2026 Hyundai Kona Specs, Release Date, Performance
2026 Hyundai Kona Specs, Release Date, Performance – When the first 2026 Hyundai Kona was introduced in 2018, it immediately gained popularity. Its distinctive look surely helped it stand out in the sea of small SUVs it faced, and the Kona’s selection of gasoline, hybrid, and all-electric powertrain options meant that there was one to suit almost every preference and budget. There was also a speedier version of the Kona N. Nevertheless, there were certain drawbacks, chief among them being the small trunk and cramped rear compartment.
However, it is evident that Hyundai considered the opinions of Mk1 Konas owners while developing its replacement. The brand-new, second-generation 2026 Hyundai Kona is bigger, more spacious, and more practical than the original. It is built on the larger K3 platform, which is also used by the most recent Kia Niro.
Despite its larger size, the Kona’s main rivals are still the greatest crossovers and small SUVs on the market. These include the Ford Puma, Jeep Avenger, Peugeot 2008, Renault Captur, Skoda Kamiq, Volkswagen T-Roc, Niro, and the Kona’s brother car. Some cars, like as the 2008, Niro, and Avenger, may also be powered by combustion or electricity. 2026 Hyundai Kona Specs
2026 Hyundai Kona Redesign and Update Plan
Exterior & Interior
Supercar owners who have been on the road for too long seem to be the focus of Hyundai’s design team, which is headed by SangYup Lee, a former employee of Bentley. In just a few years, the business has turned its range of functional family SUVs and hatchbacks into some of the most striking cars on the market.
These consist of the newest Tucson SUV, the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 EVs, and the new Santa Fe seven-seater. These cars stand out in very competitive markets, whether you like the way they look or not. The Kona is the product of the company’s most ambitious efforts to date. It combines the Tucson’s strong arches and sculpted body lines with a futuristic front end and pixel lighting reminiscent of its Ioniq series.
The Ioniq 5 hatchback and Ioniq 6 saloon’s interiors have garnered more attention. A dual-screen infotainment system that occupies a large portion of the dashboard is standard on all Konas. Three sets of actual temperature settings and extra shortcut buttons are included beneath the main touchscreen. Overall, the cabin appears spacious, bright, and airy. The pure-petrol and hybrid Konas comes in four trim levels: Advance, N Line, N Line S, and Ultimate. Conversely, the Kona Electric is only available in Advance or Ultimate models.
The basic models come with 17-inch alloy wheels, door handles, skid and spoiler plates, and mirrors that match the body color (18-inch on hybrids). Included are a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, a 12.3-inch central touchscreen with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and keyless entry.
The body-color wheelarches, 18-inch alloy wheels, black roof and side mirrors, and unique front and rear bumpers give the N Line version a more sporty appearance. N Line gasoline and hybrid vehicles also have twin-exit exhaust tips. Aluminum pedals and heated N Line cloth seats in the front and rear have been added to the interior. Among the optional amenities are a motorized tailgate, ambient lighting, a wireless smartphone charging station, and a heated steering wheel.
Next is the N Line S. This has a Bose sound system, heated and ventilated leather-upholstered seats, and electrically adjustable air conditioning with three zones. N Line and N Line S cars can also have two-tone roofs. Finally, the top model in the Kona collection is the Ultimate trim. Range-topping models come standard with a Bose radio, LED headlights, a sunroof, black leather seats, and a full-width running light in front.
The most noteworthy of the available options are Hyundai’s “Premium Relaxation” front seats, which recline; the Lux pack on the N Line S or Ultimate trims, which has memory settings for the driver’s seat; and the Comfort pack on the base Advance Kona Electric models, which includes all-around heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and wireless phone charging. One of its most useful characteristics is the ability to sleep more easily while waiting for the electric automobile to charge.
All gasoline and hybrid Kona models are equipped with a 12.3-inch screen behind the steering wheel and a 10.25-inch touchscreen in the center. Another distinguishing feature of Kona Electrics is a 12.3-inch display in the center of the dash. Each screen is aesthetically pleasing and has a respectable level of responsiveness.
The Kona also comes with the latest version of Hyundai’s infotainment system. The Kona’s software, which was previously one of the most user-friendly and intuitive configurations we examined, is far less intuitive and user-friendly than the new system. The home page is now made up of large blocks that make it easy to choose the right choice, but you may still use the real shortcut buttons below the screen if you’d like. As an alternative, you may access your preferred music and navigation apps using standard-fit but non-wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. 2026 Hyundai Kona Specs
2026 Hyundai Kona Specs
Engine & Performance
The 2026 Hyundai Kona is designed to be a comfortable family car that promotes smart driving rather than scorching your trousers. It is happiest in cities, where the Kona Hybrid and Kona Electric’s one-pedal driving modes let you drive the vehicle with just the accelerator, improving efficiency and preserving energy.
Because of its 10.6-meter turning radius, the new Kona is just as agile as its predecessor while being bigger overall. Because the steering is so light, you can spin the wheel with just one finger, which is particularly useful while parking. But as a trade-off, there isn’t much feedback.
At practically any speed, the ride is smoother and more pleasurable than the more rugged Ford Puma. It also has enough suspension travel to tackle the various bumpy roads in the UK. But generally speaking, the Kona handles rather safely and dependably, and it isn’t so soft that it may roll into its door mirrors while negotiating a curve. The 17-inch rims that are standard on entry-level Advance-spec cars (and available on Ultimate trim Kona battery models to minimize rolling resistance and boost battery range) most likely also contributed to the exceptional ride quality we experienced. The bigger 18- or 19-inch wheels are used for the rest of the series.
It doesn’t feel much different to drive than a bog-standard Kona since the N Line and N Line S trim levels lack suspension adjustments meant to make them handle more aggressively rather than sharply, even if they seem ready to take on a Ford Puma ST.
The 1.0-liter gasoline-powered Kona is the slowest vehicle in the series, producing just 99 horsepower and 172 Nm of torque. It has a top speed of 105 mph and can “sprint” from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 13.3 seconds. The simple six-speed manual gearbox’s short throw and excellent precision allow you to keep the engine running. Even while this gearbox isn’t quick enough to keep up with traffic in town, we still found it to be far more enjoyable to operate than the Nissan Juke’s manual.
Whether mated to a traditional six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, the 1.6-liter gasoline cars’ potent 136 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque allow them to sprint from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 10.2 seconds. Furthermore, the Kona’s 1.6-liter gasoline-powered engine can reach a higher top speed of 121 mph. We found that the jerky dual-clutch automatic transmission would hamper progress since it never seemed to be in rhythm with the engine’s motions, even though the 1.6-liter engine had adequate power to readily gain speed. We believe that following the manual would be the best course of action for this engine.
2026 Hyundai Kona Fuel Economy
Like the original, the Mk2 2026 Hyundai Kona may run on pure gasoline, full-hybrid power, or electricity. The 1.0-liter Kona has an average fuel economy of 135 g/km and 47.9 mpg. With an average fuel efficiency of 45.6 mpg and 141 g/km, the 1.6-liter gasoline-powered Konas may be mated to either an automatic or manual transmission.
The Kona Hybrid is propelled by a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine, an electric motor, a six-speed automatic gearbox, and a comparatively little 1.32kWh battery. Instead of needing to be charged, the Kona Hybrid recovers energy as you slow down since it is a full-hybrid and not a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).
According to Hyundai, the Kona Hybrid will have an average fuel efficiency of 60.1 mpg and 106 g/km, which is greater than the hybrid Renault Captur but somewhat lower than the Toyota Yaris Cross’s 64.2 mpg. In our experience, if you’re just driving about town and the electric motor is doing the most of the work, you can get over 70 mpg with very little effort. When driving, the fuel efficiency number has dropped to little over 50 mpg at 70 mph.
