Facelifted Hyundai Kona Electric revealed internationally

Hyundai has revealed the facelift for the Hyundai Kona electric globally. This electric SUV first launched internationally in 2018 and also has the distinction of becoming the first EV SUV to be sold in India. For this update, Hyundai has freshened up the Kona Electric's looks and interiors while adding new features and safety tech.

The 2021 Kona Electric has a cleaner look to it now with the face losing the chromed strip and cross-hatched pattern. This has been replaced by a bow-shaped bodyline between the light clusters. These too have been changed, the LED DRLs are now slimmer while the main headlamp cluster now gets a three-segmented LED look. There is a wider air intake below this as well.

Along the sides, the chunky body cladding of the previous car has been toned down a bit while at the rear you have a wide bumper insert that mimics the one on the front. Finally, the top half of the taillamps get new LED detailing while the lower portion incorporates clear-lens elements in the same three-segmented pattern as the front lighting. The new additions have grown the EV by 25mm while numerous new colour options have also been added.

Changes on the inside are similarly evolutionary. The big change is that the larger 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment is now available here, the smaller 8-inch unit can also be chosen with its wireless Android Auto/Apple Carplay connectivity. There is a new fully digital instrument cluster too, along with ambient lighting and rear USB ports.

The BlueLink connected-car features have now been expanded to include multiple driver profiles and a last-mile navigation function that sends the final destination to your phone's BlueLink app after the car has been parked. Live traffic and parking updates have also been added.

The Kona Electric comes fitted with a wider range of advanced driver assistance systems. Newly added are blind-spot and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, a leading vehicle departure alert for the adaptive cruise control, a safe exiting alert system for passengers and a rear seat passenger alert system.

The Kona Electric remains mechanically unchanged with this update, and continues with its two battery options. The 39.2 kWh battery pack, as seen on the India-spec car, allows for a 136PS output from its motor while the larger 64 kWh battery increases the motor's output to 204PS. With the larger battery pack, the Kona Electric can do 0 to 100 kmph in 7.9s and go on to a 167 kmph top-speed. The smaller battery pack allows for a 9.9s sprint to 100 kmph from a standstill and a 155 kmph top-speed. The 64 kWh battery version has a 484 km range while the smaller battery pack can do up to 305km, both WLTP figures. As per the Indian ARAI rating, the 39.2 kWh Kona Electric can do 452 km on a full charge

With the Kona Electric being sold in India as a CBU, we expect Hyundai India to bring the facelifted car here sometime next year. Read our review of the India-spec Kona Electric here.

Watch our video review of the Hyundai Kona Electric below