Compare the2023 Nissan AriyaVS 2023 Hyundai Kona Electric

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Ariya have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Kona Electric doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Nissan Ariya 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 Ariya Platinum+ has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Ariya has standard Rear Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Ariya offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Ariya Evolve+/Premiere/Platinum+ has a standard Around View® Monitor 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 Ariya and the Kona Electric have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Nissan Ariya weighs 487 to 1342 pounds more than the Hyundai Kona Electric. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Ariya its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 67 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Kona Electric has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

There are over 30 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Ariya’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Ariya’s reliability 57 points higher than the Kona Electric.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is rated lower.

Engine

The Ariya’s standard electric motor produces 13 more horsepower (214 vs. 201) than the Kona Electric’s electric motor. The Ariya +’s standard electric motor produces 37 more horsepower (238 vs. 201) than the Kona Electric’s electric motor. The Ariya’s optional electric motors produces 134 more horsepower (335 vs. 201) and 122 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 291) than the Kona Electric’s electric motor. The Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+’s standard electric motors produces 188 more horsepower (389 vs. 201) and 151 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 291) than the Kona Electric’s electric motor.

As tested in Motor Trend the Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+ electric motors is faster than the Hyundai Kona Electric:

	Ariya	Kona Electric
Zero to 60 MPH	5 sec	6.6 sec
Quarter Mile	13.5 sec	15.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	108.1 MPH	95.9 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Ariya can travel longer on a full charge than the Kona Electric on a full charge:

			Miles
Ariya
	FWD	Venture+ Electric Motor	304 miles
		Evolve+/Empower+ Electric Motor	289 miles
	AWD	Engage+/Evolve+ Electric Motors	272 miles
		Platinum+ Electric Motors	267 miles
Kona Electric
	FWD	Electric Motor	258 miles

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Ariya	Ariya + e-4ORCE	Kona Electric
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	14.3 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	13 inches	11.8 inches

The Ariya’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Kona Electric are solid, not vented.

The Ariya stops much shorter than the Kona Electric:

	Ariya	Kona Electric
70 to 0 MPH	168 feet	185 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	138 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Ariya has larger standard tires than the Kona Electric (235/55R19 vs. 215/55R17). The Ariya Platinum+’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Kona Electric (255/45R20 vs. 215/55R17).

The Ariya Platinum+’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Kona Electric’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Ariya has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 17-inch wheels are available on the Kona Electric. The Ariya Platinum+ offers optional 20-inch wheels.

The Ariya 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.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ariya’s wheelbase is 6.9 inches longer than on the Kona Electric (109.3 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Ariya is 2.8 inches wider in the front and 2.4 inches wider in the rear than on the Kona Electric.

The Ariya Platinum+ handles at .86 G’s, while the Kona Electric Limited pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Ariya Platinum+ executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Kona Electric Limited (26.3 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

Chassis

The Ariya Platinum+ uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Ariya has 8.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Kona Electric (101.3 vs. 92.4).

The Ariya has .8 inches more front legroom, 2.7 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 3.6 inches more rear legroom, .3 inches more rear hip room and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kona Electric.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Ariya’s rear seats recline. The Kona Electric’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Ariya has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Kona Electric with its rear seat up (22.8 vs. 19.2 cubic feet). The Ariya has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Kona Electric with its rear seat folded (59.7 vs. 45.8 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Ariya Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or on the Ariya Platinum+, by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Hyundai Kona Electric is limited to 0 pounds. The Ariya e-4ORCE AWD offers up to a 1500 lbs. towing capacity.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Ariya Engage/Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+, the memory system makes it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver and front passenger’s seat positions, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster) and outside mirror angle. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Ariya Engage/Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

On a hot day the Ariya’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Kona Electric can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Ariya’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.

The Ariya’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Kona Electric’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Ariya’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.

When the Ariya Platinum+ is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Kona Electric’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Ariya and the Kona Electric offer available heated front seats. The Ariya Engage/Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Kona Electric.

The Ariya’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Ariya and the Kona Electric offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Ariya has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Ariya Empower+/Platinum+’s ProPILOT Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Ariya, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Hyundai Kona Electric isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Ariya first among compact suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Kona Electric isn’t in the top three.