Hyundai Kona Hybrid Premium: Among the rash of new hybrids, the small SUV is a stand-out

Hybrids are all the rage at the moment, with many car makers introducing new ones within the past year or so. Hyundai has come to the party, adding multiple hybrid models across its range including the Santa Fe large SUV, Tucson mid-size SUV and i30 Sedan small car. How about a small SUV? That’ll be the Hyundai Kona Hybrid then.

Price and equipment

The 2025 Hyundai Kona range offers a lot of choice to buyers, with petrol, turbo-petrol and hybrid drivetrains available, as well as standard, luxurious Premium and sporty N Line models available.

We tested the Kona Hybrid Premium, which is priced from $43,500 plus on-road costs.

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Kona Premium Hybrid standard equipment

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Dusk-sensing automatic all-LED exterior lighting
• Rain-sensing automatic wipers
• Roof rails
• Keyless entry with push button start
• Remote start and remote smart parking functionality
• Rear privacy glass
• Hands-free electric tailgate
• Heated and electric-folding mirrors that drop automatically in reverse
• Dual-zone climate control with rear vents
• Leather upholstery
• Heated leather steering wheel with paddle shifters
• 10-way electric driver/8-way front passenger seats with ‘relaxation’ mode and driver’s memory functionality
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Heated outboard rear seats
• 12.3-inch digital driver’s display
• 12.3-inch touchscreen with live services
• Satellite navigation with live traffic
• Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• AM/FM/DAB+ digital radio
• Eight-speaker Bose sound system
• Wireless phone charger
• 4x USB-C charging ports
• Auto-dimming rear mirror
• Customisable LED ambient cabin lighting

Kona Premium Hybrid standard safety equipment

• Seven airbags (2x front, 2x side and 2x curtain with 1x front centre unit)
• Auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian, cyclist and intersection assistance
• Low-speed automatic rear braking
• Lane keep assist with lane departure warning
• Lane trace assist
• Adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality
• Safe exit assist
• Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (both with braking)
• Blind-spot camera
• Auto high beam
• Traffic sign recognition with warnings for speeding
• Driver attention monitoring
• 360-degree camera
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Burglar alarm
• Tyre pressure monitoring

The Kona range earned a four-star ANCAP rating in 2023 with scores of 80 per cent for adult protection, 84 per cent for child protection, 64 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 62 per cent for safety assist.

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Kona Hybrid Premium options

• N Line Package (rear spoiler, body kit, 18-inch wheels and sports seats): $3,000
• Panoramic sunroof: $1,500
• Alternate leather trim colour (light grey or green depending on exterior colour): $295

Interior, practicality and boot space

As with the regular Kona, the interior of the Hyundai Kona Hybrid Premium is quite practical thanks to its growth spurt versus the old model. It’s also more comfortable, features increased practicality and has better tech integration throughout the cabin. One area we still think needs improvement, however, is the quality of the materials used, which are still plasticky and the only bit of soft touch is on the door cards.

Centre of the Kona’s cabin is a 12.3-inch touchscreen with Hyundai’s new ‘ccNc’ infotainment software. It’s a fairly impressive system that improves on the already-solid system that’s used in the previous Kona. The Premium adds inbuilt satellite navigation to the base model and, thanks to a recent over-the-air software update, also now features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring. The eight-speaker Bose sound system is also punchy.

Storage inside the new Kona is also a big improvement on the last model. We love the open centre console storage, big cup holders and the very effective wireless phone charger. Further back is a centre armrest with storage underneath it, while there are also reasonable door bins, a nicely-sized glovebox, an open tray above the glovebox and an open area where the wireless charger is – itself is excellent thanks to the raised island that accounts for large smartphone cameras. Also pleasingly, in a win for ease of use, the AC controls are separate from the touchscreen and are very simple to use.

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The back seat is also a good improvement over the previous Kona, and is now one of the roomiest in the segment. Two six-footers will be more than comfortable thanks to good knee -and headroom, while the seatbacks recline for greater comfort, and there are also two USB-C ports, as well as air vents, heated outboard seats, a centre armrest with cup holders, two map pockets and reasonable door storage also feature. There are two ISOFIX points and three top-tether points for child seats.

