2021 Hyundai Kona Electric launched – Cheapest EV in Malaysia, from RM 149k

Hyundai Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) has officially launched the 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric in Malaysia. With prices starting from RM 149,888, the Kona Electric is now the cheapest EV in Malaysia after the Nissan Leaf.

There are three variants available for the fully-imported (CBU from Korea) Hyundai Kona Electric - e-Lite, e-Plus, and e-Max, priced at RM 149,888, RM 169,888, and RM 199,888 respectively.

Prices are with import, excise duty, and SST exemptions. This follows the Budget 2022 announcement on the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in Malaysia. 

The Kona e-Lite and e-Plus have a 39.2-kWh battery with an electric motor that makes 136 PS/395 Nm. Claimed 0-100 km/h sprint time is 9.9 seconds, while top speed is at 155 km/h. Driving range on a WLTP cycle is rated at 305 km.

Meanwhile, the e-Max gets a larger 64-kWh battery and its electric motor churns out a maximum output of 204 PS/395 Nm. It does 0-100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and tops out at 167 km/h. Driving range on a WLTP cycle is rated at 484 km.

The Hyundai Kona Electric uses a CCS Combo 2 charging port (Type 2 for AC charging). Maximum AC charging rates are 7.2 kW for the Lite variant and 11 kW for the Plus and Max variants. Charging times (from 0-100 percent) for the Lite, Plus, and Max variants are 6.5 hours, 4.5 hours, and 7.5 hours respectively.

Also read: What is CHAdeMO and CCS? Everything you need to know about charging EVs

As for DC fast charging, it takes about 47 minutes using a 100-kW charger to top off the lithium-ion polymer battery from 10 to 80 percent in the Kona e-Max.

Exterior wise, all Kona Electric variants get LED headlamps and taillamps, two-tone colour scheme, and 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped with 215/55 profile tyres.

Inside, all three variants get leather seats, single-zone automatic climate control, 10.25-inch digital cluster in addition to the 8-inch infotainment screen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.

The differences are manual seat adjustments and omission of head-up display for the Lite variant. The Plus and Max variants get electric seats and head-up display, while the Max has heated/ventilated seats.

All three variants are equipped with Hyundai’s SmartSense system albeit with levels of specifications. The Lite gets Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA aka AEB), Lane Following Assist (LFA), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), and Leading Vehicle Departure Alert (LVDA).

The Plus and Max variants get the full suite, with Blind Spot Collision-avoidance Assist (BCA), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA), and Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go (SCC aka ACC).

There are nine colour options to choose from - Drive in Jeju, Dark Knight, Atlas White, Ignite Red, Cyber Gray Metallic, Surfy Blue Metallic, Pulse Red Pearl, Galastic Gray, and Jungle Green.

The Hyundai Kona Electric comes with a standard vehicle warranty of 2 years/50,000km and an EV battery warranty of 8 years/160,000km. 

Customers can opt for add-on packages (mix and match is possible, for example, package A + C): 

• A. Extended warranty and service packages: RM10,000. This package will upgrade the standard warranty to 5 years/100,000km and free service maintenance for 3 years/50,000km. The EV battery warranty will remain unchanged. 
• B. 7 kW AC charging station with external charging cable (type2): RM6,000 excluding installation
• C. 22 kW AC charging station with external charging cable (type2): RM7,000 excluding installation.

Also read: Confused by EV terms? Here's everything you need to know