HomeVehicleCarsHyundai Kona Electric vs Chevrolet Bolt EV, Kia Niro EV, Kia Soul...

Hyundai Kona Electric vs Chevrolet Bolt EV, Kia Niro EV, Kia Soul EV

The truly long-range electric car that is Hyundai Kona Electric is already being delivered to customers in Europe. Hyundai Kona offers decent range and performance, it’s currently only available with a 64-kWh battery pack but will eventually be offered with a smaller capacity 39.2 kWh battery pack. The less battery capacity version of Kona Electric will allow Hyundai to appeal some European Tesla Model 3 reservation holders who are fed up with waiting for their cars. This car also competes directly against the standard range 2018 Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe both of whom are aimed at a more affordable market segment.

Hyundai Kona Electric vs Chevrolet Bolt EV, Kia Niro EV, Kia Soul EV

The Kona Electric has not officially gone on sale in the US but Hyundai has officially announced the cost of the Kona Electric. The price Kona electric is going to start from $36,450 for 258 miles battery pack model before incentives.

Hyundai Kona Electric vs Chevrolet Bolt EV, Kia Niro EV, Kia Soul EV

Kia Soul EV

Kia Soul EV

Kia’s first all-electric model that is the Kia Soul EV has been getting many attentions. It was first launched in 2014 with a 27kWh battery pack with quick charging support and an estimated range of 93 miles since then it’s been available in select markets around the world. The old Kia EV had the largest city driving range than any of the electric car in its class at that time. Kia Soul EV’s higher sticker price did put many customers off owning one although Kia did increase battery pack capacity to 30 kWh for the 2018 model but the sales of the Kia Soul EV haven’t been huge in the US and Canada.

Chevrolet Bolt EV

Chevrolet Bolt EV

The European production version of the Chevrolet Bolt was revealed in February 2017. Chevrolet has launched a newer version of Bolt EV at $36,620 so this is just three or four thousand dollars more than Kia Soul EV and this was one of the reasons why Kia’s sales were not good. Earlier people used to consider this car as one of Tesla’s major competitor but now this is not the case. Recently, many car makers have launched the electric vehicles which are affordable and futuristic so let’s see how Chevrolet Bolt EV stacks up against it.

Kia Niro EV

Kia Niro EV

When Kia announced its all-new Niro EV with an EPA estimated 239 miles of range per charge, there was some question as to if Kia would even bother to continue to make the Kia Soul EV. During LA Auto Show, Kia confirmed that it would unveil the next generation Soul EV tweaked to look a little meaner and sporty than the original soul. The one thing where the Kia Niro leads is Niro is slightly larger in size. All are subcompact SUVs except Chevrolet Bolt EV but the Kia e-Niro sits on a wheelbase that’s about four inches long.

Features Comparison

The Kona Electric streaks ahead of the Chevrolet bolt, Kona electric has all the features includes as a standard that you have to pay for in the Bolt EV, CCS quick charging is a $750 optional extra for the Bolt EV. Blind spot collision warning, forward collision assists, lane keep assist and rear cross traffic collision avoidance assist as well as smart cruise control are all included in the Kona as standard. In bolt EV you have to spec three individual packages totaling more than $1,500, you do get a few extras- a heated steering wheel and an auto-dimming mirror but it’s pretty clear to see that the Kona electric packs a whole lot more in for a whole lot less. In Kia Niro EV and Kia Soul EV, you get all the above features in the standard version.

Power Comparison

The Hyundai Kona Electric comes with 201 horsepower electric motor and has 395 Nm of torque. Then the Chevrolet Bolt have the engine of 200 horsepower and 360 Nm torque. The Kia Soul EV and Niro EV have the same engine with 201 horsepower and 394 Nm of torque which is greater than Chevrolet Bolt. We can’t see much competition in the performance category since all vehicle has almost the same power.

MPG Comparison

The MPGe rating for Kona Electric and Bolt EV are actually almost the same, the Kona EV slightly edges out the Chevrolet Bolt with 120 miles per gallon whereas Bolt has 119 MPGe. The Kia has not released the MPG rates for Soul EV and Niro EV but both are going to have almost the same MPG ratings since both the cars are using the same engine. The MPG of electric cars is always higher than gasoline cars because an electric motor doesn’t really operate the same way as the regular motor does.

Acceleration Comparison (0-60 Fastest Car)

Let’s take a look at the 0 to 60 mph to see how these cars perform with the acceleration. Coming in on top, the Chevrolet Bolt EV can cover 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. The rest of three cars can go 0-60 mph in 7.6 sec so Cheverlot Bolt EV definitely beats other cars in terms of acceleration. Overall, all of them are going to be quick enough to get the job done for sure. The Bolt EV here does really stand out as the highest performing vehicle in its class.

Price Comparison

The Chevrolet Bolt EV has the highest price among all the vehicles, The Chevrolet Bolt EV comes with two trims- LT and Premier, the LT costs $37,495 and Premier costs $41,895. You get following features in Premier version- Lane Change, Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert+, Rear Cross Traffic Alert+, Rear Park Assist+, Rear Camera Mirror including auto-dimming function, Rear armrest, False cargo floor, Body-color door handles with chrome strip, Roof rails, Perforated Leather-appointed seats, Front and rear outboard heated seats, Silver center stack trim, Leather, 17″ Ultra Bright Machined/painted aluminum wheels, Outside rearview mirror turn indicators, wrapped & heated steering wheel, Surround Vision+, Ambient interior lighting. Next on our list would be the Kona Electric at $36,450 for 258 miles version. Kia has not officially released the price of Kia Niro EV and Soul EV but you can expect the price around $37,000 for Niro EV and Soul EV has much time to be launched. Now, this is before any other tax incentives or things that may reduce the cost of your electric vehicle, all the above EVs qualify for $7,500 tax credit.

Conclusion

The Hyundai Kona Electric would be the clear winner here, the Kona give great features at the good price. If you want a car which has good performance then you should pick the Chevrolet Bolt EV because that has good acceleration and it also covers 0-60 mph in less time. Honestly, we don’t think any of these Kia stacks up between these two vehicles (Kona and Bolt). Also, consider buying the $35,000 version of Tesla Model 3 and also check out our comparison between Tesla Model 3 and Bolt EV.

Saurav Revankar
Saurav Revankar
Saurav is a distinguished expert in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, known for his in-depth knowledge and passion for sustainable technology. With a particular focus on Tesla, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive reviews that make complex EV topics accessible and engaging.

3 COMMENTS

  1. What I really dislike in the Bolt is GM is still pricing the car to look like a good price and then optioning you to death.

  2. I picked up my Kona March 01, as well as others did before and after, why do you say they are not available in the US?

    There are some sitting on the lots waiting for buyers…

  3. Aw, this was an exceptionally good post. Finding the time and actual
    effort to generate a good article… but what can I say… I put things off a whole lot
    and never seem to get anything done.

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