Hyundai Kona Electric vs Volvo EX30

Torn between the electric Hyundai Kona and the new Volvo EX30 for your next lease?

We’ve all got hobbies. 

Some of us crochet, some of us play football, some of us pit electric vehicles against each other to see which one is better.

Today’s offering? The Hyundai Kona and the Volvo EX30. If you’ve never heard of the EX30, and you’ve never considered the Kona as a serious electric car lease offering, then do we have the article for you.

The Hyundai Kona is actually an alarmingly good EV, especially with its latest midlife update. Bigger and better than ever, Hyundai have clearly taken everything they’ve learned with the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, and thrown it at the Kona to create a very appealing compact electric SUV.

And Volvo, King of the SUV, aren’t about to rest on their laurels either.

The Volvo EX30, now the baby of the bunch and the smallest car the manufacturer offers, has come out all guns blazing, and provides a very nice rival to some of the more established competitors.

But should you go for a Hyundai Kona lease, or a Volvo EX30 lease?

Overview

Sure, the electrified Hyundai Kona is not a new car by any stretch of the imagination. But the latest generation of Konas have been built to be electric first, combustion engine second, unlike previous models. 

With its distinctive looks, bigger boot and spacious interior, the newest Kona is quickly becoming one of the best – and most affordable – small electric SUVs on the market. But it’s not alone in its category.

While there is no shortage of small electric SUVs to pick from, they’re not all built the same. But Volvo – Swedish brand famed for its minimalism and safety-focused vehicles – has become the go-to SUV manufacturer. Whatever sort of SUV you’re looking for, whether you want something compact like the Volvo XC40 or a mammoth number like the XC90, Volvo have got you covered.

And in recent years they’ve had a real focus on developing very good electric SUVs, first transforming their XC range by shoving a big battery under the bonnet, and in later years by building solely electric SUVs with none of this combustion nonsense to deal with.

Which is where the Volvo EX30 comes in.

Now the baby of the Volvo lineup, the EX30 replaces the XC40 as the go-to compact SUV. If you’ve ever thought the XC40 was actually a little too big – and it is surprising, how large it actually is when you stand next to it – then the Volvo EX30 could be the car you’ve been looking for. 

But then again, so could the Hyundai Kona. 

Shall we find out more about them? 

Looks

Hyundai aren’t what you’d call a shrinking violet when creating their EVs. 

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and 6 boast some of the most distinctive styling on the market, and the Hyundai Kona facelift has given the exterior a delightful overhaul. The pixel-style lights are a little nod to the retro-spaceship styling of the Ioniq line, but it is still very much its own car.

Some have described the design as brave, but as a quirky car aficionado, I like it when a manufacturer pushes the boat out a little and experiments with the exterior design.

There’s almost a hint of the Kia EV9 about it with its more angular front end and sharp creases. The design shouts ‘I’m electric!’ at you – and that’s no bad thing. The quintessential EV design (wouldn’t look out of place next to NASA’s spaceships) lends itself to some really cool cars, and the Kona is no exception.

While the Kona is available with hybrid and combustion engines, this is ostensibly built to be an electric car. 

And we like it.

This is what we mean by the ‘EV’ look – on the surface, the Volvo EX30 doesn’t look too dissimilar to the Hyundai Kona. The ‘Thor’s hammer’ lights at the front help to give it that futuristic look so heavily associated with electric vehicles, though there’s no denying that the styling of the EX30 screams condensed Volvo.

Which is no bad thing. Volvos are some of the most stylish SUVs on the market, and the chunky SUV look helps define the EX30, even though its height really is more ‘tall hatchback’ than ‘small SUV’.

Interior

Despite their shorter statures, both the Kona and the EX30 are reasonably spacious inside. 

You’re not going to be shouting at each other to be heard in an echoey cabin, but neither are you going to clash elbows with your front seat passenger. The Kona is slightly bigger than the EX30 in the rear, but for the most part, they’re both perfect for smaller families or couples who just need a compact daily runaround, but want the SUV look.

When it comes to the Kona’s interior, Hyundai have really nailed the brief.

For the price, the cabin is really quite delightful. Practically speaking, it works for a small family. It’s actually bigger than the old Kona, and some depth has been shaved off the front seats to maximise rear legroom without scrimping on comfort for anyone.

Airlines, take note.

There are plenty of choices for the interior, with each trim level coming with its own upholstery, including black cloth for the entry level Advance, and a choice of full leather or ECO Suede for the Ultimate trim. And – anyone who has ever cursed the trend towards minimalism and hiding everything in the infotainment screen will be pricking their ears up – Hyundai haven’t done away with buttons.

