2024 Best Electric Small SUV: Hyundai Kona

Of all the burgeoning electric car segments, the small SUV category is easily one of the most competitive and cut throat.

Small SUVs are big business in Australia, meaning there’s a huge opportunity here for brands to convert customers away from combustion power and into an electric future. If they can offer the right product, that is…

Price, size, equipment levels and packaging are all crucial ingredients to get right in a segment where owners use their cars for multiple tasks. City transport, weekend adventures, family duties and shopping runs: a small electric SUV needs to do it all.

Here we have four of the best on offer right now.

JUMP AHEAD

• 4️⃣ Peugeot e-2008
• 🥉 3rd: BYD Atto 3
• 🥈 2nd: Renault Megane E-Tech
• 🥇 1st: Hyundai Kona
• VERDICT
• Specifications

The contenders

BYD’s Atto 3 is one of the best-value electric vehicles on sale today and a rare example of (near) price parity.

While a little smaller outside, thanks to the skateboard-style EV construction the Chinese-made SUV has more space than a Volkswagen T-Roc R-Line and bang up-to-date cabin technology.

It’s this competitiveness that might make the case for families to swap into the BYD from combustion-engined vehicles, especially with tantalising loan deals available for electric vehicles under the luxury car tax threshold. The Atto 3’s sales speak for themselves and, it’s safe to say the BYD arrives in this four-way as a favourite.

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It comprehensively beat the MG ZS EV in a twin test (Wheels December 2022) and is the most affordable here at nearly $9000 less than the Peugeot e-2008 GT ($59,990).

Speaking of, the French small SUV is the only vehicle developed as a combustion vehicle first and EV second and the lone flag-flyer of torsion beam rear suspension in this test.

The Hyundai Kona launched in January this year and we have the richest grade – Premium Long Range, $68,000 before on-road costs – for our testing. The $10K-cheaper Extended Range was our ideal candidate though Hyundai did not have one to supply for our testing dates.

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Like the e-2008, Renault’s Megane E-Tech Techno EV60 ($65,000 before on-road costs) is old news in Europe but has taken its time to arrive down under.

You may note a few key small SUVs are missing, the most crucial being Volvo’s EX30. A combination of factors have delayed its local arrival by several months. Similarly, the Chery Omoda 5 EV wasn’t yet available for testing.

The Kia Niro – a twin to the Kona – didn't impress enough on Wheels' last EV megatest to warrant inclusion (though that's not to say it shouldn't be a buyer consideration over one or more of the models featured below).

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4th: Peugeot e-2008: 5.5/10

Youthful looks and daring LED lighting details mean that, on appearance alone, the e-2008 is off to a great start.

The cabin continues this theme with clever capacitive touch buttons for seat heating to complement the signature row Lion’s claw switches. It has the best interior door pulls on test, too.

Practicality is good with generous door bins, two cup holders in the centre console, a slick hidden phone tray, and both USB-A and C ports for device charging. Quality soft materials and contrast stitching in obvious places fail to justify the Pug’s steep price – digging deeper reveals some less-than-stellar fit and finish, especially around the dash.

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The Peugeot’s unique driving position divided testers. Its small squared-off steering wheel has to sit low so you can view the dazzling 3D digital driver’s display.

With the driver’s power seat adjusted (featuring massage function!) I found the position agreeable though Jez struggled to get comfy.

The compact rear seat has twin USB charge points, though is compromised by the remains of a transmission tunnel, hard seat backs, no centre armrest or vents, and a restricted view out. The Peugeot has the smallest boot but smart touches like shopping bag hooks, a bright light, space beneath the false floor for charging cables, a minimal load lip, and seats that fold nearly flat.

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Off the mark, the e-2008 was surprisingly nippy considering there’s only 100kW and 260Nm to propel 1548kg worth of small SUV.

It struggled beyond 50km/h, though, ending up 15km/h slower than the other three in a rolling acceleration test.

It was the least efficient in the suburbs at 14.7kWh/100km between our sunrise rendezvous and photo spot number two. Regen is either off or on, and it doesn’t come to a full stop.

Consumption increased in the country to a point where we the Peugeot had to limp to a fast-charger with the air-con off. Still, thanks to the smaller 46.3kWh battery it's the quickest to replenish with 101kW DC capability.

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Suburban roads reveal a soft if slightly lumpy ride that could do with improvement.

