Compare the2022 Hyundai Kona ElectricVS 2021 Toyota Mirai

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 Mirai doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Kona Electric and the Mirai have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors 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 Mirai 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 Mirai’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 Toyota covers the Mirai. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Mirai ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 13th.

The Kona Electric’s electric motor produces 19 more horsepower (201 vs. 182) and 70 lbs.-ft. more torque (291 vs. 221) than the Mirai’s electric motor.

As tested in Motor Trend the Hyundai Kona Electric is faster than the Toyota Mirai:

For better maneuverability, the Kona Electric’s turning circle is 3.7 feet tighter than the Mirai’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.5 feet).

The Hyundai Kona Electric may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 550 pounds less than the Toyota Mirai.

The Kona Electric is 2 feet, 6.2 inches shorter than the Mirai, 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 Mirai doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Kona Electric has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear legroom and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mirai.

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

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Kona Electric to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Toyota doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Mirai.

The Kona Electric has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Mirai doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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

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 Mirai doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Kona Electric, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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

The Hyundai Kona outsold the Toyota Mirai by almost 39 to one during the 2021 model year.