Chevrolet Bolt EV & Hyundai Kona Electric Tested Side-By-Side: Video

When two dogs fight for one bone, a third runs away with it

The Hyundai Kona Electric and Chevrolet Bolt EV are two very similar electric cars, which means that if you're looking for subcompact EV, then you might consider both.

Recently, News Coulomb had the opportunity to conduct a side-by-side test on a longer trip and found out that at the highway speed (75 mph / 120 km/h) the Kona Electric is 8-9% more efficient. The trip ended at a higher state of charge than in the Bolt EV. Also, at the 175 kW fast charging station, the peak power was higher for the Kona (76 kW to 52 kW).

The main recurrent drawback of the Kona Electric could be the lack of space in the rear, but from April 1 on the Chevrolet Bolt EV loses half of its federal tax credit (from $7,500 to $3,750), which makes the similarly priced Kona Electric effectively cheaper for some buyers.

Hyundai Kona Electric

Hyundai Kona Electric Buries Chevy Bolt, Leaves Nissan Leaf

Anyways, the author of the video, knowing all the advantages of Hyundai Kona Electric, wouldn't buy it, but is seriously interested in the Kia Niro EV, which has the same battery/powertrain but is a bit bigger.

Hopefully, Hyundai-Kia will be able to supply enough to satisfy demand or higher prices at dealers will effectively discourage customers.

From the video description:

"A big thank you to David, who agreed to do a parallel drive with me in his brand new Hyundai Kona Electric. This was a round trip of about 270 miles, from Ontario in the Inland Empire of Southern California to Baker and back again.During the trip, we checked out some new chargers that are about to go online, tested the Kona out on EVgo's 175 kW CCS charger, reviewed the Kona's interior and features, braved 20 to 30 mph headwinds on the return trip, and made some surprising discoveries about the Kona's maximum DC charging rate and freeway efficiency.

The Kona Electric has a lot going for it, and I'm really hoping Hyundai can send as many as they can to the United States. It's a worthy competitor for the Bolt EV in the sub $40,000 electric vehicle segment, and it presents a strong value proposition compared to the $35,000 Tesla Model 3."