Nissan Leaf vs Hyundai Kona Electric Affordability and Features Showdown
Hyundai Kona Electric vs Nissan Leaf: driving & performance
Once again, our two all-electric rivals are closely matched when you get them out on the road. The Nissan Leafs 148bhp output is more than the Hyundai Kona Electrics 134bhp, but the Nissan has less torque, at 320Nm to the Konas 395Nm.
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Our 0-30mph city sprint test revealed that the Leaf is strongest off the line, taking 2.9 seconds to the Konas 3.2 seconds. The straight-line performance of both cars trailed off as they headed towards 60mph. The 0-60mph sprint took 7.8 seconds in the Leaf and 8.6 in the Kona. Both cars offer acceleration thats lively at low speeds and general performance thats more than adequate for motorway driving.
In terms of ride comfort, the Kona is a little better than the Leaf, which occasionally crashes over imperfections in the road. Both cars improve as you increase speed, the Leaf in particular with its active chassis technology adjusting the suspension to balance agility and comfort. The Kona has the more comfortable driving position, though, and better visibility thanks to its higher SUV-style seating.
Refinement in each model is strong, mainly due to the complete lack of engine noise. Its hard to split the two cars here, with both allowing similar amounts of tyre and wind noise inside as you up the speed. Overall, neither is hugely enjoyable to drive, and both reward a more relaxed approach behind the wheel.
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One of the Leafs highlights is the e-Pedal. When turned on, it increases the level of regenerative braking so that you can drive the car almost solely with the accelerator, never touching the brake. Lift off the throttle and the system will bring the car to a halt, topping up the battery with more energy in the process.
The Kona has a similar setup and actually has more different settings for its regeneration. The five modes (compared to two in the Leaf) are controlled by paddles behind the wheel, but there are issues with the brake pedal feel in the switch from regenerative to regular braking. Both systems are easy to get to grips with and add to the cars user-friendly nature.
On the safety front, the Kona has automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection as standard, plus blind-spot and collision warning, lane-keeping assistance, semi-autonomous adaptive cruise control and rear cross-traffic alerts. The Leaf offers similar kit levels but theres also Nissans ProPilot package of driving aids, which adds traffic-jam pilot and lane-keeping assistance, but is a 400 option on N-Connecta trim. Both cars have five-star Euro NCAP safety ratings.
Driving & performance scores
2023 Nissan LEAF vs. Hyundai Kona EV: An Electrified Real-World Comparison
The electric vehicle market has expanded greatly over the past decade. In the beginning, the most popular EV to buy was the Nissan LEAF, which was soon overshadowed by the barrage of Teslas in the years to come. Afterward, Hyundai started releasing vehicles like the Kona EV to provide more affordable EV options.
We have had the chance to test out the Hyundai Kona EV and, most recently, the Nissan LEAF. Here is a real-world comparison between the two.
2023 Nissan LEAF vs. Hyundai Kona EV: Driving experiences
Considering both of these small electric vehicles are hatchbacks, they drive similarly. That is to say that both cars felt confident and comfortable on the road. The steering effort in both cars is light, and the visibility out of all four corners is excellent. That said, the acceleration in both cars is similar, but the Hyundai Kona EV felt a little stronger.
That makes sense considering the Kona EVs 150-kW puts out 201 hp and 291 lb-ft of torque compared to the Nissan LEAFs 110-kW motor. The LEAF produces 147 hp and 236 lb-ft, which doesnt sound like that much of a deficit on paper, but you can definitely feel the extra power when you bury the throttle in the Kona EV.
The Hyundai Kona EV feels more upscale than the Nissan LEAF
Considering the Nissan LEAF has been around for over a decade, you would think it would be up to par with todays tech standards. However, we found the LEAFs infotainment system to be antiquated compared to the Hyundai Kona EVs. The Hyundais touchscreen is far more attractive, and the audio system has six speakers as opposed to four.
As for the rest of the cabin, the Nissan LEAFs cloth seats are comfortable, but the interior feels a little more rental car-like than the Konas. The Kona offers sleek, brushed aluminum surfaces and soft-touch materials, which makes it feel worthy of its slightly higher price tag over the LEAF.
Its easy to charge both cars, but the Nissan LEAF charge quicker
When it comes to charging, the Nissan LEAF takes the cake. Mainly because it has a slightly smaller 62-kWh battery as compared to the Kona EVs 64-kWh unit. But at any rate, we were able to charge the LEAF up to 95% from 24% (from 60 miles up to 240 miles) in around an hour. This is mainly thanks to the cars CHadeMO charging adaptor, which delivered about 40 kW of power during the charging session.
During our time with the Hyundai Kona EV, we could only add around 34 miles to the Kona EV in the same amount of time. Granted, the charger we plugged it into only delivered 5.8-kW of power per hour, which is far less.
Fortunately, Hyundai says the Kona EV can charge up to 80% in an hour when using a 50-kW charger if you can find one in the wild. All things considered, that means both cars are similar when it comes to charge times.
2023 Nissan LEAF vs. Hyundai Kona EV: Which electric vehicle should you consider?
When it comes to small electrified hatchbacks, we recommend checking out the 2023 Hyundai Kona EV over the Nissan LEAF. Although both cars are similar when it comes to power, comfort, amenities, and charge times, we think the Kona provides a better value by a small margin.
Its worth noting that the Hyundai Kona EV costs a little more if you pick the top-trim Limited ($41,000 vs. $37,000 for the LEAF SV Plus). But we think its worth the extra cost, especially if you can qualify for the federal rebate.
