Compare the2023 Hyundai Kona ElectricVS 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

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 Outlander PHEV 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 Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a whiplash protection 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 Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

The Kona Electric has standard Blue Link, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a GPS response system, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Kona Electric and the Outlander PHEV 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 and available rear parking sensors.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the general design of front seat head restraints for their ability to protect front seat occupants from whiplash injuries. The IIHS also performs a dynamic test on those seats with “good” or “acceptable” geometry. In these ratings, the Kona Electric is safer than the Outlander PHEV:

(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Kona Electric the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 220 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Outlander PHEV was not even a “Top Safety Pick” for 2016.

The Kona Electric’s 7 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Outlander PHEV runs out after 100,000 miles.

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. Mitsubishi doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Outlander PHEV.

There are almost 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Kona Electric’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Mitsubishi vehicles. With 41 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Hyundai higher than Mitsubishi.

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 Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 35 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is ranked 14th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 14 places higher in reliability than Mitsubishi.

As tested in Motor Trend the Hyundai Kona Electric is faster than the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV:

On the EPA test cycle the Kona Electric gets better mileage than the Outlander PHEV running on electricity (134 city/106 hwy vs. 77 city/71 hwy MPGe).

On the EPA test cycle the Kona Electric gets better mileage than the Outlander PHEV running its gasoline engine (134 city/106 hwy MPGe vs. 26 city/26 hwy).

The Kona Electric can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 258 miles. The Outlander PHEV has to start its internal combustion engine after only 24 miles.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Kona Electric higher (10 out of 10) than the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (7). This means the Kona Electric produces up to 11.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Outlander PHEV every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Kona Electric’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Outlander PHEV:

The Kona Electric has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Outlander PHEV’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 Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Kona Electric is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than on the Outlander PHEV.

The Kona Electric Limited handles at .79 G’s, while the Outlander PHEV GT pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Kona Electric’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Outlander PHEV’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.6 feet).

The Hyundai Kona Electric may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 550 pounds less than the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

The Kona Electric is 1 foot, 7.2 inches shorter than the Outlander PHEV, 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 Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Kona Electric has .6 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front hip room and .3 inches more rear hip room than the Outlander PHEV.

The power windows standard on both the Kona Electric and the Outlander PHEV 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 Outlander PHEV prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Kona Electric has standard extendable sun visors. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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 Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

To direct the driver from any location to a given street address, a GPS navigation system is standard on the Kona Electric SEL/Limited. The Kona Electric’s navigation system also has a real-time traffic update feature that offers alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a navigation system.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Kona Electric SEL/Limited has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Insurance will cost less for the Kona Electric owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Kona Electric will cost $230 to $1850 less than the Outlander PHEV over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Kona Electric will be $5141 to $7960 less than for the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

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 Outlander PHEV has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.

The Hyundai Kona outsold the Mitsubishi Outlander by over three to one during the 2021 model year.