In fact, the interior is filled with them. 

Yes, it does also have a crisp and responsive 12.3in screen sat smack dab in the middle of the dash, but there are actual, physical buttons for pretty much every function, including screen shortcuts, audio controls and even buttons for the heated and cooled seats.

The Volvo EX30 is neat and simplistic inside, but this doesn’t take away from its typically modern Scandi Volvo charm.

This simplicity reduces the amount of parts needed to make the car, but also means that there have been compromises, such as the dash having nearly no switches. But really, that’s just par for the course for many new EVs now, with so many of them hiding their functions in layers of screen.

It does feel upmarket though, with a classy, high-quality finish to the materials and a solid build.

And if an eco-friendlier car is a priority for you, then a Volvo EX30 lease is well worth a second look. The trim uses recycled materials, including fishing nets, plastic bottles, chopped up uPVC window frames and the waste from jeans factories, and the base model uses LFP battery cathodes. 

Essentially, the smaller battery uses minerals that are more abundant and are less energy-intensive to manufacture than the ones in the longer-range battery. And with the Volvo factory, and nearly all its suppliers, running on renewable energy, the lifetime CO2 of the base-model EX30 is about half that of a petrol equivalent.

Not bad, huh?

Practicality

When it comes to overall practicality, the electric Hyundai Kona just pips the Volvo EX30 to the top spot.

While the EX30 is pretty practical on the whole, the backseats just don’t have quite as much room for passengers as the Kona does, and the high floor – while it is flat, so there’s enough space for feet – can make it feel a little like your knees are up around your ears. 

Not so bad if you’re just bombing around town, but not so nice if you’re heading cross-country on a road trip.

Otherwise, the EX30 is excellent. There’s plenty of cabin storage, including a versatile storage console in between the two front seats, and retractable cup holders. The door bins are deep, and you’re not going to run out of space to stash your emergency snacks. Which really, is the most important thing when it comes to choosing your next car lease.

The boot isn’t massive, clocking in at 318L (with an additional 61L under the floor). Seats down, you get 904L to play with, and there’s a small frunk which won’t hold much, but will keep muddy charging cables and wellies out of the way. However, the wide load area does make it a practical space, and there are handy bag hooks and load-securing eyelets to stop your shopping from rolling about while on the move.

The seats themselves fold in a 60/40 arrangement, and you can fit the parcel shelf under the boot floor if you really need to pile your luggage in.

If you need rear seat space, the Kona is where it’s at. The newest model has prioritised space for both the front and back passengers, and even people over six feet won’t find the rear of the Kona to be an uncomfortable place to spend a longer journey.

The seats fold in a very versatile 40/20/40 split, which always makes life easier when you’ve taken the family on a day out to Ikea and accidentally made a purchase and hadn’t quite considered how it would fit in the car. Get that middle seat down, slide your boxes through, and you’re good to go with the two outer seats still in place.

There’s plenty of cabin storage, including cupholders and a large cubby hidden below the front centre armrest, alongside all the normal spots (door bins, glovebox etc). 

The newest Kona’s boot is bigger than the outgoing model, and bigger than the Volvo EX30, clocking in at 466L. It’s a useful shape too, with easy access through the wide opening and a squarer shape to help you pack in the shopping, the dog, or the luggage. Like the EX30, the Kona also has a small, but usable, frunk, so once again there’s space to stash away charging cables without trailing muck all over your bits and pieces.

Technology

If there’s one thing an electric car lease is going to have, it’s stacks of technology. I couldn’t name a single EV that wasn’t packed with all the latest mod cons, from budget and premium manufacturers alike, and the Hyundai Kona and Volvo EX30 are no exception.

Alongside its physical buttons, the Kona has two 12.3in screens – one for the infotainment system, one for the drivers display – that dominate the dash. Both are clear to read, and the infotainment is responsive and easy to use. Because Hyundai has kept the physical buttons, you don’t have to dive as deep as often into the many screens to find what you need, which is a welcome relief for many of us.

Whichever trim you go for, the Hyundai Kona is well equipped.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard, as do heated front seats and Vehicle to Load technology. Handy, if you’re out for the day and really fancy a cuppa – but there’s nothing around you but the woods. Plug your kettle into your car and you’ll have a piping hot tea without having to resort to the slightly tepid Thermos flask.

The Kona also gets a heat pump that improves the car’s efficiency, as well as dual-zone climate control, electric seat adjustment, front and rear parking sensors with a rearview camera and automatic emergency braking. 