Twin test: Hyundai Kona Electric vs Nissan Leaf
It might be hard to believe, but it was way back in 2010 when Nissan launched the first-generation Leaf. Today, that car has been superseded by the Mk2 version, but the newcomer was never going to have the clear run at the electric-car market that its predecessor enjoyed.
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The new Nissan Leaf has a growing field of talented electric rivals to contend with, not least the Hyundai Kona Electric. But which one is best?
The Hyundai Kona Electric presents buyers with a choice of battery sizes and, as a result, ranges, but its the cheaper 39kWh model were testing in Premium trim. It costs 28,720 after the 3,500 Government plug-in car grant, so it undercuts the 29,295 Nissan Leaf thats in equivalent N-Connecta trim with a 40kWh battery.
With a longer official range of 194 miles to the Leafs 168, the Hyundai Kona Electric has a clear edge on paper.
However, that edge will be negated for many by the long wait times faced by anyone ordering a Kona. In fact, as we write in June 2019, Hyundai has sold all of its 2019 Kona Electric allocation and has a waiting list of some 2,000 customers for the next batch.
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Clearly, its no small matter that youll be waiting a year or more if you want to buy a Kona Electric, while the Leafs delivery time is just a few months. Even so, were here to judge which of these cars is best, not which is most available.
Hyundai Kona Electric 39kWh Premium
Nissan Leaf 40kWh N-Connecta
So, while the Leaf is a purpose-designed electric car in the family-hatchback mould, the Kona is an SUV thats also offered with petrol, diesel and hybrid engines although it was designed from the outset with an electric variant in mind.
At a glance
| Hyundai Kona Electric 39kWh Premium | Nissan Leaf 40kWh N-Connecta | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 28,720 (after PiCG) | 29,295 (after PiCG) |
| Estimated monthly cost* | 421 | 385 |
| Energy consumption / real-world range | 4.5 miles/kWh / 170 miles | 3.6 miles/kWh / 150 miles |
| Charge cost (13p per kWh) | 4.91 | 5.04 |
| Fastest 20-80% charge time | 30 mins (100kW) | 60 mins (50kW) |
| 0-60mph | 8.6 seconds | 7.8 seconds |
| Boot (seats up/down) | 332/1,114 litres | 435/1,176 litres |
*PCP estimate, based on a 36-month contract with 5,000 deposit and 10,000-mile annual allowance
Despite their different approaches, both cars promise good practicality and interior technology. But there can only be one winner. Read on for the rest of our head-to-head test between the Hyundai Kona Electric and Nissan Leaf
Hyundai Kona Electric vs Nissan Leaf: range & charging
As youd expect, both cars come equipped with all the charging cables you need. The sockets are found under water-tight flaps on the nose of each car, an arrangement we like as it gives more flexibility for charging at the side of the road.
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The Nissan Leafs slightly bigger battery capacity of 40kWh gives it a theoretical advantage over the 39kWh battery of the Hyundai Kona, but the Nissans claimed range of 168 miles is actually 26 miles less than the Konas. The Leaf is 11kg heavier than the Hyundai and that will be a factor in the inferior range and performance.
In our time with the cars, we found that the Leafs real-world efficiency will see it offering 150 miles of range in warmer weather, while cold temperatures and poor weather will see that drop to around 120 miles or less. The Hyundai fares better, as our average efficiency of 4.5 miles/kWh (compared to 3.6 in the Nissan) shows. That means that the Kona will manage around 140 to 180 miles per charge, in normal real-world use and depending on temperature and driving style.
Charging
Both the Kona and Leaf offer rapid charging. The Leafs CHAdeMO and the Hyundais CCS connectors can both charge at 50kW, offering a 20-80% top-up in around 60 minutes. However, the Hyundai has the advantage of being able to charge at a faster rate of 100kW when stations of that power become more common in the UK. Find one that will cater to the Konas maximum charging speed and youll get a 20-80% top-up, or around 120 miles of range, in under 30 minutes.
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Its also worth pointing out that the Hyundais CCS charging port is now the accepted standard charging connection for Europe, while the CHAdeMO port in the Leaf is less common and is only going to become less popular as more charging stations are installed offering CCS instead.
Still, both the Leaf and the Kona Electric will accept a Type 2 plug that gives access to the vast majority of car chargers located in towns, gyms and shopping centres across the country, but most electric-car drivers with suitable off-road parking will simply charge at home.
On a standard 7kW home wallbox, the Leaf charges in 7.5 hours, where Hyundai gets the time down to six hours 10 minutes.
What are the standard cables, and are they easy to store?
Both the Nissan and Hyundai come with a standard three-pin cable for plugging into your normal wall socket at home, and Type 2 cable for connecting to most AC car chargers including wall-mounted home chargers.
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The Hyundai and Nissan both come with five-metre cables and do not offer longer cables as an official manufacturer or dealer option. However, both eight and 10-metre Type 2 cables that will safely connect the Hyundai to a public charger or home wallbox are widely available online for under 200.
The Hyundai has a useful dedicated storage space for its cables under the boot floor, which are easy to use whether you like to fling them in haphazardly or fold them into their cases. The Leaf has space to keep the cables out of the way on either side of its spacious boot, although youll have to keep them neatly in their cases if you want to keep the boot space clear.
How much will the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Kona Electric 39kWh cost to charge?
The Konas smaller 39kWh battery means it'll cost up to 4.91 to charge on an off-peak electricity tariff costing 8p per kWh. The Leaf is slightly more expensive, thanks to its 40kWh battery, at just over 5, but keep in mind that those costs might double if you charge in peak hours. All the more reason, then, to set specific charging hours, which you can do in both cars, but its easier in the Nissan thanks to its app which you can read more about in the connectivity section.
