Quick summary
- The 2025 Kona offers two engines: a 147-hp 2.0-liter with a CVT and a 190-hp 1.6-liter turbo.
- All-wheel drive is optional on every trim, which is unusual in a class that often reserves it for upper trims.
- Prices run from about $24,550 for the SE to the mid-$30,000s for a loaded Limited with all-wheel drive.
Short answer: the 2025 Hyundai Kona makes 147 hp with its standard 2.0-liter and 190 hp with the 1.6-liter turbo, offers all-wheel drive on every trim, and starts just under $25,000 before destination. The trim ladder decides which engine you drive away with.
How much horsepower does the 2025 Hyundai Kona have?
Both figures come from four-cylinders, but they behave nothing alike. The 147-hp 2.0-liter is paired with a CVT and makes 132 lb-ft high in the rev range; the 190-hp 1.6-liter turbo makes 195 lb-ft from low revs and uses a conventional 8-speed automatic. That torque gap, not the 43 hp on paper, is what you feel pulling onto a highway.
| Engine | Output | Transmission | Trims |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0-liter inline-4 | 147 hp / 132 lb-ft | CVT | SE, SEL |
| 1.6-liter turbo inline-4 | 190 hp / 195 lb-ft | 8-speed automatic | N Line S, N Line, Limited |
The split is bigger than the horsepower gap suggests. The 2.0-liter’s 132 lb-ft has to move nearly a ton and a half through a CVT, so it works hard on on-ramps; the 1.6 turbo’s 195 lb-ft arrives low and pairs with a conventional 8-speed automatic, transforming how the car feels without wrecking fuel economy. All-wheel drive is optional across the board — unusual in this class, where rivals often lock AWD to upper trims.
Which trims get the turbo, and what do they cost?
The turbo starts at the N Line S and continues through N Line and Limited; the SE and SEL keep the 2.0-liter. The 2025 lineup runs SE, SEL, SEL Convenience, N Line S, N Line, and Limited. The SE starts around $24,550 (about $26,000 with destination), the N Line S opens the turbo range at roughly $32,000, and a loaded Limited AWD lands in the mid-$30,000s. The second-generation body that arrived for 2024 carries over: several inches longer than the old Kona, with a genuinely usable back seat and the pixel-style full-width light bars.
Which one makes sense
The SEL with the convenience package is the volume pick, but the honest advice mirrors what we said about the mechanically related Elantra: if you notice engines at all, buy the turbo. It is the same 1.6T family, tuned here for 190 hp, and it only asks for premium fuel to deliver its peak numbers — the difference is explained in our octane guide. Cross-shoppers wanting standard AWD and more ground clearance at the same money should read our 2025 Subaru Crosstrek guide — the Kona counters with a nicer cabin and the stronger engine option.
Specifications and pricing per Cars.com, Edmunds, and Kelley Blue Book 2025 model data, September 2026. Photos: Alexander-93 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
