It's three on the trot for the impressive Hyundai Kona at the Drive Car of the Year awards, which beats Nissan and Kia to claim the Best Small SUV Under $60K category for 2026.
The small SUV class is one of the most competitive – and fastest-moving – in the Australian new-car market, whether petrol, hybrid, or electric.
It's no simple feat, then, that the Hyundai Kona has crowned its category at 2026 Drive Car of the Year for the third-year running, named the Best Small SUV Under $60K.
It is the first Hyundai to go back-to-back-to-back at the top of a Drive Car of the Year category, showing how far ahead of its peers this generation of the Kona was when it first won an award two years ago.
An increase in the category price cap from $50,000 to $60,000 before on-road costs for the 2026 awards allows all petrol and hybrid variants in the Kona range to compete, up to the top-of-the-range Hybrid Premium N Line ($48,950 plus on-roads) shown here.
It also opens the door to even stiffer competition: the updated Nissan Qashqai, and all-new Kia EV3.
The Qashqai has gained a fresh look, updated technology, and a sharper value proposition since it last competed, as well as tweaks to the line-up that, with the price cap change, allow its e-Power hybrid technology to fight here for the first time.
However, the e-Power system is not as frugal as Hyundai's hybrid tech – an upgraded version, which promises to fix its shortcomings, did not arrive in time for testing – and it is not quite as spacious, nor as competitively priced, as its peers.
The EV3 caters to buyers looking for an electric option, and it ticks the boxes in cabin space, technology, and performance, but the Earth ($58,600 plus on-roads) variant costs more than its rivals for less equipment, a less supple ride, and a plain-looking interior.
Drive's pick: Kona Hybrid Premium N Line priced from $48,950 plus on-road costs.
Hyundai Kona key facts:
- Priced from $33,700 +ORCs
- 110kW/180Nm 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder,
OR 104kW 1.6-litre petrol four-cylinder hybrid,
OR 146kW/265Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder - 3.9 to 7.6L/100km claimed fuel economy
Why the Hyundai Kona won:
- Spacious cabin loaded with technology
- Quiet and comfortable to drive
- Low fuel consumption in hybrid models
The laundry list of rivals the Hyundai Kona has seen off in Drive Car of the Year testing over the past three years is proof of its continued appeal.
Kona buyers are offered a broad range of drivetrain choices – petrol, electric, hybrid and, for a little while longer, turbo-petrol – but it's the hybrid that is the pick of the bunch.
The 104kW 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine and single electric motor combination makes for perky city performance, without winning traffic-light drag races, and outstanding claimed fuel economy of 3.9L/100km.
Controlled but comfortable suspension and light steering make for an easy drive around town; venture beyond, and it's a quiet and sure-footed cruiser on highways and country roads.
More important in this segment is unlocking as much of a small SUV's compact footprint as possible for people and their cargo, and the Kona delivers here, too.
A roomy cabin fits six-foot-tall adults in both rows, a generous boot, there's no shortages of nooks and compartments for small items, and N Line versions spice up the interior with sporty red highlights, and supple suede and leather upholstery.
The Kona remains at the top of the class for technology, three years after its launch, with a bright, quick-to-respond 12.3-inch touchscreen from the cheapest model up, offset by the right amount of physical controls for air conditioning and media functions you use regularly.
Even the base model is stacked with equipment once reserved for more expensive variants: LED headlights, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, a leather steering wheel, 17-inch alloys, and little conveniences such as folding mirrors.
All Konas pack safety features such as autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane-centring assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, a driver attention monitor, and front and rear parking sensors with a rear camera.
The tuning of these systems has been improved across the latest Kona's tenure in showrooms, with a much simpler way to mute excess overspeed warning chimes from the speed-sign recognition technology.
Five years of warranty coverage is standard – without a kilometre limit – and owners who exclusively service their car with Hyundai can now have that upped to seven years.
If there's room for improvement, there are a few more hard plastics in the interior than the Qashqai, and it's not as affordable to service, but they are minor blots on an otherwise excellent package.
The Hyundai Kona's win as the 2026 Drive Car of the Year Best Small SUV Under $60K sets a high benchmark for rivals to try – again – to beat in 2027.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
