Hyundai is the Electric Vehicle Manufacturer of the Year

Hyundai Motor UK has been declared the Electric Car Manufacturer of the Year at the GreenFleet Awards for its new Hyundai Kona and Ioniq EV models.

As any technology rolls out, there has to be a key moment when what’s on offer finally appeals to the mainstream, rather than just to early adopters. And, in many ways, that came for EVs with the arrival of the Hyundai Kona EV earlier this year.

Yes, we’ve had the arrival of the Tesla Model 3 with its promise of affordable EV motoring with range matching many ICE cars, and the new Nissan LEAF takes Nissan’s long-standing EV to a new level of appeal. But the Kona Electric managed to go further.

It delivered a compact crossover – very much the style du jour – with a compellingly usable electric drivetrain promising real world range pushing on for 300 miles and a price tag which is more affordable, for what’s on offer, than anything so far.

But it’s not just the electric Kona on offer in Hyundai’s range, with the Ioniq EV providing sterling support, albeit with a more modest range, as well as offering a plug-in and hybrid option too. And, waiting in the wings to launch in 2019 in the UK, is the electric hydrogen fuel cell Nexo (it cleans the air, don’t you know).

It’s the start of Hyundai’s plans to deliver a total of 18 electrified models by 2025, and their efforts have been rewarded by GreenFleet which has named Hyundai the Electric Car Manufacturer of the Year at their annual awards.

Angela Pisanu, GreenFleet Editor, said:

Hyundai is making electric mobility accessible to the masses with its IONIQ and KONA models. They are attractive, safe, affordable, practical, and crucially, offer excellent range, with the KONA capable of 300 miles and IONIQ 173 miles. For this reason, they are the worthy winner of our EV Manufacturer of the Year Award.

Now all Hyundai has to do is build enough EVs to satisfy demand.