Stunning Hyundai EV price offensive! Kona Electric and Inster chopped by up to $13,857.48 (to be precise)
Hyundai Australia has delivered huge EV price cuts, slashing more than $13,000 from the drive-away price of Kona Electric compact SUV variants and cutting the new Inster EV mini by more than $7000.
This dramatic move, which is in place until March 31 2026, delivers on a Hyundai promise to improve EV sales in Australia.
If it does succeed in achieving that aim, it will also have a positive impact on Hyundai’s NVES CO2 reduction scheme performance. The more EVs it sells, the less chance it will have to pay fines.
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The slash and burn also appears designed to reset Hyundai’s entry-level EV range ahead of the arrival of the all-new $59,990 drive-away Elexio medium SUV this quarter.
The revised national drive-away pricing applies now and dramatically narrows the gap between Hyundai’s petrol, hybrid and electric Kona line-up, with the step from hybrid to full electric now just $6000.
Most significantly, the Kona Electric Standard Range now starts from $45,990 drive-away, down $13,257.48.
Meanwhile, the Extended Range version drops to $49,990, representing savings of $13,357.48 compared with previous pricing.
At the smaller end of the range, Hyundai’s new Inster Standard Range EV has been cut to $35,990 drive-away, a saving of $7288, positioning it as one of Australia’s cheapest new electric vehicles from a mainstream brand.
The more expensive models in the range with a bigger battery remained unchanged and therefore, over-priced.
Pricing post March 31 will not revert to the old level. However, and understandably, Hyundai is not forecasting what that pricing will be from April 1.
The move heaps pressure on Hyundai’s EV rivals. A $45,000 drive-away starting price for the EV Kona gives it instant buyer credibility against the likes of the Jaecoo J5, Chery E5, Leapmotor B10 and C10, BYD Atto 3, MG S5, Geely EX5 and GAC Aion V and Kia EV3.
Meanwhile the Inster’s new pricing puts it into contention with Chinese city EVs such as the BYD Atto 1, Atto 2 and Dolphin and GWM Ora.
The aggressive pricing reset comes just months after Hyundai Australia CEO Don Romano publicly conceded the brand had done a “terrible job” with EVs locally and promised a renewed focus on competitiveness, marketing and dealer engagement
While Hyundai has offered EVs in Australia since 2019, its electric sales have lagged well behind rivals such as Tesla, BYD and Kia, despite a broadening model line-up that now includes the Inster, Kona Electric, multiple Ioniq models and the incoming China-built Elexio.
The scale of the Kona Electric cuts is particularly notable, with savings of between $12,500 and nearly $14,000 across the range. Even the flagship Kona Electric Premium N Line now sits below $64,000 drive-away, after a reduction of $13,007.48.
Hyundai says it has deliberately compressed the pricing walk-up between powertrains, with just $3500 now separating petrol and hybrid Kona variants, and $6000 between hybrid and electric.
Industry observers see the repricing as more than just a sales stimulus, instead reading it as a necessary realignment ahead of the 2026 arrival of the Elexio, a mid-size electric SUV that will sit above Kona Electric in the local line-up
Hyundai will launch the Elexio at $59,990 drive-away, positioning it directly against the Kia EV5, Tesla Model Y and new Chinese rivals such as the BYD Sealion 7 and Geely EX5.
That pricing ambition would have been difficult to justify while Kona Electric remained priced from the mid-$50,000s, effectively crowding Hyundai’s own showroom. The new Kona Electric pricing creates clear separation between the compact and mid-size EV segments.
Hyundai has confirmed all offers are national, with savings calculated using NSW registration costs.
And while the EVs are slashed in price and the entry-level Kona hybrid dips just over $1000, the entry-level petrol Kona will rise by $500 later in Q1 2026.
| MODEL | DA PRICING | SAVING* |
| KONA 2.0L (entry model) | $36,490# | -$558.49 |
| KONA HEV (entry model) | $39,990 | -$1,178.48 |
| KONA Electric (Standard Range) | $45,990 | -$13,157.48 |
| KONA Electric (Extended Range) | $49,990 | -$13,357.48 |
| KONA Electric N Line | $54,990 | -$12,557.48 |
| KONA Electric Premium | $59,990 | -$13,857.48 |
| KONA Electric Premium N Line | $63,990 | -$13,007.48 |
| MODEL | DA PRICING | SAVING* |
| INSTER (Standard Range) | $35,990 | -$7,288.48 |
- All offers are national
- *Saving based on NSW registration
