Compare the2023 Hyundai KonaVS 2022 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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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 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Kona’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

The Kona has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Rav4 Hybrid’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Kona has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Rav4 Hybrid.

Both the Kona and the Rav4 Hybrid 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, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid:

	Kona	Rav4 Hybrid
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	20%	29.3%
Neck Stress	207 lbs.	306 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	29/232 lbs.	400/388 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	217	284
Neck Injury Risk	37%	37.4%
Neck Stress	193 lbs.	258 lbs.
Neck Compression	70 lbs.	95 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	59/27 lbs.	340/190 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Kona is safer than the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid:

	Kona	Rav4 Hybrid
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
HIC	196	299
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	36 G’s
Hip Force	744 lbs.	835 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Kona is 1.4% to 1.9% less likely to roll over than the Rav4 Hybrid.

Warranty

The Kona comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Rav4 Hybrid’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Kona 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Rav4 Hybrid. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Rav4 Hybrid ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Kona’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Rav4 Hybrid’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Kona for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Rav4 Hybrid (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

Brakes and Stopping

The Kona stops much shorter than the Rav4 Hybrid:

	Kona	Rav4 Hybrid
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	143 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	131 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Kona N Line/Limited’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Rav4 Hybrid (235/45R18 vs. 225/65R17).

The Kona SE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rav4 Hybrid LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Kona N Line/Limited’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Rav4 Hybrid’s optional 60 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Kona has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Rav4 Hybrid’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Kona 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 Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Kona handles at .85 G’s, while the Rav4 Hybrid XSE pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Kona executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Rav4 Hybrid XSE (26.9 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Kona’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Rav4 Hybrid’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.1 feet).

Chassis

The Hyundai Kona may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 800 pounds less than the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid.

The Kona is 1 foot, 3.3 inches shorter than the Rav4 Hybrid, making the Kona easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Kona has .1 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom and 4.5 inches more rear hip room than the Rav4 Hybrid.

The front step up height for the Kona is 3 inches lower than the Rav4 Hybrid (16” vs. 19”). The Kona’s rear step up height is 2.5 inches lower than the Rav4 Hybrid’s (16.1” vs. 18.6”).

Ergonomics

The Kona’s driver power window, power lock and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Rav4 Hybrid’s power window (except driver window) and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Kona’s standard variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Rav4 Hybrid LE’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

The Kona has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Rav4 Hybrid has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the XLE/SE/XSE/Limited.

The Kona’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Toyota charges extra for heated mirrors on the Rav4 Hybrid.

Model Availability

The Kona is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Rav4 Hybrid doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Kona and the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its January 2019 issue and they ranked the Hyundai Kona SE higher than the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid XSE.

The Kona was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Five/10Best Trucks” in 2019. The Rav4 has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.