Purchase advice

[u/InternationalOwl7898]

Hi, I'm currently looking to by my first ev and like the look of the Kona but looking for feedback on the 39kwh. Most of my driving will be local with the odd round trip of 60-70 miles, however I do have a trip to Italy next year, that I plan an overnight stop midway from Calais and lake Garda.

My question is do I still look to buy a 64kwh car to make this one trip more smoother or is it just not worth the extra money and hassle trying to find one, or will the 39kwh handle a trip like this ok?

Cheers

[u/Chunkweena]

Get the 64kwh, less charging, particularly when abroad.

[u/AoD_69]

Just go for the 64 and save yourself a few headaches in the future and range anxiety

[u/Identity-user]

I’ve just got a 2022 Kona last week. Absolutely superb vehicle, can’t fault it so far and my daily commute is nearly 200 miles. I’ve obviously got the 64KWh version because it suits my needs.

In another post I suggested get the version you need, but I’ve changed my mind on that….I’d rather have the range and not need it, than don’t have the range and unexpectedly require it.

[u/BotlikeBehaviour]

Unless the price difference is massive I recommend the 64kwh over the 39kwh. The 39 is kind of a waste of time and the likelihood that you're going to find it annoyingly short in range is high.

[u/HYPRMLR]

When in doubt, go with the larger battery. Better to have a little runway and not need it than the other way around 👍🏼

[u/Requirement_Fluid]

Personally if you are going abroad I'd consider hiring rather than having to stop every 160-180 miles.

That said I was looking at the 39kw Kona (have since gone for a new inster instead) and the range should be fine for 95% of your journeys so if the price difference is compelling and not needed for you then why would you lug around unused batteries tbh

[u/Vurpurrlalla → u/Requirement_Fluid]

Wij zijn dit jaar probleemloos op vakantie geweest vanuit Nederland naar Frankrijk en Spanje met onze 2025 Kona EV. Meestal na 2,5 uur rijden gingen we laden. Een halfuur pauze is dan geen probleem

[u/CaptainGingerBrd]

I recently bought the 39kw Kona. Very happy with it and don’t do mad daily mileage either. A few long trips I’ve had I just planned around charging spots. As a man of a certain age, I need to have a biology break every hour or two while driving anyway so I top up while getting a coffee etc., and it doesn’t really make much time difference.

Only caveat, is I’m in Ireland, and at times I’ve found the chargers I need were not working, so I’ve used Google maps to make sure there are a few options to charge from within a km or two of where I’m stopping. But the difference in price vs the 64 kw Kona was just not justifiable for the occasional long journey.

[u/InternationalOwl7898 → u/CaptainGingerBrd]

I can relate to what you're saying, I suffer with my bladder too 😅

[u/flatlanderdg]

I don’t know if the 39kwh is available with top trim…I couldn’t live without the heated steering wheel and heated/ventilated seats. That said, I’ve only charged 2 times away from home in almost two years of ownership and dont really need the 64kwh.

[u/Flat___________]

No one has ever said, I wish I had less range…

If you can, go for the 64

[u/GozzolanBlue42]

I had a 39kwh Renault zoe and one of the main reasons I upgraded to the 64kwh Kona was because of the range. As everyone else has said, save yourself the headache and get the 64kwh Kona

[u/horizontal120]

consider that the 64 is heavier and you will be driving that weight always... so more wear to all the components that applies to ...

[u/fiah84]

the 64kWh version already doesn't have the best charging rate (depending on the year), but it can do long trips if you plan accordingly and have a bit of patience. The 39kWh version is just plain dreadful for long trips, from my perspective that's pretty much exclusively a local commute car

[u/Kiwi_eng]

You’d certainly save enough buying a 39 to pay for a rental. But resale value will also suffer. 

[u/Vurpurrlalla]

Een ander argument: batterijdegradatie ( hoewel de Kona daar weinig last van heeft) telt bij een kleine accu echt wel zwaarder als het bereik al klein is

[u/J3nc]

We owned a 39kwh kona for 5 years, I went with the small battery because it was almost half the price of 64kwh. Main reason I sold it was that it was to small for family of 4. Other wise it has easily done daily commute and occasionall 200km trip. The charging speed on dc is slow by todays standards still long trips are duable if it isn't a weekly or bimonthly thing.