The Hyundai Kona Electric Much Cheaper than the Hybrid

The crossover of price curves between electric and thermal is no longer a myth but a reality, particularly with Hyundai and the Kona.

After seeing many advertisements that are all “too good to be true,” we tend to stop paying attention. However, some deserve our attention as they are quite intriguing.

This is the case, for the past few weeks, with Hyundai’s offering on the recent Kona available in Electric or Hybrid versions. We reproduce below the commercial promise of these two models.

At first glance, it seems the Electric version is 80 euros per month cheaper than the hybrid. But what does the detailed comparison reveal?

What do Hyundai Kona’s offers say?

To make a fair comparison, we need to start from similar bases, or else we might confuse carrots and turnips. Thus, Hyundai offers both a Long-Term Rental (LLD) of 37 months and 30,000 kilometers.

For the Electric version, it is the Intuitive version with a small 48 kWh battery capable of over 200 kilometers of range in mixed cycle. Notably, the first payment is reduced to 4750 euros after deducting an ecological bonus of 7000 € (for low-income conditions) and a conversion bonus of 1500 € for an old vehicle. Then there are 36 monthly payments of 149 euros. There are many conditions, but it is a perfectly plausible scenario.

For the Hybrid, the same Intuitive finish applies, with the first payment set at 5300 euros and a trade-in condition for an old vehicle (Hyundai does not provide more details). This is followed by 36 payments of 229 euros.

Get your calculators out!

To keep it simple: over the 37 months of rental, the Hyundai Kona will cost:

• 10,114 euros for the Electric
• 13,544 euros for the Hybrid

To this, one must obviously add the concept of energy cost. On this point, it’s impossible for the Hybrid to compete with a liter of unleaded 95 currently flirting with 1.8 euros. Consequently, the 3430 euros difference over the duration represents an immediate difference of over 25% between the two drives.

Over 30,000 kilometers, the fuel bill, on an optimistic assumption of just 6 liters per 100 km, will be about 3420 euros. For the electric version, based on 0.25 euros per kWh and a consumption of 16 kWh/100 km, the same distance will cost about 1200 euros.

In the end, over 37 months and 30,000 kilometers, between the rents and energy, the electric Kona will be approximately 5650 euros cheaper to operate than its hybrid rival, which is exactly -33.3%.

It’s hard to hesitate for long…

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