Last is the Kona Electric. If the car has 17-inch wheels, the tiny electric SUV’s range may reach 319 miles thanks to the larger 65.4 kWh battery found in the long-range variants. Standard-range vehicles with a 48.4 kWh battery can go up to 234 miles. If you don’t choose the smaller 17-inch wheel option pack, the range on the top-tier Ultimate trim level drops to 282 miles with the standard 19-inch wheel. Additionally, Kona Electrics include heat pumps, so unlike EVs without them, heating the cabin in the cold shouldn’t reduce range.
The standard-range Kona Electric’s battery can be completely recharged in just over six hours using a typical 7.4kW home wallbox, or more than nine hours for the longer-range variant with its bigger battery. Since long-range cars have a higher maximum charging speed (101kW vs. 74kW for the standard-range car), they can be charged from 10 to 80 percent (from around 30 miles of residual range to just over 255 miles of range) in just 41 minutes using a DC rapid charger.
Since the Kona Electric produces no exhaust emissions, it is now the most affordable vehicle to use for business purposes. Until 2025, it will remain within the 2% Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) level. The hybrid and gasoline-powered variants cost a lot more. 2026 Hyundai Kona Specs
2026 Hyundai Kona Safety Features
Based on customer survey data, the second-generation 2026 Hyundai Kona ranks 16th on our list of the best cars to own, even though it was too young to be included in our most recent Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. Similarly, the new Kona’s brother, the Mk2 Kia Niro, came in 60th.
Hyundai was ranked in the middle of the pack among the leading automakers according to the Driver Power survey findings. In 17th place, the South Korean carmaker was far ahead of more costly brands like Mercedes (25th) and BMW (21st), although it was behind Kia (6th) and Peugeot (9th).
The Mk2 Kona received a poor four-star rating out of five from safety experts Euro NCAP when it was tested in 2023. The safety experts criticized the dashboard’s behind-the-dash areas that posed a risk of injury and said that the driver may have slipped beneath the seatbelt during the frontal crash test, a process known as submarining, which may have caused damage to his knees and femur. However, the Honda ZR-V also scored four stars out of five, so it wasn’t the only SUV to pass the more challenging test. In spite of this, Honda did better than Hyundai in terms of protecting children and other vulnerable road users and providing safety support.
Every Kona is equipped with a backup camera, multiple airbags, lane maintain and lane follow assistance, front collision avoidance assistance, tire pressure monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, and driver attention alert. While cruise control is standard on all manual Konas, all automatic gasoline, hybrid, and electric models come with adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capabilities.
A 360-degree camera system, blind spot monitoring to warn you of any cars on the motorway if you need to change lanes, and a rear cross traffic collision avoidance system to warn you of vehicles crossing your path—useful if you have to reverse on to a main road—are additional features of the N Line S and Ultimate specification.
2026 Hyundai Kona Release Date & Price
The top-of-the-line model with the more powerful 1.6-liter engine and seven-speed DCT gearbox costs over £33,500, while the standard 2026 Hyundai Kona petrol model starts at little under £26,000. The Kona Hybrid starts at slightly over £30,000, but if you want all the goodies that come with Ultimate trim, it could cost over £34,000.
Finally, the starting price for the Kona Electric basic series is presently slightly around £35,000. The price goes up to about £38,600 if you upgrade to the Kona Electric long-range variant, which has larger batteries and a greater range. The most expensive models cost over £43,000.
Conclusion
An excellent example of how a business can take criticism and adjust is the 2026 Hyundai Kona. Hyundai logically made their small SUV more useful to appeal to people looking for their next family car. The original Kona had a far more luxurious cabin in addition to a larger capacity. It features a well-planned layout, an infotainment system that is easy to use, and an attractive style.
Even while some people may not like the aggressive, sci-fi-inspired look and there are more reasonably priced small SUVs out there, the Kona, and the Kona Electric in particular, currently seem to be fairly priced for such a creative, well-equipped, and well-rounded vehicle. For these and other reasons, the 2026 Hyundai Kona continues to be our Small SUV of the Year.
Note: The details included in this blog post are derived from pre-release material that was accessible when the article was written. If you want the latest information, you should check official sources or call your nearest dealership.
