Top Safety Pick

2020 Hyundai Kona

small SUV / 4-door SUV

Award applies only to vehicles with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights

2020 Hyundai Kona 4-door SUV — 2018 Hyundai Kona shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteria	Rating
Small overlap front: driver-side
Small overlap front: passenger-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Headlights (varies by trim/option)
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Optional system	Superior
Standard system	Not tested
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)
Optional system	Advanced

Seat belts & child restraints

Evaluation criteria	Rating
LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

Optional blind spot detection
Standard lane departure warning & prevention

Key

G
Good
A
Acceptable
M
Marginal
P
Poor

Superior
Advanced
Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2018-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2018 Hyundai Kona SE 4-door 4wd

The Hyundai Kona was introduced in the 2018 model year.

Evaluation criteria	Rating

Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the driver-side small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained reasonably well.

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.

The driver's space was maintained reasonably well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1803
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	12
Footrest (cm)	6
Left toepan (cm)	4
Brake pedal (cm)	7
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	6
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column	3
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	8
Upper dash (cm)	8
Lower instrument panel (cm)	9

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1803
Head
HIC-15	210
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.3
Extension bending moment (Nm)	8
Maximum Nij	0.24
Chest maximum compression (mm)	28
Femur (kN)
Left	2.9
Right	1.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	5
Right	5
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.46
Right	0.55
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	2.8
Right	1.2
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	120
Right	78

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2018-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2018 Hyundai Kona SEL 4-door 4wd

The Hyundai Kona was introduced in the 2018 model year. Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1820
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	7
Footrest (cm)	7
Right toepan (cm)	4
Center toepan (cm)	1
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	4
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm)	4
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	6
Upper dash (cm)	9
Right lower dash (cm)	7

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1820
Head
HIC-15	185
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm)	12
Maximum Nij	0.21
Chest maximum compression (mm)	22
Femur (kN)
Left	0.4
Right	1.4
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	3
Right	7
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.37
Right	0.49
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	1.9
Right	1.8
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	42
Right	50

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1820
Head
HIC-15	230
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm)	18
Maximum Nij	0.31
Chest maximum compression (mm)	38
Femur (kN)
Left	0.2
Right	0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	0
Right	0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.31
Right	0.16
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	1.0
Right	1.0
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	66
Right	51

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2018-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2018 Hyundai Kona SE 4-door 4wd

The Hyundai Kona was introduced in the 2018 model year.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the moderate overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head contacted the side curtain airbag during forward movement and rebound.

Forces on the right lower leg were sufficiently high to indicate the possibility of injuries. Smeared greasepaint shows where the knee and leg hit the steering column and knee bolster.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEF1801
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	9
Left (cm)	15
Center (cm)	10
Right (cm)	2
Brake pedal (cm)	6
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	0
Right (cm)	0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	-3
Rearward (cm)	-4
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	0

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEF1801
Head
HIC-15	287
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm)	11
Maximum Nij	0.22
Chest maximum compression (mm)	33
Legs
Femur force - left (kN)	0.2
Femur force - right (kN)	0.3
Knee displacement - left (mm)	0
Knee displacement - right (mm)	0
Maximum tibia index - left	0.73
Maximum tibia index - right	0.84
Tibia axial force - left (kN)	1.5
Tibia axial force - right (kN)	2.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	99
Right	133

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2018-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2018 Hyundai Kona Ultimate 4-door 4wd

The Hyundai Kona was introduced in the 2018 model year.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Test ID	CES1803
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	-15.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CES1803
Head HIC-15	310
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.3
Compression (kN)	0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	32
Lateral force (kN)	1.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	35
Average deflection (mm)	33
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	4.84
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.73
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	0.4
Acetabulum force (kN)	2.1
Combined force (kN)	2.5
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	1.5
L-M moment (Nm)	192
A-P moment (Nm)	46

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CES1803
Head HIC-15	166
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.2
Compression (kN)	0.5
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	54
Lateral force (kN)	2.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	39
Average deflection (mm)	30
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	2.98
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.55
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	0.2
Acetabulum force (kN)	2.0
Combined force (kN)	2.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	1.8
L-M moment (Nm)	227
A-P moment (Nm)	-43

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2018-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2018 Hyundai Kona SE 4-door 2wd

(Curb weight from 2018 Hyundai Kona SE 4-door 4wd)

Overall evaluation
Curb weight	3,052 lbs
Peak force	15,024 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio	4.92

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual cloth seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry

Technical measurements for this test

Seat type	Manual cloth seat
Geometry
Backset (mm)	36
Distance below top of head (mm)	5
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail	Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g)	10.4
Head contact time (ms)	66
Force rating	1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)	13
Max neck tension (N)	438

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Ratings are given for 3 different headlight variations available on this vehicle.

Trim level(s)

Limited trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good in all 4 tests.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was fair on both right curves and inadequate on both left curves.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	Limited trim
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating Applies to 2018-21 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	135.9 m	None
Straightaway left edge	67.4 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	72.8 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	65.2 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	63.7 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	57.9 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	151.2 m
Straightaway left edge	150.3 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	69.5 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	63.9 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	56.5 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	53.5 m

Trim level(s)

Ultimate trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good in all 4 tests.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was fair on both right curves and inadequate on both left curves.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	Ultimate trim
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating Applies to 2018-21 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	135.9 m	None
Straightaway left edge	67.4 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	72.8 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	65.2 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	63.7 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	57.9 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	151.2 m
Straightaway left edge	150.3 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	69.5 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	63.9 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	56.5 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	53.5 m

Trim level(s)

SE trim
SEL trim
SEL Plus trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	Halogen projector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was inadequate on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and inadequate on the left side. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	SE trim SEL trim SEL Plus trim
Low-beam headlight type	Halogen projector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating Applies to 2018-21 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	66.8 m	None
Straightaway left edge	42.2 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	50.1 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	41.1 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	41.1 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	35.2 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	157.3 m
Straightaway left edge	117.0 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	64.5 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	60.2 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	47.4 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	42.9 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

Ratings are given for 2 different trim variations available on this vehicle.

System details

Optional Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection

Package name

Optional (standard on N-Line Technology and Limited trims)

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2020-22 models

Superior

with optional equipment

This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

System details

Standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2020-21 models

This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
Autobrake not tested.

About the original front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)

System details

optional Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to 2018-23 models of the following trim lines: Ultimate trim

Advanced

with optional equipment

Crossing child

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 18 mph.

Crossing adult

In the 12 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 10 mph.
In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 19 mph.

Parallel adult

In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 19 mph.
In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 14 mph. A warning was issued 1.3 seconds before impact.

About the pedestrian front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2018-23 models

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	SE
Seat type	cloth

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	SE
Seat type	cloth

Rating icon	Rating
G	Good
A	Acceptable
M	Marginal
P	Poor
	Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol	Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol	Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol	Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
	No hardware available

Details by seating position

Position	Rating
1
1	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	difficult to maneuver around anchors
2
2	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	none available
3
3	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	difficult to maneuver around anchors

Technical measurements for this test

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	29
Clearance angle (degrees)	54
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	29
Clearance angle (degrees)	57
Tether anchor
Location	Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present	Yes
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location	Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present	Yes
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	33
Clearance angle (degrees)	51
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	38
Clearance angle (degrees)	47
Tether anchor
Location	Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present	Yes
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation