Hyundai Kona 64kWh

ba_barabus

Hi Folks,

I've been asked by my MIL to advise her on a next car purchase.

She is looking at buying a new Hyundai Kona 64Kwh. Other models aren't being considered as she lives right beside the dealer. She is new to electric as am I.

A home charger will be installed for her so that isn't an issue.

Is there anything I should be aware of in regards to these which I can relay to her?

The only real issue for her that I can see is that she occassionally drives from Newry to Nenagh (270km) and would like to be able to do that journey in one go for convience as she is approaching 70 years old and doesn't fancy having to stop.

One question I have is, can the car be put on the charger each night so there will always be a maximum range available for her if needed? Will this impact the battery life and will it cost her extra?

Also, can the heater be activated by app to have the car warm/cool in the morning when she goes to use it to avoid depleting the batteries during use?

Thanks for any help

w124man

Watching this!

ba_barabus

I should have added that while she will be taking motorways on the long journey she is more than happy to sit at 110k/mh and doubtful she will be going much harder.

unkel

Sounds like the perfect EV for her, it can do that 270km trip at those speeds under any circumstances, even a bad day in winter. The Kona EV was always overpriced and is a bit outdated now as it's been around for 3 years and the Ioniq 5 is better value and better specced. But very big, so might not suit her needs

She can charge the car up to 100% every night. Never mind the naysayers that will undoubtedly come on here to say that is not recommended. As long as she doesn't leave the car at 100% for longer periods of time (weeks or months), it's perfectly fine. This won't cost any extra in terms of charging costs and it won't have any material impact on battery life. Think in terms of the battery will have something like 88% state of health after 8 years instead of 92% for someone that always babies their battery, never fast charges, never charge above 90%, never let it go below 20%, etc.

Black_Knight

I think the newer models have an app which can control heating/cooling. Your charging schedule can preheat the car too. Not sure if you need to be plugged in to use that preheat feature though. Certainly in the earlier model you had to be plugged in to have the car preheat.

270km is no bother in the Kona. Will she have a means of charging while at Nenagh? She won't make it there and back again on 1 charge. A "granny cable" (the 3 pin plug cable you get with the car - make sure it comes with one) would take about 33 hours to charge from 0% to 100%, and if the socket isn't outdoors it means leaving a window open for many hours to charge it.

Manufacturers would recommend only charging to 100% when you need it, and for day to day tipping about driving to only charge to 80%. As unkel says, the main thing to avoid is leaving the car sit at a high % battery for days on end. It's a recommendation at the end of the day, and these manufacturers have a recommended retail price too which mostly means nothing either.

About the Kona itself... the original was quite cramped inside, the boot was tiny too. The interior quality was lacking also. Perhaps the latest model addresses some of those, and perhaps some are not a concern for your MIL.

10-10-20

I have a 2019 Kona 64kW. Grand car for doing a few km.

It will do that trip, but only with about 15% remaining.

https://abetterrouteplanner.com/?plan_uuid=4b0d6a17-3cc4-41c8-b9fc-4134948a3f76

I wouldn't be so confident to say that it will do that trip in any weather... rain and a strong headwind will take it's toll on battery consumption and you may need to stop for a quick charge on those days. Best prep her for that eventuality.

Other than that - it's no Tardis - it is a bit small (my kid also grew) but for a 70 year old I'd be quite confident that it will suit many of her needs.

slave1

Buy a 2019 Kona instead, still years of warranty left and new battery replacement underway

unkel

I agree with slave1, a 2019 Kona for about €25k is a lot of EV for the money. A new one for the guts of €40k, not so much so. The only reason these cars sold back in 2019 was that people needed a longer range EV and couldn't afford a new Tesla Model S or didn't want to buy one second hand and bring it in from the UK. There were pretty much no other long range EVs available back then.

innrain

I also think a 2019 Kona is a better value. Not because I have one, I'm not selling. Considering the battery replacement for these, the only difference with a new one would be 11kW vs 7kW AC charging and a bigger screen. None of them are going to be useful to your MIL to warrant a 10-15k price difference. Kona would do one leg of this drive in one go with room to spare, especially with a less impulsive driver behind the wheel.

Black_Knight

No app or remote heating (unless scheduled and plugged in) on the 2019 Kona though.

I would agree though, for 38k the Kona isn't good value.

ba_barabus

Thanks folks for the advice and comments.

It'll be a new one as it's on motability in NI so price doesn't really come into it, if it was me with my money it would be a 2019 one though!

Sounds like it'll fit the bill though. If the range is just short for a trip during winter I don't think that's a deal breaker as she is retired so can be flexible with travel times.

unkel

The range is definitely NOT short for that 270km trip in winter at max 110km/h. No matter how bad the weather.