The e-2008 was noisy with low-frequency suspension boom over bumps and tyre roar from coarse chip surfaces. Although the lightest, the Peugeot felt leaden on country roads and freeways – perhaps because it’s 301kg heavier than the featherweight petrol 2008 GT on which it’s based.

Where French cars typically step up to the challenge of a technical road, the e-2008 floundered. A lack of body control and vague steering eroded any confidence during turn-in and, despite a total lack of feedback, the wheel kicked back strongly over mid-corner bumps.

It’s a ragged ride at speed yet not one that improves when you slow down to find a flow. As Ponch noted, the e-2008 experience lacks rhythm and groove.

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🥉 3rd: BYD Atto 3: 7.5/10

Every other vehicle allowed us to reset the trip computer to track consumption but the Build Your Dreams stubbornly shows its overall lifetime figure or what’s happened in the last 50km. A frustrating quirk that tells the tale of a great value vehicle a little light on for maturity.

Calculating efficiency using charge lost vs kilometres saw the BYD finish last, recording 19kWh/100km. Its more stable LFP battery chemistry is slower charging (80kW) but you can regularly charge to 100 per cent without accelerating battery degradation, unlike the others.

The BYD is also handily the cheapest here, undercutting the short-range Pug despite more modern equipment like a rotating (why?) 12.8-inch touchscreen, technicolour ambient lighting and connected Android Automotive-based software that allows you to run Spotify natively.

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Its internal mapping is the closest in vibe to Google/Apple Maps, and like the Peugeot, a cable can be employed for Apple CarPlay/Android Auto phone mirroring.

The small digital driver’s display feels half-baked compared to the centre screen and the cabin materials are best described as strange. Design solutions for problems no one had? The BYD has ’em: guitar string door bins and vege-chopper vents to name a few. These quirky features seem odd given BYD’s head of design Michele Jaunch-Paganetti spent 18 years at Mercedes-Benz’s Italian Advanced Design studio.

Back seat space is equal best with Kona – that means generous width and leg room. Snags include the bulky bucket seats (that aren’t particularly supportive or comfortable for front passengers) that impede the view out and sticky vinyl upholstery that gets hot and sweaty in summer.

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Under the power tailgate, the BYD is a winner with 440L of VDA-approved space, 40:60 split seats that fold flat, a twin-level boot floor, two storage pockets off to the side and a tyre repair kit.

Our test car (not a press car but a customer demo vehicle) suffered from some build anomalies like a creaky A-pillar trim and door cards, as well as unreasonably weak air conditioning.

The Atto’s lane-keep assist was intrusive at times, too.

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We suspect the 0-100km/h claim of 7.2 seconds wasn’t set with the Atlas Batman tyres. The budget rubber is all too easily overcome by the Atto’s 150kW/310Nm front-mounted electric motor.

More adjustment for the regenerative braking and a firmer feel to the brake pedal are two things for BYD engineers to work on for the facelift.

Yet it came as a surprise that the BYD was more sophisticated than the Peugeot. Put that down to its multi-link rear end and underpinnings designed to carry the battery’s weight. Occasionally spooky lateral body movements and lifeless steering aside, the plenty comfy BYD ticks most boxes for a family vehicle.

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🥈 2nd: Renault Megane E-Tech: 7.5/10

Attractive the Peugeot may be, Renault’s design team – led by Laurens Van Der Acker – managed to bring the 2020 eVision concept to life.

Sitting squat with an almost impossibly low roof line and caricature 20-inch alloy wheels, the E-Tech appears to have escaped the motor show. Any ties to Meganes of old are strenuous – perhaps there’s some Megane I and III coupe influence in the E-Tech’s organic lines – meaning this is Meg’ redefined.

Inside the shapeliness is highlighted by tactile recycled materials that are far above the biscuit-tube plastics of yesteryear’s Renaults. The 12.3-inch digital driver’s display has beautiful graphics and there’s a prominent wireless charging pad to support cable-free phone mirroring.

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Right hand-drive models get a small (in present company) 9.0-inch touchscreen for the R-Link HMI and if you go hunting there are scratchy plastics.

The airy console provides plenty of storage options with configurable bottle holder/odds and ends storage. Typically generous door bins and a comfy centre armrest with covered storage finish it off. Manual seat adjust is all you get and there’s no chair ventilation or leather upholstery.

These things didn’t bother testers as the fabrics are very agreeable, the driving position excellent, the seats supportive, and the square steering wheel pleasing… but at $65K the E-Tech’s family value equation isn’t outstanding.

