Honda Accord vs Hyundai Kona

What's the difference?

Will the new Honda Accord e:HEV RS topple the SUV throne? Unlikely, but it proves sedans can still haul the family around in relative comfort and style.

The new Accord drives stupidly well and offers great ongoing ownership costs, even if it's price tag is a little steep. It's hybrid powertrain also offers fantastic efficiency and that's a big win.

The Hyundai Kona Premium Extended Range offers a great amount of passenger comfort and space but its ongoing costs are a bit more expensive for the class and its low safety rating is surprising given its strength in that category in the past.

However, it drives well, looks good, and has great storage space so it's still in the race!

The design for the new Accord is powerful with a sexy silhouette that features a rear spoiler, black accents and sporty 18-inch alloy wheels.

The old chunky grille is long gone and at certain angles you almost get a Nissan 200 SX vibe, which is gorgeously retro and a refreshing take for Honda - which has been playing it safe for the last few years.

The interior is simply styled but looks timeless. The dashboard has clean lines and a featured honeycomb mesh that hides the air-vents. It's a feature which might not land with everyone but it adds personality.

The black upholstery looks plush and there are enough soft-touchpoints to make the cabin feel like it deserves a premium tag.

The design for the Kona has always been a win in my books because it’s cute and functional.

Hyundai also designed the EV Kona first then based the fuel-powered versions on it. So, you get a flat floor in the back row, a cool-looking front with extended body panelling and some futuristic pleating across the panels.

The exterior LED lights are pretty cool as a lot of them resemble pixels and can be found in multiple spots at the front and rear. The long LED strip light across the front also sets it apart from it's fuel-based siblings.

The interior exudes a good sense of luxury with its light-coloured leather upholstery and trims. Coupled with the sunroof the cabin space is bright and cheery.

The 64-colour ambient lighting adds a touch of fun and the update sees some minor tweaks to accent panels where black plastic has been dropped in favour of a brushed metal look.

The dashboard has been redesigned with dual 12.3-inch technology screens (one for media, one for instruments), now standard across all variants instead of just the top model, which is great to see.

Access to the cabin is great thanks to wide door apertures but the Accord is a low car to get in and out of with its 134mm ground clearance. Expect a couple of grunts when parked on a hill!

Both rows offer ample legroom but the front enjoys the best of the headroom. A 183cm (6.0ft) friend was lumped with the middle seat and spent the trip dreadfully hunched over and uncomfortable. Save the middle seat for kidlets.

The electric front seats offer decent comfort for a longer trip but it's disappointing that only the driver’s side gets lumbar support.  

The rear row enjoys well-padded seats and amenities, like retractable sunblinds, reading lights, two USB-C ports and directional air vents but it took a while for the back to cool down on hot days which my kid made known. Loudly. 

Storage consists of a large glove box and middle console (which can accommodate a small handbag), a sunglasses holder, four cupholders, four drink bottle holders and two map pockets. There is also a dedicated phone tray but a few extra cubbies up front would be welcomed.

The boot offers plenty of space with its 570-litre capacity, which is great for the class, and you can also open up storage options with the ski-port door, if need be. The powered boot release is a handy feature.

The touchscreen multimedia system looks nice but is a pain in the butt to use until you set some time aside to get to know it. It’s just not intuitive but the screen is responsive and it's a bonus that you get the built-in sat nav and Google apps. 

The new Accord gets wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but it took a few beats to get the wireless CarPlay to work.

The charging options are good throughout the car with four USB-C ports, two 12-volt sockets and a wireless charging pad to choose from.

The Kona's size has increased for its second generation, which means more occupant space and storage capacity. The front offers more space than you’d expect for a small SUV and I’d describe it as roomy, even for someone taller than my 168cm height.

The rear row also has fantastic head- and legroom for the class but it's the storage options which clinch the practicality for me.

