How safe is the Hyundai Kona?
Drivers of the 2020–2023 Hyundai Kona died at a rate of 62 per million registered vehicle years, 58% higher than the average of 37 for all vehicles. That makes it one of the riskiest vehicles on the road for its driver: it ranks 110th of 129 vehicles, safer than 15% of them, whether they're small cars, SUVs, pickups or minivans.
Where the Hyundai Kona sits among all 129 vehicles
Hyundai Kona (bar is the 95% range)Every other ranked vehicleDashed line: average of 37
The rate is based on plenty of data, so this ranking is reliable.
2WD vs. 4WD
IIHS rates each drivetrain separately. The score above combines them, weighting the version with more data more heavily.
| Version | Deaths* | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Kona 2WD | 95 | 53–137 |
| Hyundai Kona 4WD | 47 | 19–75 |
Vehicles ranked near the Hyundai Kona
These are the vehicles just above and below it on the all-class ranking. Notice they aren't all the same type: the ranking compares every vehicle against every other one. Ranks use each rate after adjusting for how much data is behind it, so a rate of 0 from a few vehicles can rank below a slightly higher rate from many. Why.
| Rank | Vehicle | Deaths* | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 107 | Ford EscapeSUV · Small | 55 | 17 |
| 108 | Ram 1500 Classic crew cab short bed 4WDPickup · Large | 61 | 16 |
| 109 | Honda CivicCar · Small | 58 | 16 |
| 110 | Hyundai KonaSUV · Small | 62 | 15 |
| 111 | Chevrolet MalibuCar · Midsize | 116 | 14 |
| 112 | Chevrolet CorvetteSports car · Midsize | 82 | 13 |
| 113 | Toyota CorollaCar · Small | 71 | 12 |
How it compares with other SUVs
Among the 46 SUVs ranked, the Hyundai Kona is 45th. The safest SUVs are below. See all SUVs.
| SUVs rank | Vehicle | Deaths* | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet Tahoe 4WDSUV · Large | 0 | 100 |
| 2 | Toyota RAV4 Prime Plug-in hybrid 4WDSUV · Small | 5 | 96 |
| 3 | Volkswagen AtlasSUV · Midsize | 6 | 95 |
| 4 | Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WDSUV · Very large | 6 | 94 |
| 5 | Ford Escape hybridSUV · Small | 7 | 91 |
| 45 | Hyundai KonaSUV · Small | 62 | 15 |
Common questions
Is the Hyundai Kona a safe vehicle?
By real-world driver deaths, the Hyundai Kona is one of the riskiest vehicles on the road for its driver. Its driver death rate of 62 per million registered vehicle years is 58% higher than the average, and it ranks 110th of 129 vehicles across all classes.
How does the Hyundai Kona compare with other SUVs?
It ranks 45th of 46 SUVs. The safest is the Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD, with a rate of 0.
Is the 2WD or 4WD Hyundai Kona safer?
The 4WD version had the lower driver death rate (2WD: 95, 4WD: 47). Their ranges overlap, so the difference may be down to chance.
Why is this different from the Hyundai Kona's crash-test rating?
Crash-test stars only compare vehicles of similar size and weight, so a 5-star small car and a 5-star SUV aren't equally safe. This ranking uses real-world driver death rates, which can be compared across every class.
* Driver deaths per million registered vehicle years. A registered vehicle year is one vehicle registered for one year.