Compare the2022 Hyundai Kona ElectricVS 2021 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Kona Electric are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Kona Electric has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Kona Electric’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Kona Electric’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Kona Electric and the Clarity Fuel Cell have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available rear parking sensors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Kona Electric the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 136 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Clarity Fuel Cell has not been tested, yet.

The Kona Electric comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Clarity Fuel Cell’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Kona Electric 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Honda covers the Clarity Fuel Cell. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Clarity Fuel Cell ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Kona Electric’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Kona Electric for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Clarity Fuel Cell.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 15 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 44 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 27th.

The Kona Electric’s electric motor produces 27 more horsepower (201 vs. 174) and 70 lbs.-ft. more torque (291 vs. 221) than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s electric motor.

As tested in Car and Driver the Hyundai Kona Electric is faster than the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell:

The Kona Electric stops much shorter than the Clarity Fuel Cell:

The Kona Electric has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Clarity Fuel Cell’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Kona Electric has variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Kona Electric’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (54% to 46%) than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s (57.3% to 42.7%). This gives the Kona Electric more stable handling and braking.

The Kona Electric Limited handles at .83 G’s, while the Clarity Fuel Cell pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Kona Electric’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

The Hyundai Kona Electric may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 400 pounds less than the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell.

The Kona Electric is 2 feet, 3.1 inches shorter than the Clarity Fuel Cell, making the Kona Electric easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Kona Electric uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Kona Electric has .5 inches more front headroom and .6 inches more rear headroom than the Clarity Fuel Cell.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Kona Electric’s cargo door uses gas strut supported hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Clarity Fuel Cell’s useful trunk space.

The Kona Electric’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

The power windows standard on both the Kona Electric and the Clarity Fuel Cell have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Kona Electric is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Clarity Fuel Cell prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Kona Electric has a standard rear wiper. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Kona Electric Limited detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Kona Electric Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Kona Electric Limited’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Kona Electric offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Kona Electric and the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Kona was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Five/10Best Trucks” in 2019. The Clarity Fuel Cell has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.

The Hyundai Kona outsold the Honda Clarity by over 23 to one during the 2021 model year.