When it comes to the EX30, it’s just as tech-packed, but lacks the physical buttons of the Kona which can make adjusting your audio settings, climate control or driver settings on the go a little harder. There’s one shortcut button on the steering wheel, but in a perfect world we’d like it to have a couple more.

As you would expect from a Volvo, the technology that it does have is very good.

All EX30’s get a 12.3in touchscreen system that the Swedish brand manufactured with Google, meaning that you get Google Maps and Google Assistant as standard. All variants get a reversing camera, but you’ll need to upgrade to the top Ultra model for a 360-degree bird’s eye view camera.

Other standard equipment includes adaptive cruise control, a powered tailgate, heated front seats, heated steering wheel and dual-zone climate control, as well as automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert and traffic sign recognition. 

Range

The new electric Kona has two battery and powertrain options. Remember, this is a car that was designed to be an EV first, despite the hybrid and combustion options, and it really shows.

The entry-level model gets a 48.4kWh battery and a 154bhp to provide a maximum WLTP Combined range of 234 miles. This setup is only available with the Advance trim, but if your average mileage matches up with the likely 180-200 mile real-world range you’re likely to see, it’s definitely worth it for the cash that you save on the monthly rental.

But if you want more mileage, then there is the 65.4kWh battery that comes with the higher specs. Combined with a more powerful front-mounted motor (215bhp, 188lb ft of torque) and the smaller 17in wheels, and you get a claimed range of 319 miles.

The heat pump that comes as standard with the Hyundai Kona really does improve efficiency, which shows in its headline mileage. 

Especially when you consider that the Volvo EX30, despite ostensibly having a bigger battery, can’t match the Kona for claimed range. The EX30 range starts with the 51kWh battery with a claimed 213 miles of range. Need to go a bit further on a single charge? Opt for the Single Motor Extended Range model with its 69kWh battery and 295-mile claimed range (and heat pump for additional efficiency).

And if its performance that you’re after, consider the Twin Motor Performance version, which adds four-wheel drive and some extra oomph, though it does drop the range back to 279 miles.

Sure, the EX30 range can’t beat the Kona. 

But if you know that you have easy access to an at-home or workplace charger, and you don’t often go on very long drives, then really the range shouldn’t be the deciding factor for you, because you should have no issues with running out of juice on the go.

Please note: all electric ranges are based on available WLTP combined figures. 

Specifications

Currently, the Volvo EX30 is only available in two specs, with an entry-level, more trimmed down Core trim level planned.

The range starts with the Plus trim, which is available with the smaller battery RWD powertrain, and to Volvo’s credit, comes equipped with all of the technology and mod cons that you could ever need.

It gets the 12.3in touchscreen, climate control, a Harmon Kardon premium sound system, front and rear parking sensors, rear reversing camera, heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel. 

Upgrading to the Ultra trim adds 20in alloy wheels, a 360-degree parking camera, fixed panoramic sunroof, self-parking system, electric front seats and a 22kW on-board charger.

In all honesty, the Plus trim paired with the Extended Range powertrain offers you the most bang for your buck.

The Hyundai Kona has a few more options, with four different trim levels to choose from. But again, if you’re looking to save some cash and you’re not overly fussed about the flashiest technology that more expensive trims tend to be loaded with, then the entry-level trim is very good.

The entry-level Advance trim comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, V2L tech, heated seats, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, dual-zone climate control, two USB-C ports in the front and two in the rear, and the 12.3in infotainment screen.

N Line is the next step up, and offers a sportier looking exterior, with 19in wheels, a slightly more aggressive bodykit, black exterior mirrors, an optional black roof, heated front and rear seats and wireless charging pad. N Line S is very similar, but adds Alcantara and leather seats, three-zone climate control, full width daytime running lights and a BOSE sound system.

Finally, the full fat Ultimate trim brings with it an ECO Suede and leather exterior, a sunroof, ventilated front seats, and all of the Kona’s active safety systems.

Verdict

As much as we love a good Volvo, the Hyundai Kona electric is a very competitive electric SUV. 

It wins on range and interior space, and aesthetically it is a nice car (even if we do prefer the EX30 just a little bit) (sorry Hyundai) (it’s just the Thor’s hammer lights are really quite something).

But there’s no denying that whichever car lease you go for, you’re getting a good amount of EV for your money. The Volvo EX30 makes a compelling option simply because it is a premium SUV offering for a more budget price, and the Kona is just an excellent all-rounder.

Once again, it really comes down to personal preference.

If you’re a Volvo fan after a smaller car, then you’ll want to lease the EX30. But if you’re not so fussed about brand, then you simply cannot go wrong with the electric Kona.