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Hyundai Kona

For this trip, I put the Hyundai Kona Electric to the test on a 500 km loop around Estonia, packing it with six people’s worth of belongings, including a stroller, four adults, and a three-year-old in a car seat. At first glance, squeezing all that into the Kona felt ambitious—maybe even setting myself up for a tight, uncomfortable ride. But to my surprise, the Kona handled it well, with enough leg and headroom, and I could even enjoy a coffee in the back seat without elbows bumping.

That said, it would be a stretch to call the Kona a large family car. While it works for occasional trips like this, longer journeys with more luggage would start to feel cramped, especially with kids and their travel essentials. The back seat seatbelt setup, in particular, was a bit challenging, as the car seat sat right on top of the belt buckles. Still, for a business fleet or sales team vehicle, it’s ideal.

Range Confidence: More Than Enough to Get Around

Once again, we covered over 500 km with the Kona, and range anxiety didn’t even cross my mind. For this trip, we followed a slightly longer route: Tallinn-Tartu-Otepää-Viljandi-Pärnu-Tallinn. We made two planned stops, which doubled as charging breaks, but charging was minimal and almost felt secondary. Even in Pärnu, where chargers were occupied, I didn’t worry—we still had plenty of range to make it back to Tallinn with a comfortable 12% charge left.

Driving Comfort: Function Over Flash

From the driver’s seat, the Kona Electric is comfortable and practical. It’s not packed with unnecessary luxury, which keeps the price fair for an EV (starting from €31,990). The estimated range (up to 660 km on paper) holds up well, and the overall ride comfort is impressive.

During this trip, I experienced a bit of everything, from sunshine and warmth to cool breezes and heavy downpours that bordered on hydroplaning conditions. The Kona proved powerful, though the tires occasionally struggled for grip in wet conditions, making it clear that it’s no hovercraft but does well overall.

Hello world

Technology: Convenient, But Room for Improvement

One limitation I noticed was that Apple CarPlay only works with a wired connection. While I typically use Waze out of habit, the Kona’s built-in navigation could use an update; newer roads aren’t always accurate, and sometimes it led me through phantom forest paths. I also had to stop the car to connect my phone to the hands-free system for a Teams meeting—Bluetooth pairing doesn’t work while driving, even when a passenger is handling the setup. Despite the minor inconvenience, the meeting itself went smoothly, with clear audio both ways and minimal background noise.

Self-Driving Capabilities: A Little Room for Growth

One of the features I appreciate most in my car is semi-autonomous driving, which lets me relax a bit on longer stretches. In the Kona, it’s functional but not flawless—I kept a close eye on the road, as it’s not quite as refined as some other systems I’ve used. It does well with lane-keeping but wouldn’t be something I’d fully trust on its own.

Hyndai Kona in conclusion a solid EV

Charging Stops: A Few Minor Hiccups

Charging wasn’t an issue, but there were a couple of quirks. At Tikupoiss, the charger threw an error after ending the session in the app, though the cause was unclear. Eleport couldn’t explain it either, so it remains an oddity. Later, at the Viljandi Eleport charger, charging stopped unexpectedly, requiring a quick walk back to restart the session. Enefit Volt chargers weren’t needed this time around.

Hyndai Kona multicenter
Overall, the Kona’s range is more than sufficient, even when driving on faster stretches, maintaining 120 km/h where allowed.

Final Thoughts and Cost Savings

To wrap up:

No charging anxiety: Charging concerns didn’t cross my mind.
Cost comparison: A 500 km trip would have cost around €55 in a gas car, but with the Hyundai Kona, the total came to about €10—thanks to a freebie charge after one session was interrupted.
Time efficiency: With its excellent range, we completed our usual loop and arrived back at the office by 5:15 pm, about an hour earlier than usual.

The Hyundai Kona Electric makes a solid case for itself as a practical, efficient EV with great range and comfort. If you’re looking for an EV that balances cost, range, and a hint of fun, the Kona’s a worthy choice, whether you’re commuting solo or taking it for an occasional adventure around Estonia.

Hyndai Kona EV charging gives time to have a nice brake