Hyundai Kona review - MPG, CO2 and running costs

Hyundai believes that it can attract downsizers and hip, trendy young families into the Kona. And it's being pretty bold with the pricing as a result.

The figures are pitched against other small SUVs instead of Hyundai's other small cars, like the i20 or even the i30, so they start at a similar level to the SEAT Arona (from around £18,000). That means they're higher than, say, the C3 Aircross's entry point - but that Citroen model is so basic that it's almost an irrelevance. Let's just say that the Kona is in the ballpark as far as its mainstream variants go. 

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There are a few anomalies in the Hyundai's fuel efficiency that you need to watch out for, and WLTP testing has made things even more complicated. The 1.0-litre version's official economy and CO2 figures start at 45.6mpg and 142g/km – but these only apply to the most basic S trim, which gets a (much lighter) can of tyre sealant instead of a spare wheel, and runs on 16-inch tyres.

The SE and Premium 1.0 models – complete with a space-saver spare and either 17 or 18-inch wheels – manage official figures of 44.1mpg and 146g/km. These are some way adrift of the likes of the C3 Aircross and Arona, and the Citroen offers a diesel option, too, that returns over 60mpg.

The higher-powered Kona is worse again, because while it's an efficient enough engine, it's paired up with a dual-clutch auto gearbox and four-wheel drive. It only manages official figures of 34.0mpg and 189g/km.

The hybrid model strikes a neat balance in the range and offers a maximum return of 56.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 114g/km in SE trim.

The EV's day-to-day running costs are very low, while Hyundai also offers you the option of buying and installing a 7kW charger for around £300.

Insurance groups

If you're looking to buy a petrol Kona, you're looking at insurance groups ranging from 9-19, with the 1.0 petrol engine at the lower end of the spectrum and the 1.6 petrol at the top. The Kona Electric has higher insurance ratings from groups 22-27. 

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Depreciation

The Kona petrol-engined range has average residual values of around 44% over three years and 36,000 miles. The hybrid models are predicted to return a little over 50% over the same period, while the fully-electric versions are just behind with an average of 49.5%.