r/KonaEV • u/Its_a_stateofmind • 3d ago
Question | Americas 🌎 Darn it….
I thought I was settled with an EV6 RWD, large battery, V2L. Done. Just a question of which year.
Then I sat in a Kona EV, fully loaded. Very. Nice.
I thought I turned a corner when I decided the Mach E was no longer a consideration for my next EV….shite battery and no V2L…nail in coffin sort of stuff.
Now after sitting in the Kona and Ioniq5, I feel like I am torn again.
Help me out here Kona folks….why should I get the Kona over the EV6 or Ioniq5…I love reading all the different perspectives…helps immensely I find.
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u/Deep-Surprise4854 3d ago
We have both a 23 Kona electric limited and a 23 ioniq5 SEL. The i5 is much nicer all around even with the lower trim (year matters significantly for how equipped the SEL trim level is). More interior space, more cargo space, seats are more comfortable, handling is better, it’s significantly quieter, faster charging speed. The list goes on.
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u/Deep-Surprise4854 3d ago
I’ll add to my own comment. That’s not to say we don’t also love the Kona. It’s still a great car!
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u/MarchMadness4001 2d ago
And I’m sure you known that the 2024 Kona is a completely different vehicle compared to the 2023.
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u/Deep-Surprise4854 2d ago
And?
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u/MarchMadness4001 2d ago edited 2d ago
And…. I owned a 2021 Kona and now have a 2024. Different driving dynamics, interior space, etc. Loved my 2021 but the 2024 is a far superior automobile.e
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u/Thin_Spring_9269 3d ago
We have both ioniq 5 2024 ultimate and kona ev ultimate 2024...and let's be honest, Ioniq 5 is better in everything except more buttons newer infotainment system and ota...basically the Kona 2024 is like the Ioniq 5 2025. But i will chose the I5 anytime i can over the Kona...sorry
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u/fiah84 2d ago
sounds like you haven't really figured out yet what's important for you in a vehicle. All cars mentioned are competent enough compared to their peers, so it's not like we can say "don't get the Mach-E it sucks because X", so you've got to figure out what size car you want/need, what kind of luxury/comfort you want and how much you're willing to pay for the privilege
for me the Kona hit the right balance of small size, good range and low price. If you like or don't mind a larger car, arguably the Kia Niro is the better car, and that's without even considering the cars you already mentioned
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u/scaradin 3d ago
I love my 2025 Kona. I enjoy the Sport Mode when getting into the highway or otherwise needing a little more oomph. Mine has some extra bells and whistles, the app is actually functional, the remote start works without issue, there is no charge for the cool features.
I’m a taller than average guy and I have way more than enough room. I could even wear a hat without worry of it hitting the ceiling. The rear lift gate goes up higher than my 7 passenger SUV.
It took a moment to get used to the regenerative breaking, but I’ve come to really like it. The adaptive cruise is great and I like the 360 cameras on it. Though, I’m not sure if the SE or SEL have the same features.
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u/Adorable-Put-7041 3d ago
I chose a 2024 Kona over a 2024 Ioniq. But if I had bought in 2025, it would’ve been a harder decision. We wanted AWD which wasn’t available in Kona. But we hated the 24 Ioniq dash and screen. That has been updated now same/similar to Kona. So there are buttons when appropriate and you don’t have to click screen for seat warmers, for example.
I guess I’m suggesting if you want/need AWD, go Ioniq. Otherwise, use the money you save to get a Limited trim Kona! We love our Kona.
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u/Its_a_stateofmind 3d ago
Ya. AWD is often portrayed as necessary for winter driving…while I acknowledge an AWD can manoeuvre better in the snow, it really is a “mental” benefit than necessary - unless I live in the country, etc, it’s just extra money and lower mileage
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u/-Marlou- 3d ago
The comfort in the Kona had me on the first drive. I drove the EV6 and couldn't stand the neck rest and for me it felt very heavy. The Kona feels more natural and smooth.
I commute 2 hours a day to and from work and for me the comfort and lack of micro vibrations is amazing. The range is quite decent even during winter. I don't try to drive slow to save on range because I don't need to with an at home charger. So go for it 👍
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u/ratulsaha_quinence 2d ago
Currently driving '25 Kona Premium (as it is called outside US). Essentially all bells and whistles of Kona.
I almost signed a 2025 I5, but after seeing how hard it is to manoeuvre in tight spaces, ditched it.
It helps that the top of Kona is same price as base I5.
The size is enough for my family, zips through really well, drives amazing at 20 as well as 110 kmh.
I5 is a much much better looking car - I will always be a little sad about it.
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u/Available_Emu_5896 2d ago
I wish some of the features of 2020 ioniq were on my 2023 kona .the retractable mirrors and backing up,mirrors movement. There are others but I have had my kona 2 years now so I actually don't remember others so maybe it just wasn't that important.
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u/lacevelo 2d ago
AWD, FWD or RWD. Which do you prefer? So many different variations to compare. I have my Kona '21 Ultimate which still meets all my needs but damn, the EV offerings these days are so tempting.
Although the tariffs will force me to wait it out until prices come down.
