Hyundai India has announced that it has upgraded the standard warranty offering on the Kona Electric SUV to its variable ‘Wonder Warranty’ option that it only offers on a few select models in the range. This will offer Hyundai’s electric vehicle customers the flexibility to choose the warranty that best suits their usage. And the best part is, existing Kona owners can avail of this as well.

• Kona Electric customers can choose between more years or more kilometres.
• Battery warranty remains independent of this, at 8 years/1,60,000km.
• Other aftersales initiatives include vehicle-to-vehicle charging facilities in four cities

What is the variable warranty option for the Kona Electric?

The Kona Electric was launched in India just over a year ago with a 3 year/unlimited km warranty. Now, however, at no extra cost, Hyundai will offer buyers two additional choices – 4 years/60,000km and 5 years/50,000km. Notably, the scheme is not just limited to new buyers, but is also available to existing owners at no additional costs, provided their vehicle mileage is still within the above, stipulated limits.

This concept of flexible warranty isn’t new to Hyundai’s portfolio in India and is already offered on numerous other models like the Grand i10 Nios, Aura, Verna and Creta. This concept makes particular sense for the Kona Electric as EV customers aren’t likely to use their cars for long-distance drives, and so are unlikely to rack up as many kilometres as a petrol or diesel cars would in a given period of time.

What are the other aftersales initiatives for Kona customers?

Though the standard vehicle warranty option has been revised, the battery warranty for the Hyundai EV remains unchanged at 8 years/1,60,000km. Among other aftersales initiatives, owners have the facility of availing vehicle-to-vehicle charging facilities in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Moreover, portable chargers have also been made available in Delhi and Bengaluru through the roadside assistance service.

How is the Kona Electric positioned in the Indian market?

The Kona Electric comes with a 136hp, 395Nm electric motor powering the front-wheels. It gets a 39.2kWh battery pack that is good for an ARAI-rated range of 452km in a single charge. The Hyundai EV is priced at Rs 23.76-23.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

With the EV market in India still in its nascency, the Hyundai Kona Electric primarily competes against the MG ZS EV, which, notably, comes with a flat, 5 year/unlimited km warranty package.