The car will fit the bill for sure. Bring her to test drive one from her local dealer and see what she thinks. It will likely be the fastest car she has ever driven 😎

ba_barabus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118792712#Comment_118792712

She test drove it yesterday and loved it but I just wanted to make sure of those questions.

Just got a text to say she has placed the order and the car will be arriving in 6 months in a pearlescent white colour. She went for 'premium' spec. I think the higher spec may have added leather and rear heated seats but she didn't feel it going to be worth it for her.

Thanks folks.

10-10-20

Great to hear. We'd love a report back at some point!

zg3409

If she lives in North of Ireland beware charging network in NI is terrible. In the odd case of a round trip beyond the vehicle range you would want to plan carefully to not end up at a broken or busy or blocked charger. Things in NI might get a bit better in the next year with charger replacements but supply and demand will get worse due to more Evs on the road and little to no new sites in Northern Ireland.

ba_barabus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118793608#Comment_118793608

I don't believe she will be doing any journeys long enough to impact her and she will have a charge point at her home. From what people seem to think a round trip to Belfast for example should be easily possible from Newry.

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118793722#Comment_118793722

Yes 270km round trip is nearly guaranteed in any weather, but a bit tight in worst case winter, high speed, rain and wind.

ba_barabus

Being honest I'd absolutely love to review an electric car for my YT channel as I'm back on the road again and it would be interesting if it works as reps car. Although, I'm fairly certain you're all sick of people who haven't ever driven them reviewing them.

slave1

It does not have the comfort level required for a reps car, it's an cheap range car

ba_barabus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118794419#Comment_118794419

Given the cost of diesel I think I'd have to suck it up

Casati

BIK is going up dramatically for EV’s and as it’s based on the list price before grants I don’t think the saving between EV and diesel for your average rep is going to be significant. The other obvious issue is charging at home & paying to fuel it rather than using a diesel card

ba_barabus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118794963#Comment_118794963

For me I don't get BIK, just mileage allowance at the public service rates

w124man

Where are these 2019 Konas for sale at €25,000? €29,000 was the cheapest I could find!

Whats the battery replacement thing you speak of?

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118799190#Comment_118799190

There were a few for sale in the last few months at around the €25k mark. But in recent weeks second hand EV prices have shot up because of a few urgent and obvious reasons like the war in Ukraine and the huge hike in energy prices. On top of that almost all people now realise it's high time we all switched to renewable energy. Solar panels are flying out of the warehouses, just did a large PV install with my mate today, after upgrading my own - on the roof at 07:30 this morning 😁

cunnifferous

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118799190#Comment_118799190

I got a very low milage 191 for 28k but they gave me 1k off for my worthless banger so call it 27k.

Great car and really the only option if you want a second hand long range EV. I've been getting easily 400+km range with bits of motorway driving and cool enough temps. It's power is amazing as well, got more power than any of the Ioniqs (including the base Ioniq 5)

The only thing about the 'Irish spec' that really bothers me is the lack of active cruise control, especially since I'm pretty sure all the the cameras and sensors are in the car already.

I think it will hold its value much better than any of the previous lower range EVs if you do want to sell it in 3 years time.

unkel

@cunnifferous - even though you didn't get the car that cheaply, it is still quite likely you will have very low, zero, or possibly even negative depreciation on your Kona EV. This applies to pretty much all EVs though. Very little supply and exploding demand from all the people finally realising that we will all want to own and drive EVs soon...

Gael23

She will have to stop on the way back in winter, too close for comfort. Really liked it myself but for us there will regularly be a passenger in the front with mobility difficulties and there’s no adjustment on the passenger seat so dealbreaker for us

w124man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118799353#Comment_118799353

I have solar tubes on the roof. Put them there in 2009 but cant get anyone to fix an issue with a sensor on the panels.

I think a Kona is the answer to my car needs. Range isnt really an issue but I'll probably go for the larger battery. Hopefully I'll get 10 years out of it

PaulJoseph22

Don’t factor charging your car in Newry into your plan.

cunnifferous

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118799826#Comment_118799826

I have a hunch that lower range Leafs, Ioniq etc are going to have a steeper drop in the medium term. Your average Joe switching over from a petrol car to an EV isn't going to settle for anything below 300km IMO

unkel

I don't think so. Quite the contrary is happening right now. For several years, you could buy an older Leaf for around €4-5k. Sometimes a high miler with badly degraded battery for a bit over €3k. That all changed a few weeks ago and the cheapest one on DoneDeal right now is €6.7k