Compare the2023 Chevrolet BoltVS 2023 Hyundai Kona Electric

The Chevrolet Bolt has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Bolt offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Kona Electric only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Both the Bolt and the Kona Electric have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

There are almost 4 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bolt’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 38 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Bolt is faster than the Hyundai Kona Electric:

The Bolt can travel longer on a full charge than the Kona Electric (259 miles vs. 258 miles).

The Bolt stops much shorter than the Kona Electric:

The Bolt’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Kona Electric’s standard 55 series tires.

The Bolt has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires standard on the Bolt can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

The Bolt has .5 inches more front headroom, 2.8 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more rear headroom and 2.6 inches more rear legroom than the Kona Electric.

The Bolt has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Kona Electric with its rear seat folded (57 vs. 45.8 cubic feet).

The Bolt’s front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Kona Electric’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

The Bolt’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Kona Electric’s passenger power window and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Bolt has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Kona Electric only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Bolt’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Kona Electric SE/SEL’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Consumer Reports rated the Bolt’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Kona Electric’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

Insurance will cost less for the Bolt owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Bolt will cost $420 to $1325 less than the Kona Electric over a five-year period.

The Bolt was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” in 2017. The Kona has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Bolt was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2017. The Kona Electric has never been an “All Star.”

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Bolt as the 2017 North American Car of the Year. The Kona Electric has never been chosen.