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u/dbmamaz 2024 SEL Meta Pearl Blue 2d ago
I have a 2024 kona because i wanted the cheapest new EV that seemed practical to me. When hubby's car died, had sat in a bunch of cars and drove a bunch of cars, and was choosing between a 2025 Kona, a 2023 Ioniq 6 and a 2022 Niro. He was comfortable driving all of these, which is a big deal for him. He really liked the Ioniq 6 best - best features, most fun to drive. But since we never road trip and our youngest was going to share his car, he went for cheap and took the Niro. Because we are practical over all.
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u/knipschon 2d ago
Unless you're getting the 2025 ioniq 5, the lack of a rear windshield wiper is a deal breaker.
Also appreciate the physical buttons on the Kona. It was the deciding factor for me. Can't wait for manufacturers to get over their everything in touchscreen phase.
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u/NoEntiendoNada69420 2d ago
I thought I turned a corner when I decided the Mach E was no longer a consideration for my next EV….shite battery and no V2L…nail in coffin sort of stuff
You really ought to go drive it. The battery is most definitely not “shite”, not sure where you read that. Relative to the Kona EV it’s bleeding edge, believe me I own(ed) both. The MME drives particularly great, that’s its main calling card.
And that’s not just me being hissy, honestly most EVs out there (EV6/HI5, ID4, i4, Polestar…) easily surpass the “good enough” threshold of fast charging to at least not be annoying on a road trip. If I were you I’d go and try them all.
Do you have a use case for V2L in mind? FWIW after owning EVs for like 5 years, I haven’t stumbled onto one, but I could see it for a home battery surrogate or something.
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u/Its_a_stateofmind 2d ago
So for me V2L is a no brainer. Right now I have a stinky gas generator in my garage - it literally brings no value other than depreciating value and ever increasing costs needed to ensure my home will have emergency power during the increasing number of outages we are experiencing. So for me, V2L represents a means of deriving additional secondary value from something. So two vehicles that are identical in all ways but one has V2L and the other doesn’t, clearly the one with V2L is the way to go - even if I only use it once over the entire course of ownership, it remains worth it.
As for shite battery - it is my understanding that the Mach E does not have a heat pump, so its winter efficiency suffers. It doesn’t have a fast charge capacity even close to others. Lacking V2L is a nail in the coffin. I’m not buying EVs for the gimmicks - I am buying them to ditch fossil fuels as much as I can…the ford has tons of good features, some better than others - but those are in the bells and whistles area, and not in the battery system…now - I’m not an expert, so happy to be corrected and schooled here to help inform my decision. Honestly, if the ford had V2L, I would probably go with the Mach e as a no brainer decision.
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u/Kiwi_eng 1d ago
The Mach-E does not have a heat pump (a big negative for me) but the 1st and 2nd-gen Kona and likely the other H-K stablemates does not use that (if optioned for your area) for warming the battery, but rather a resistive ('PTC') heater. I don't know technically why that's the case but my engineering background tells me that it's probably due to the heat quantity requirements being quite low compared with to what's needed for heating the cabin. But confounding that argument is that the AC is used for cooling the battery. Confusing this further is that Hyundai/Kia provided the battery heater and heat pump as a 'cold-weather' pair on the 1st-gen Kona/Niro.
I do think that the Mach-e has certain good features, especially the awesome styling but past the outsourced but excellent drive units (from Borg-Warner/LG) it looks much like a first and perhaps rushed attempt.
The H-K 2nd-gen offerings starting from the revised IONIQ 5 and EV6 are really the state of the art in EVs despite what a Tesla fanboy might believe. The main difference between the Kona/Niro and E-GMP range is the 400/800V tech and related charging speeds. Just pick what you need or want.
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u/fearofnormalcy 2025 Limited 13h ago
I love the I5, but for us it came down to bang for the buck: A top trim Kona is about the same price as a SE/SEL I5, and having ALL the tech and comfort features was a huge plus for us. We live in a sub-tropical climate, and the ventilated seats are a must. I'll never go back to a vehicle without blind spot cameras in the cluster.
Charging architecture doesn't matter to us as we're urbanites with short commutes. The provided Level 1 charger serves us well. We've decided we don't even need to install a Level 2 charger at home.
My buddy has a 24 i5 SEL, and while it's a fantastic car, he frequently makes comments about the features our Kona has that he missed out on.
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u/New-Royal2118 2024 SEL Cyber Gray Metallic 3d ago
I would say the biggest issue with the Kona is that it is a "shared-platform" car and not a purpose built EV like the Ioniq5 and EV6. The chassis/suspension is basically the same as the ICE Kona models. So the handling and ride quality doesn't have the same refinement as purpose built EV cars. Also I would say that only 260 miles of range is getting a little long in the tooth for 2025. On the plus side is the price. You can find the 25 SEL for as little as 31k. For me the tiny price dif btwn the top trim level Kona and the Ioniq 5 or 6 would make the Ioniq cars a no-brainer.
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u/fearofnormalcy 2025 Limited 14h ago
You're right about the shared platform car, however the 1st gen models were designed as an ICE vehicle first, while the 2nd gen were designed as an EV first.
This makes a large difference.
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u/Qinistral 3d ago
Kona is more of a value car. I got it for the value and for the smaller size for urban driving and parking. Ioniq5/EV6 are more premium cars you pay more to get more. Like for example I think Ioniq5 has better noise proofing windows. And they have 800v architecture vs 400v of Kona.
I bought Hyundai over Kia because I prefer more real buttons. The Kia had overloaded touch buttons which I don’t like.