Hyundai KONA Electric (2018-2023) vs Toyota Urban Cruiser

The Hyundai KONA Electric costs £1,000 more than the Toyota Urban Cruiser. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Hyundai KONA Electric comes out ahead overall.

The Toyota Urban Cruiser is £1,000 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £144 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Toyota Urban Cruiser comes out roughly £920 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 158 miles for the Hyundai KONA Electric and 178 miles for the Toyota Urban Cruiser - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Toyota Urban Cruiser goes roughly 20 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 48 minutes in the Hyundai KONA Electric and 30 in the Toyota Urban Cruiser, so the Toyota Urban Cruiser loses less time at each stop. That makes the Toyota Urban Cruiser the stronger long-distance car.

The two are within 0 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 600 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai KONA Electric and about 600 mm of total clearance for the Toyota Urban Cruiser.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 86% battery health for the Hyundai KONA Electric and 90% for the Toyota Urban Cruiser. That gives the Toyota Urban Cruiser a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Toyota Urban Cruiser's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Hyundai KONA Electric's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.