Up front the centre console is still the hero for storage with multiple nooks and spaces for items like keys, phones and wallets. You get two retractable cupholders, a 1.5L drink bottle holder in each door and a good-sized middle console and glove box.

In the rear, you get map pockets, 0.7L drink bottle holders in each door and two cupholders in a fold-down centre armrest.

The boot sees an additional 33L, expanding the overall capacity to 407L with all seats in use. That jumps up to 1241L when the rear row is folded. Underneath the adjustable floor, you get a temporary spare wheel.

The electric front seats aren’t as comfortable as the previous generation. They’re narrower, firmer and sit a bit higher than I remember. Though I still love the added comfort functions they have, including a reclining relaxation mode. 

The rear seats are better cushioned and offer longer under-thigh supports and middle seaters should be comfortable thanks to the flat floor. 

The technology looks good and the 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system is easy to use once you spend some time with it. You get built-in satellite navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto.  

The 12.3-inch digital instrument panel isn't customisable but all information is easily seen as is the colour head-up display.

Charging options are great throughout the car with each row getting two USB-C ports, the front also featuring a wireless charging pad and 12-volt outlet. The next-gen model sees the Kona get V2L (Vehicle To Load) capability, too, which is great.

There are a whopping eight variants for the Kona range and you have a choice of four powertrains – petrol, turbo-petrol, hybrid or fully electric like our flagship Premium Extended Range model.

The model on test is priced from $68,000, before on-road costs, and that positions it in the middle of its rivals.

Based on a NSW, 2000 postcode you can pick up the Kia Niro EV GT-Line for $66,590 MSRP and the Volvo C40 Plus variant for $78,990 MSRP.

The most affordable rival is the newcomer, Renault Megane E-Tech for $64,990 but it's important to note the E-Tech is only offered in a mid-spec variant for the Australian market at the moment.

Compared to it's rivals, the flagship electric Kona is well-priced but it’s a hefty $20K jump up from the equally equipped top petrol version.

Being top dog, you should expect a host of premium features like a sunroof, heated, ventilated and power-adjustable front seats, heated rear outboard seats, a heated steering wheel and eight-speaker premium Bose audio.

The front seats also feature a 'relaxation mode' where they act as a recliner, providing a comfortable option for charging sessions.

Practical features include a handsfree powered tailgate, 27L frunk storage, remote parking assist (from the key fob), over-the-air updates for the built-in satellite navigation and Hyundai connected services app.

Unusually for an EV, you also get a temporary spare wheel in this model instead of a repair kit.

Other features include some A-grade tech like dual 12.3-inch technology screens, fast USB-C ports, a wireless charging pad, and vehicle-to-load function in the form of a three-pin standard house socket so you charge larger appliances.

Our test vehicle has an electric continuously variable transmission and features a new self-charging hybrid powertrain that couples two electric motors with a 2.0L, four-cylinder petrol engine that combine to produce 135kW of power and 335Nm of torque.

Only being available in one powertrain may limit its audience but the combo delivers decent performance for a sedan of this size.

The Premium Extended Range model is front-wheel drive and has an electric motor with outputs of 150kW and 255Nm.

It’s not as spritely as some of its rivals but it’s able to hold its own on the open road. Just don't expect it to blow your hair back.

The new hybrid powertrain means lower outputs and the official combined fuel cycle figure is just 4.3L/100km! Which is only beaten by the Toyota Camry's 4.0L/100km.

The on-test figure pops out at 5.1L/100km after doing a some urban stuff but mostly open-road driving. Which is where hybrids tend to be the least efficient, so the fuel usage is excellent.

Based on the official combined (urban/extra-urban) fuel cycle and 48L fuel tank, you should see a theoretical driving range of up to 1116km, which is a little less than the Toyota Camry but still an amazing range for a family car.

That range figure drops to around 940km using our real-world average consumption number.

The official energy consumption figure for the Premium Extended Range model is 16.7kWh/100km and a week of mostly urban road driving resulted in an average of 16.6kWh/100km.

