Compare the2023 Hyundai Kona ElectricVS 2023 Mazda MX-30

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 MX-30 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Kona Electric and the MX-30 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

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 234 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The MX-30 has not been tested, yet.

The Kona Electric comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The MX-30’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Kona Electric 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Mazda covers the MX-30. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the MX-30 ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Kona Electric’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the MX-30’s (7 vs. 5 years).

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. Mazda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the MX-30.

There are over 52 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Kona Electric’s warranty.

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 Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 12th.

The Kona Electric’s electric motor produces 58 more horsepower (201 vs. 143) and 91 lbs.-ft. more torque (291 vs. 200) than the MX-30’s electric motor.

As tested in Car and Driver the Hyundai Kona Electric is faster than the Mazda MX-30:

On the EPA test cycle the Kona Electric gets better mileage than the MX-30 (134 city/106 hwy vs. 98 city/85 hwy MPGe).

The Kona Electric can travel longer on a full charge than the MX-30 (258 miles vs. 100 miles).

For superior ride and handling, the Hyundai Kona Electric has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Mazda MX-30 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Kona Electric has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Kona Electric flat and controlled during cornering. The MX-30’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

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 MX-30 doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Kona Electric is 7.7 inches shorter than the MX-30, making the Kona Electric easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Kona Electric has 2.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the MX-30 (92.4 vs. 89.8).

The Kona Electric has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more rear headroom, 3.3 inches more rear legroom, 3.7 inches more rear hip room and 1.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the MX-30.

The power windows standard on both the Kona Electric and the MX-30 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 MX-30 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

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 MX-30 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 MX-30 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Kona was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2019. The MX-30 has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

The Hyundai Kona outsold the Mazda MX-30 by almost 198 to one during 2022.