Hyundai Kona's Latest Safety Rating Drops From Euro NCAP, Here's Why

The latest Hyundai Kona. (Doc. Hyundai Motor Group)

JAKARTA - Launched last December 2022, this latest generation Hyundai Kona continues its legacy from the previous generation by offering power from internal combustion machines (ICE) to EV shapes.

This Hyundai Kona is equipped with advanced technology and has high practicality values, unfortunately this car gets an unsatisfactory safety assessment.

Euro New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP), a vehicle safety assessment agency in Europe, recently provided a four-star value for Hyundai Kona after undergoing trials according to stricter recent safety standards.

Well, the results of this assessment are not satisfactory, especially considering that the previous generation from Hyundai Kona won a five-star value from the same institution, although the procedures and protocols that were carried out at that time were not as sharp as they are today.

Reporting from Drive on Friday, December 8, the SUV scored 80 in the adult passenger protection category. However, the car got low scores on testing vulnerable road users protection and safety assistance, with a value of 70.

However, this low value appears to be a major concern for Safety Assist, who only got a score of 60, being the lowest score compared to other assessment categories.

This low value was largely due to a decrease in Hyundai Kona's performance in the autonomous emergency braking system (AEB) and a lack of assistance system in this feature.

Euro NCAP, in its official statement, stated that this result is both a "disappointment" as well as a "lucky luck," because Hyundai Kona can still avoid the value of three stars.

"Hyundai has enlarged its car and made its interior more spacious to compete in its class, but the company should not assume that customers will be satisfied with the level of safety left behind compared to its competitors," the Euro NCAP added in a statement.