Skip to main content

Hyundai Kona vs Renault Captur: which is the better used buy?

On DVSA MOT records the Hyundai Kona is the more reliable used buy: measured against cars of the same age, it comes out 4.1 percentage points ahead of the Renault Captur on first-time MOT passes. That comparison covers 22,938 real tests across every generation on the road, not a survey. A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure.

MOT first-time pass rate

Counted from DVSA’s anonymised MOT test records. “vs age-matched” compares each model against what the national fleet scores at the same age — the only fair better-or-worse number, because an older fleet fails more whatever its build quality.

Hyundai Kona
Pass rate90.3%
Age-matched national89.1%
Difference+1.3
Tests6,358
Renault Captur
Pass rate79.2%
Age-matched national82.0%
Difference-2.8
Tests16,580

These figures count every generation still on the road, not only the one described below: mostly Hyundai Konas registered 2018–2022 and Renault Capturs registered 2013–2022.

Source: DVSA MOT Anonymised Data 2025 (Open Government Licence v3.0). National first-time pass rate 77.3%. Class 4 tests in Great Britain, test type NT (a normal annual test), retests excluded. A pass, or a pass with rectification at the station, counts as a first-time pass; DVSA's own initial-test measure counts a rectified pass as a failure and so reports a lower figure. Testing in Northern Ireland is run separately by the DVA under its own rules. The difference is worked out before rounding, so it can be 0.1 away from the two rounded figures beside it.

Hyundai Kona

OS 2017–2023 and SX2 2023–on · small crossover SUV, sold as petrol, hybrid and electric

The Hyundai Kona’s risk depends on the powertrain more than the year. On the first-generation Kona Electric DVSA lists three battery recalls, the newest (R/2026/128) covering cars built January 2018 to July 2023, so check the recall record before you buy. Across the Kona range (DVSA’s MOT table does not split by fuel) the Kona passes the MOT level with or above cars of the same age. Hyundai UK gives new cars five years with no mileage limit, and eight years or 100,000 miles on the high-voltage battery.

What goes wrong

  • Safety recall R/2026/128recall
    Some vehicles fitted with a high voltage battery may have internal cell voltage deviation
    25,056 vehicles of this model (DVSA’s figures added up) · built between 24 January 2018 and 15 July 2023
    Large recall — 25,056 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Safety recall R/2020/382recall
    If an abnormality is registered within the ieb system that may illuminate the malfunction indicator lamp on the vehicle cluster braking performance may be reduced
    12,835 vehicles in the whole recall (DVSA’s figure for every model it covers) · built between 24 January 2018 and 18 November 2020
    Large recall — 12,835 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Electrics — warning lights and battery-related faults (Kona Electric)moderate
    What Car? readers reported faulty warning lights and battery-related problems on the Kona Electric, with some cars off the road for a long time because parts were slow to arrive. Feedback on dealer service was mixed.
    2018–2023 Kona Electric
    Check: Start the car and wait for the self-test: no warning light should stay on. Ask for the invoices for any electrical or battery work and which software updates a dealer has applied, and charge it fully once on the seller’s charger before you agree a price.
  • Cover — five-year unlimited-mileage warranty and eight-year battery coverminor
    Not a fault. Hyundai UK states a five-year unlimited-mileage warranty on new cars, eight years or 100,000 miles on the high-voltage batteries of the Kona Electric and Hybrid, and covers the 48-volt battery of a mild-hybrid car under the five-year warranty.
    All, counted from first registration
    Check: Hyundai states plainly that "an invalidated warranty cannot be revalidated by transfer of the vehicle". A gap in servicing before you bought the car cannot be cured by the sale, so the service history matters more here than the age does — and because the mileage is unlimited, the history is effectively the only thing that can have ended the cover early. Work out the end date from the registration date on the V5C rather than from the model year, and ask a Hyundai dealer to confirm what remains for the VIN.
Typical asking price:
not given as a fixed figure — the model guide shows the median and middle 80% of asking prices for the cars advertised on Autoza that day, when at least 10 qualify
Fuel economy:
What Car? recorded 250 miles or more of real-world range from the 64 kWh Kona Electric (its October 2025 update); we have no sourced real-world figure for the petrol or hybrid versions, whose official figures depend on the engine.
Vehicle tax:
£200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included — the alternative-fuel discount ended on 1 April 2025. A car registered from April 2017 with a list price over £40,000 when new adds the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 (£640 in all). Cars registered 2001–2017 pay a CO2 band, roughly £20–£790/year (2026/27 rates). Electric versions: one first registered from 1 April 2025 pays the £440/year supplement in years 2–6 only if it listed at over £50,000 new; one registered before then never does, whatever it cost.
Best years:
2021, 2022
Used Hyundai Konas for saleFull Kona fault guideUsed Hyundais

Also compare:

Renault Captur

Mk1 2013–2019 and Mk2 2020–on · small crossover SUV

The Renault Captur’s weak spot on DVSA’s data is the early Mk1. Cars built January 2013 to March 2015 are in a 31,320-vehicle recall for front wheel liners that can rub the brake hoses (R/2015/067), and 2013–2015 registrations pass the MOT 6 to 11 points below all cars registered the same year. Mk2 cars built September 2022 to July 2025 are in an injection-software recall (R/2026/094). What Car? owners report mostly electrical faults.