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That’s before you arrive at the back seat, which suffers from the small rear windows that don’t let much light in and no sunroof to help. The Megane features vents and two USB-C charge points but space is tight.

Renault promises a 440L boot but it’s short and tall with a pronounced load lip and cyclists won’t like that the load bay doesn’t flatten out with the seats folded. The awkward opening button suggests a power tailgate but it’s all manual here.

The Megane E-Tech’s ride is beautifully resolved. Firm and athletic, no doubt, but sharp edges are rounded off by the springs and dampers. This translates into the most dynamic car on a good backroad though we were found wanting for a bit of extra steering weight for the delightfully accurate 2.2-turn lock-to-lock rack even in Sport mode.

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The front-mounted 160kW/300Nm e-motor never felt lacking in punch and drivetrain calibration is up there with the Kona.

Four drive modes manipulate steering weight, regen management and drivetrain response with a ‘Perso’ configurable setting.

There’s no one-pedal option (it creeps like an auto) but the Renault’s wheel-mounted pedals mean you can adjust regen power between four settings on the go. The Megane was comfortably the most efficient giving it almost the best real-world range. Its fast 130kW DC charging rate would make it most usable on a trip as well.

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🥇 1st: Hyundai Kona: 8/10

Lining up this comparison we had the mid-spec Kona Extended Range ($58,000) in mind but only the Premium was available for our dates.

The Premium’s biggest problem comes not from this quartet, but the cheaper base Ioniq 5 which is bigger and uses a bespoke EV platform with faster charging.

Yet the new Kona has a convincing response for (nearly) every question it’s asked. An interior that feels remarkably premium for a small SUV (yes there are hard plastics if you go looking) headlined by soothing light leather upholstery and heated/ventilated seats for front occupants.

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Technology is sharp with twin 12.3-inch displays and attractive graphics that are distinctly Hyundai.

Wireless CarPlay wasn’t enabled in our car but an over-the-air software update promises it shortly. Storage solutions abound just like the Renault, there’s the expected wireless charging and myriad USB ports from front and rear passengers as well as a three-pin socket.

In the second row, it’s a matter of preference whether the BYD or Kona is best. A fold-down armrest, wide bench, flat floor, and air vents make this a genuine family vehicle. The boot is biggest on test (507L) with a twin-height floor and bag hooks. It’s the exclusive carrier of a temporary spare tyre in this company, too.

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On the road, the Kona’s well-documented nannying driver attention and speed sign monitoring continue to annoy.

You can now shortcut to the menu using the configurable star button but it’s still not good enough. That four-star ANCAP rating needs mentioning, too, though the Kona was knocked down due to driver assist scores rather than crashworthiness.

Aside from those niggles, the Kona is the star all-rounder here. Even on the Premium’s 19s (that sap 61km WLTP range compared to the Extended Range’s 17s) it rides well. Cabin noise suppression is right up there with the Renault and there’s minimal audible suspension intrusion.

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It feels very familiar behind the wheel with the paddles to adjust regen efficacy from coasting to ‘i-Pedal’ model that can bring the Kona to a full stop.

It’s brisk away from the lights without the scrabbliness of the old Kona (thanks to the torque-restricted front motor). Visibility is the best of the lot and Hyundai’s 360-degree camera quality matches the BYD’s.

The Hyundai doesn’t fall over on a testing road either. Its brake feel and steering aren’t as sporty as the Megane’s, but the chassis is still plenty talented and – crucially – safe. The reassuringly weighty tiller adds confidence to proceedings.

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VERDICT

Leaving price out of the equation it’s easy to pick the all-round excellent Kona as a winner, but saddled with an ask north of a basic Ioniq 5 and Tesla Model Y the tested top-spec small SUV had a tougher time when it came to sifting through spec sheets.

The Peugeot’s status as a quirky curio best suited to the suburbs was reached unanimously, though splitting the Renault and BYD was more difficult.

The BYD drives well enough and is cracking value, yet its gimmicky styling, asterisk-filled warranty (four years for lights and suspension, three years for the infotainment and so on) and slow charging are detractors.

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The Renault’s five-year/100,000km warranty is shorter but it does cover all components.

It’s also a more pleasant car to drive with better efficiency and faster charging giving it the edge over the BYD. That it’s a desirable object does it no harm.

Ultimately, it’s the Hyundai that emerges with first place honours. The Premium probably would have won on its own but taking into account the broad range that kicks off at $54,000 is what sealed the deal. It’s undoubtedly the most complete and well-engineered electric small SUV on sale today.

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Specifications