The Hyundai Kona Electric has finally arrived, and the pricing is very interesting

It was earlier this month when Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors confirmed that the new Hyundai Kona Electric will be making its way into the Malaysian market, and today, it is officially here. Being the first EV to take advantage of the Government's tax incentive announcements made in Budget 2022, the Hyundai Kona Electric was able to be priced competitively and we're all thumbs-up about it.

This full-electric SUV will be offered in three different variants - the base e-lite, mid-ranged e-plus, and the range-topping e-max. Style-wise, these three are not that different between one and another, but the biggest differences would be how much power they make as well as the battery capacity. The Kona Electric's most prominent feature is the sleek and smooth front bumper which doesn't have a huge grille like its petrol-powered siblings.

What's similar, however, are its unique front headlight setup which splits the DRLs on top and the rest are placed slightly below. The Kona Electric's concealed charging port can also be found on the front end. You'll also find LED combination lamps and the whole car sits on a set of 17-inch alloy wheels.

On the inside, it's pretty much the same as well apart from a few notable differences such as the shift-by-wire transmission (which allows for more storage space under the centre console), paddle shifters for regenerative braking control, 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, wireless smartphone charging, and a 10.25-inch digital cluster that'll display all the necessary EV info to the driver. Future owners will also get a 321-litre cargo space at the back which can be extended to 1,114 litres when the second-row seats are folded. 

For the e-lite and e-plus models, they're fitted with the same 39.2kWh battery pack (Urban) whereas the range-topping e-max variant comes ready with a much bigger 64kWh unit (Standard). The two formers will be running the same electric motor that produces 136PS whereas the e-plus packs a more powerful 204PS punch. All units, however, produce the same amount of torque at 395Nm.

Performance-wise, the two formers can hit 0-100km/h in just 9.9 seconds before hitting a top speed of 155km/h, whereas the 64kWh with 204PS variant can do so in just 7.9 seconds and 167km/h top speed. But when you're driving an EV, the range is the one that matters most. The base and mid-range models can basically cover a distance of 305km while the range-topper antes up to 484km (WLTP cycle reference).

Charging-wise, the Kona Electric does come with both AC and DC charging capabilities. It is recommended for owners to get the Hyundai 11kW wallbox charger (which can be installed at home) which will allow the electric compact SUV to be fully charged in just 4.5 hours for the 39.2kWh battery and 7.5 hours for the 64kWh variant. If you're using DC (up to 50kW), those times are greatly reduced to 60 minutes and 90 minutes respectively.

The new Hyundai Kona Electric is priced from RM149,888 to RM199,888 (on-the-road price excluding insurance). There are nine different exterior and two interior colour options to choose from (depending on which variant you're planning to take).