What goes wrong

  • Safety recall R/2015/067recall
    Loss of braking efficiency
    31,320 vehicles of this model (DVSA’s figures added up) · built between 1 January 2013 and 31 March 2015
    Large recall — 31,320 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Safety recall R/2026/094recall
    Injection Computer Software Update
    16,996 vehicles of this model (DVSA’s figures added up) · built between 1 September 2022 and 11 July 2025
    Large recall — 16,996 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Electrics — sat-nav, air-con and controls (Mk1)moderate
    What Car? says owners reported non-engine electrical faults most often, notably with the sat-nav and air-con systems and their controls, most fixed free under warranty, plus faulty warning lights and occasional engine faults, and mixed experiences with dealers.
    2013–2019 Mk1
    Check: Work every control on the sat-nav and air-con, check no warning light stays on after start-up, and ask what warranty work the car has had.
  • Electrics — infotainment, warning lights and keyless entry (Mk2)moderate
    What Car? readers reported malfunctioning infotainment and faulty dashboard warning lights most often on the Mk2, a few problems with keyless entry (doors failing to lock or unlock properly) and isolated gearbox faults on automatics.
    2020-on Mk2
    Check: Lock and unlock the car with the key card several times, test the touchscreen and phone pairing, and drive an automatic through its gears from cold.
Typical asking price:
£3,000–£9,495, median £5,995 (middle 80% and median, cars on Autoza on 8 October 2026)
Fuel economy:
No sourced real-world figure for the Captur, so none is printed: the official lab figure depends on the engine and on the test cycle the car was approved under, so use the figure for the exact version you are looking at.
Vehicle tax:
£200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included — the alternative-fuel discount ended on 1 April 2025. A car registered from April 2017 with a list price over £40,000 when new adds the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 (£640 in all). Cars registered 2001–2017 pay a CO2 band, roughly £20–£790/year (2026/27 rates).
Best years:
2020, 2021
Years to avoid:
2013, 2014, 2015
Used Renault Capturs for saleFull Captur fault guideUsed Renaults

Also compare:

Which one suits you

Hyundai Kona

Good for: Buyers who want a compact SUV and will check the recall record on the car, particularly an electric Kona, before agreeing a price.

Less good for: Anyone buying a first-generation Kona Electric without proof that the battery recalls were carried out, or counting on warranty cover without working out its end date from the registration.

Renault Captur

Good for: Buyers who want a small crossover and will check the recall record on a 2013–2015 car, and the electrics and warranty history on any Captur.

Less good for: Anyone buying a 2013–2015 Mk1 without proof that the brake-hose inspection was done, or a recent Mk2 without confirming the injection-software update.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is more reliable, the Hyundai Kona or the Renault Captur?
The Hyundai Kona. Measured against cars of the same age, it comes out 4.1 percentage points ahead of the Renault Captur on first-time MOT passes, across 22,938 DVSA-recorded tests covering every generation on the road. A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure.
How do the MOT pass rates of the Hyundai Kona and the Renault Captur compare?
90.3% of Hyundai Konas pass their MOT first time (6,358 tests in DVSA's records) and 79.2% of Renault Capturs pass their MOT first time (16,580 tests). The national first-time rate is 77.3%, but cars of the Hyundai Kona's age average 89.1% and cars of the Renault Captur's age 82.0% — so the Hyundai Kona runs 1.3 points better than its age group and the Renault Captur runs 2.8 points worse than its own. A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure.
Which years of the Hyundai Kona and Renault Captur should I avoid?
Hyundai Kona: No year is named. DVSA’s MOT table rates 2018 and 2019 registrations above all cars registered those years and 2020 to 2022 level, and the Kona Electric’s battery recalls run across every first-generation build (January 2018 to July 2023) rather than one year. On an electric Kona the question is whether the recall work was done on that car, not which year it is from. Early cars have two small recalls of their own, which DVSA files under plain Kona with no fuel type: R/2019/001 (built 9 May to 19 December 2018) and R/2019/115 (built 20 April 2017 to 11 September 2018). Renault Captur: The front wheel-arch liner and brake-hose recall R/2015/067 covers Mk1 cars built 1 January 2013 to 31 March 2015, and DVSA’s MOT table rates 2013, 2014 and 2015 registrations below all cars registered those years (by 11.3, 7.6 and 6.2 points). The Mk1 also had five small recalls on later builds (wheel hubs, catalytic converter welds, a seat-belt bolt, alternator wiring and dipped headlights), each covering a few dozen cars at most.
Is the Hyundai Kona or the Renault Captur cheaper to run?
On fuel it depends on the engine, and for a plug-in or electric version on whether you can charge at home. Hyundai Kona: What Car? recorded 250 miles or more of real-world range from the 64 kWh Kona Electric (its October 2025 update); we have no sourced real-world figure for the petrol or hybrid versions, whose official figures depend on the engine. Renault Captur: No sourced real-world figure for the Captur, so none is printed: the official lab figure depends on the engine and on the test cycle the car was approved under, so use the figure for the exact version you are looking at. For cars registered from April 2017, vehicle tax works the same way for both: the £200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included, plus the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 on a car that listed at over £40,000 new — the price when new, not what you pay for it used. The electric versions (Kona Electric) pay the same £200/year standard rate since 1 April 2025 (electric cars were exempt before then), with the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 only on one first registered from 1 April 2025 that listed at over £50,000 new. Any Renault Captur registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pays a CO2 band instead, roughly £20–£790/year (2026/27 rates). Insurance differs mainly by driver and postcode rather than by model, so treat any model-level insurance figure with caution.

MOT figures are counted from DVSA records and are the only measured statistic here. Prices, economy and tax bands are indicative and vary by specification, condition and where the car has lived. Last reviewed: 2026-10-06 / 2026-10-06.