Compare the2023 Mazda MX-30VS 2023 Hyundai Kona Electric

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda MX-30 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 Mazda MX-30 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The MX-30 has standard Smart Brake Support-Rear that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The MX-30 Premium Plus has a standard 360° 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 MX-30 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.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. With 5 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Hyundai.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Hyundai is ranked 13th.

For better stopping power the MX-30’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Kona Electric:

The MX-30 stops much shorter than the Kona Electric:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the MX-30 has standard 18-inch wheels. Only 17-inch wheels are available on the Kona Electric.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the MX-30’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Kona Electric (104.4 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

The MX-30 has .1 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room and .1 inches more front shoulder room than the Kona Electric.

The MX-30 has a much larger cargo volume than the Kona Electric with its rear seat up (21 vs. 19.2 cubic feet).

When two different drivers share the MX-30, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer a memory system.

The MX-30 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 MX-30’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Kona Electric’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the MX-30 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 MX-30’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.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the MX-30 has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the MX-30 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.

The MX-30’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Kona Electric offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The MX-30 has a 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Kona Electric doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.