already in the current Kona Electric.
Things on the drivetrain front aren’t much different however, as the 2021 Kona Electric’s battery has retained the same capacity as before at 64kWh. The aerodynamic improvements have however led to an increased driving range from 449km in the old model, to 484km (WLTP) in the 2021 model.
The Hyundai Kona remains one of the cheapest electric vehicles on sale in Australia, together with the MG ZS EV which is the cheapest electric vehicle on sale in Australia with a price of $43,990 drive-away. The current Kona Electric starts at $60,740 before on-road costs but does have a substantially bigger battery to offset its higher asking price.
Hyundai hasn’t given specifics as to when the 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric is due in Australia but the brand is usually successful in not making Australians wait too long before we see fresh metal.
In the meantime, make sure to check out our DiscoverAuto Hyundai Kona Electric review.
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