That's very good consumption and the official driving range from the 64.8kWh lithium-ion battery is up to 444km but I’d have my eye on the range on a longer journey.

The top electric Kona has a Type 2 CCS charging port which means you can benefit from faster DC charging speeds.

But it can also accept a top speed of 10.4kW on AC power. On an 11kW AC charger, you can go from 0-100 per cent in a little over 6.5-hours.

The Premium Extended Range model can only accept up to 100kW on DC charging, which is lower than its rivals, and you can go from 10-80 per cent in just over an hour on a 50kW system and in as little as 45 minutes on an 100kW system.

Again, it's figures are a tad slower and lower than rivals but not inconvenient for everyday use.

Power delivery for the new Accord is pretty punchy and, in most scenarios it’s responsiveness is great. But occasionally, when you’re getting up to speed, there can be a small lag before things kick in.

The Accord handles like a dream and feels firmly planted on the road in corners. Even in high winds, the car feels stable and sure of itself. Delightful.

The cabin is quiet and engine noise is at a minimum most of the time. Around town, the Accord sounds and behaves like an EV. Only once you hit the open road do you get some road noise but it never intrudes on chatting.

It might also be one of the easiest sedans to park and it's got a lot to do with the top-notch 360-degree view camera system and direct steering.

The top model's single motor delivers smooth power in most instances but you can lose traction if your accelerate too quickly from a standstill.

Mostly urban kilometres covered during this test and despite the Kona not having the punchiest motor, I’ve still had moments of it feeling zippy.

The steering feels like it’s in the middle of firm and makes for responsive manoeuvring. You get some roll when cornering and the car can feel a bit light-footed when you’re shooting across traffic but otherwise it's well-balanced.

The ride comfort is very good in terms of suspension, where it feels well-cushioned but not too floaty.

Road noise isn’t intrusive, either, but there's some wind noise, even at lower speeds.

It’s an old gripe but the speed-sign recognition tech in a lot of Hyundai and Kia models is intrusive and annoying with how often it chimes at you.

It's worth the effort to turn off the warning sounds every time you drive, particularly if you're in the city. Usually, this would be in the safety section but it affects the driving enjoyment.

When it comes to parking, the Kona's compact dimensions make it your best friend in a car park. A fabulously clear 360-degree camera system also helps.

The 2024 electric Kona has a long list of safety systems but surprisingly its previous-generation model’s five-star ANCAP safety score hasn’t been matched, with the new version getting four stars from testing in 2023.

Penalty points have been applied across a few items and its individual protection scores for vulnerable road users and safety assist systems are at 64 per cent and 62 per cent, respectively. 

The Kona has seven airbags, including a front centre airbag and a highlight feature is the blind-spot view monitor which shows you a camera feed of your blind spot on the dashboard.

Other standard features include blind-spot monitoring, driver attention warning, safe exit warning, rear occupant alert, full LED lights, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree view camera system, as well as front, rear and side parking sensors.

The Kona has AEB with forward collision warning which is operational from 5.0-85km/h for pedestrian and vulnerable road user detection and 10-180km/h for car detection.

For any families out there, the Kona has ISOFIX child seat mounts on the rear outboard seats and three top-tether anchor points but two seats will fit best.

The Accord comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, and an eight-year battery warranty, which are now normal terms for the class.

You get a five-year capped priced servicing program and it costs just $199 per service, which is very competitive.

Servicing intervals could get annoying if you put a lot of kays on your car as they're set at every 12-months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.

Servicing costs for the Hyundai Kona are quite expensive for the class and you can pre-purchase one, two or three services. Services cost $520 (one service), $1040 (two services), or $1560 (three services). It's typical to see EV servicing sit closer to the $250 mark.

Warranty terms are pretty typical, though, the Kona coming with a five-year/unlimited km warranty and the battery covered by an eight-year, or up to 160,000km warranty term.

Servicing intervals are every two years or 30,000km, whichever occurs first.