Compare the2023 Hyundai Kona ElectricVS 2023 Tesla Model Y

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 Model Y 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 Model Y doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Kona Electric’s standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning 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 Model Y 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 Model Y doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Kona Electric and the Model Y 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 and available rear parking sensors.

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 Model Y’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Kona Electric 2 years longer than Tesla covers the Model Y. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Model Y ends after only 8 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. Tesla doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Model Y.

There are over 5 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Tesla 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 Tesla vehicles. With 41 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Hyundai higher than Tesla.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 6 places higher in reliability than Tesla.

On the EPA test cycle the Kona Electric gets better mileage than the Model Y Performance (134 city/106 hwy vs. 115 city/106 hwy MPGe).

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

For better maneuverability, the Kona Electric’s turning circle is 5 feet tighter than the Model Y’s (34.8 feet vs. 39.8 feet).

The Hyundai Kona Electric may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 650 pounds less than the Tesla Model Y.

The Kona Electric is 1 foot, 9.4 inches shorter than the Model Y, making the Kona Electric easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Kona Electric Limited is quieter than the Model Y Long Range:

The Kona Electric has 1.6 inches more rear hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Model Y.

The Kona Electric has a much larger cargo volume than the Model Y with its rear seat up (19.2 vs. 16.9 cubic feet).

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Kona Electric to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Tesla doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Model Y.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Kona Electric has a standard rear wiper. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

The Kona Electric’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model Y doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

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 Model Y 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 Model Y doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Insurance will cost less for the Kona Electric owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Kona Electric will cost $2815 to $4080 less than the Model Y 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 $13846 to $20739 less than for the Tesla Model Y.

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