The boot of the Kona Hybrid Premium measures 407-litres with the seats up and 1,241L with them folded – exactly the same as the petrol Kona models, which are a healthy increase on the previous-generation model. There are also handy features like hooks, a boot net, an adjustable floor height and under floor storage. Plus, a space-saver spare wheel lies underneath the boot floor.

Performance and fuel economy

The powertrain that’s used in the Hyundai Kona Hybrid mates a 77kW/144Nm 1.6-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine to a 32kW/170Nm electric motor driving the front wheels that draws power from a 1.32kWh battery. In total, the system makes 104kW of power and 265Nm of torque. It’s mated to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and sends power to the front wheels only.

The claimed combined fuel consumption for the Kona Hybrid Premium is just 3.9L/100km with CO2 emissions of 89g/km, healthy improvements of 2.7L/100km and 61g/km respectively over the 2.0-litre petrol Kona. In our combined testing, we achieved a positive 4.4L/100km result. The Kona can run on 91RON regular unleaded, while its 38-litre fuel tank is 9L less than the petrol Kona.

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On the road

Hyundai’s hybrid systems are some of the best on the market thanks to their refinement and efficiency. The transition from petrol to electric power is sometimes not as smooth as Toyota’s hybrid systems, but that’s also because the dual-clutch transmission’s responses can be somewhat mixed at low speeds. But we think that enthusiasts will like the Kona’s hybrid system more than a Toyota because it feels more natural than the Toyota’s e-CVT gearbox.

Aside from low speeds when the electric motor does a lot of the propulsion heavy lifting and the regenerative braking and engine switching off when braking, the Kona Hybrid feels largely like a regular Kona to drive. The six-speed dual-clutch transmission can be a bit abrupt at lower speeds with an occasional pause moment, but it’s otherwise fine. It’s also more refined than a Toyota hybrid system thanks to the gearbox, which doesn’t send revs flaring when acceleration is called for.

Like the petrol Kona, the Kona Hybrid Premium offers a mature driving experience for the small SUV class, though there are definite differences between it and the petrol model thanks to the hybrid’s 70kg extra weight (1,525kg versus 1,455kg tare). Because of that, the Kona Hybrid’s ride quality isn’t quite as comfortable as the petrol model, despite the hybrid’s independent rear suspension set up (versus the petrol model’s less sophisticated torsion beam).

Like the petrol Kona, road noise levels in the hybrid are a bit louder than some competitors, but its visibility is expansive, and the safety systems are mostly well tuned. The much-publicised annoying active speed limit warnings are now quieter and less annoying than before, though they still annoy because they aren’t accurate. Otherwise, the lane keeping assistance is well tuned and the adaptive cruise control is very easy to set up.

Service and warranty

As with other new Hyundai products, the 2024 Hyundai Kona Hybrid Premium is covered by a five- year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with an eight-year/160,000km warranty for the battery and lifetime roadside assistance if serviced through a Hyundai dealer.

The first five services or up to 75,000km cost an expensive $2639 ($528 per visit) and the Kona has 15,000km/annual service intervals.

Verdict: Should I buy a Hyundai Kona Hybrid Premium?

There’s no doubt that the Hyundai Kona Hybrid Premium is a welcome addition to the small SUV market. New hybrid models are welcome for urban dwellers, where most small SUVs seem to be sold, because their around town efficiency can be so much better than regular petrol models. In addition to that, the new Kona’s newfound practicality, long list of standard equipment and fashionable styling make it worthy of consideration.

For negatives, it’s surprisingly expensive to service, it’s not cheap to buy in top-spec Hybrid Premium, the extra weight of the hybrid is noticeable on the road and the interior quality feels closer to $30,000. Those issues aside, we still think the new Kona is a wonderful product and the hybrid drivetrain only widens its already wide appeal further.

Kona Hybrid Premium competitors

Toyota Corolla Cross

Honda HR-V

MG ZS Hybrid+

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Specs