Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) just unveiled the most affordable EV in Malaysia yet – well, “affordable” to an extent. Enter the Hyundai Kona Electric: this fully imported (CBU), all-electric SUV starts at RM149,888 here, so it really is the most affordable EV you can get locally right now.

Three variants of the Kona Electric are available in Malaysia. The base e-Lite model (39.2kWh with 7.2kW onboard charger) costs RM149,888, while the e-Plus (39.2kWh with 11kW onboard charger) and e-Max (64kWh with 11kW onboard charger) variants go for RM169,888 and RM199,888 respectively.

As announced at Budget 2022, HSDM said that the Kona Electric is “fully exempted from import and excise duties, sales tax, as well as road tax.” Needless to say, this is a very good incentive.

The range of an EV is one of the most important aspects of such a vehicle, so let’s talk about that first. The 39.2kWh variants of the Kona Electric – which include the e-Lite and e-Plus models – have a range of up to 305km, while the higher-end 64kWh e-Max model can return up to 484KM of range on a single charge.

Of course, the performances of the 39.2kWh and 64kWh variants of the Kona Electric are quite different too. The former has a permanent magnet synchronous motor that outputs 136PS and 395Nm of torque; it can do the 0-100kmph sprint in 9.9 seconds with a top speed of 155kmph.

As for the 62kWh version of the Kona Electric, its motor is quite a bit more powerful: with 204PS and 395Nm of torque (unchanged from the 39.2kWh model), it can do the century sprint in only 7.9 seconds. It also has a higher top speed of 167km/h.

What about warranty? Well, the lithium-ion polymer battery of the Kona Electric has an eight-year or 160,000km warranty (whichever comes first), while the SUV itself comes with a two-year/50,000km warranty.

You can also purchase an optional add-on (RM10,000) to extend the warranty to a five-year/100,000km warranty with free service maintenance for three years or 50,000km.

If you want to check out the Hyundai Kona Electric for yourself, you can do so over at the Hyundai Ara Damansara showroom at Sime Darby Motors City, or the Hyundai Old Klang Road showroom.