Compare the2023 Hyundai Kona Electric VS 2023 Lexus RZ

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 RZ doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Kona Electric and the RZ 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, 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 RZ 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 RZ’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Kona Electric 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the RZ. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the RZ ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The Kona Electric’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the RZ’s (7 vs. 6 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Kona Electric for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the RZ (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Lexus 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 Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 6th.

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

			Miles
Kona Electric
		Electric Motor	258 miles
RZ
		w/18" Wheels Electric Motors	220 miles
		w/20" Wheels Electric Motors	196 miles

The Kona Electric’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RZ’s standard 60 series front tires.

For better maneuverability, the Kona Electric’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the RZ’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.8 feet).

The Hyundai Kona Electric may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 850 pounds less than the Lexus RZ.

The Kona Electric is 1 foot, 11.6 inches shorter than the RZ, making the Kona Electric easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Kona Electric has .4 inches more rear hip room and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the RZ.

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. Lexus doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the RZ.

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

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

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