First Drive: Redesigned 2024 Hyundai Kona Has Grown Larger and Gained New Features

The small SUV is also available with a fully electric powertrain

Jon Linkov, Consumer Reports Autos Editor.

By Jon Linkov
Autos Editor

Updated June 4, 2025

Talking Cars on the Hyundai Kona EV

Update: Since this first drive review was originally published in September, 2023, we finished testing the Hyundai Kona. Read the complete Hyundai Kona and Kona Electric road tests.

The 2024 Hyundai Kona is a significant improvement over the previous-generation model. Sporting a radically styled exterior, it boasts a roomy interior and comfortable ride, although the pre-production models we drove had lackluster handling and cheap-feeling interiors.

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Jon Linkov

Jon Linkov is the deputy auto editor at Consumer Reports. He has been with CR since 2002, covering varied automotive topics including buying and leasing, maintenance and repair, ownership, reliability, used cars, and electric vehicles. He manages CR’s lineup of special interest publications, hosts CR’s “Talking Cars” podcast, and writes and edits content for CR’s online and print products. An avid cyclist, Jon also enjoys driving his ’80s-era sports car and instructing at track days.