Up until now, if you wanted a somewhat reasonably priced electric vehicle that had more than 200 miles of range and decent space for four people, you only had one real choice: the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the brand’s groundbreaking clean-sheet EV design that went on sale for 2017. You could get EVs that seat more and go farther, but you’d be spending twice as much for a new Tesla — until now.
Related: Here’s Everything We Know About the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric
Behold, the arrival of the new 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric, a direct challenger to the Bolt EV and the latest in a new wave of electric cars meant to be both practical and affordable. So, how does Hyundai’s new electric subcompact crossover stack up against GM’s pinnacle of electric engineering prowess? Read on to find out.
The Specs Couldn’t Be Closer
On paper, these two small CUVs are practically identical (compare them yourself here). The Kona has a 201-horsepower electric motor; the Bolt EV has a 200-hp one. Both take about nine hours to fully recharge their batteries on a 240-volt charger, and both have the ability to fast-charge using a 480-volt DC charger (although the Bolt EV’s system is optional). Battery capacity is roughly the same (60 kilowatt-hours for the Bolt EV, 64 kwh for the Kona). They both sit on a 102.4-inch wheelbase, and they’re within an inch of each other in overall length. Both have 94 cubic feet of passenger room, and even the starting prices are within $500 of one another ($37,495 for the Bolt EV, $37,995 for the Kona Electric).