Used Hyundai Kona Inspection Checklist

Get the VIN and rego before you travel. A seller who won't share them is a red flag on its own.

Know what you're looking at: petrol or hybrid; 2WD or AWD; and the gearbox. Hybrid, AWD and dual-clutch checks below are marked. This sheet doesn't cover the Kona Electric.

Ask how it was used: private, ex-rental or fleet? For a turbo or N model, ask about track days and tunes.

Ask for the engine to be cold, go in daylight, and bring a torch, paper towel and a friend.

Panels and paint. Uneven gaps, mismatched colour or overspray on seals and trim mean crash repair.

Plastic wheel-arch cladding. Scrapes, cracks or missing clips; faded grey plastic on older cars.

Bumpers and wheels. Parking scrapes and kerbed alloys. A badly kerbed wheel can be bent.

Hail and dents. Look along the roof, bonnet and tailgate at a low angle to the light.

Lights and glass. All lights work, no condensation inside; windscreen free of chips; front sensors and camera undamaged.

Doors and tailgate open, shut and lock cleanly from the remote.

VIN plate (in a door frame or under the bonnet) is there, untouched, and matches the papers.

Engine oil between the dipstick marks, brown not black. Ask how often it's topped up; some engines use oil between services.

Coolant at the mark and brightly coloured. Rusty or oily coolant, or regular top-ups, needs a mechanic.

Brake fluid (small tank at the back of the engine bay) is clear to light amber, not dark.

Belts, hoses and battery. No cracked belts or swollen hoses. A weak 12V battery can stop a hybrid starting.

Modifications. Aftermarket air intakes or an extra box wired into the engine mean it's been tuned. Tunes can void the warranty and must be declared to insurers.

Leaks. Wet oil on the engine or turbo pipes is a leak.

Cold start. Starts easily and settles to a smooth idle. Knocking that speeds up with revs needs a mechanic first.

Tyres above the wear bars, worn evenly and under ~6 years old. AWD models need four matching tyres; mismatched ones strain the AWD system.

AWD: no oil leaking from the rear axle or drive parts underneath.

Rust and crash repairs. Rust on the floor or around the suspension; bent metal, fresh welds or new black coating in one spot.

Drips under the car, and oil stains where it's normally parked.

Suspension. Push down on each corner: it should bounce back once and settle. Oily shock absorbers leak.

Brakes. Deep grooves, a raised edge or blue-tinged discs (overheated from hard driving).

Exhaust. Aftermarket systems can be too loud to be legal; check for heavy rust or loose heat shields.

Warning lights. Key to "on": every dash light comes on, then goes out once running. An airbag, brake, engine or hybrid warning that stays on needs explaining.

Wear matches the kilometres. Steering wheel, gear selector, pedals and driver's seat bolster.

Seatbelts pull out fully, retract and latch, with no fraying.

Air con blows cold within a minute or two, without a musty smell; heater gets hot.

Electrics. Screen, Bluetooth/CarPlay, reversing camera, sensors, windows and mirrors all work. Count the keys.

Cargo area. Spare wheel or repair kit and jack present. Lift the floor for water.

Dual-clutch auto (DCT). Smooth take-off with no judder or hesitation, including crawling in traffic and reversing up a slope. No "transmission hot" warning. Judder or hesitation at low speed is a warning sign.

Regular auto. Smooth take-off with no slipping, whine or thump into Drive or Reverse.

Hybrid. Moves off smoothly on electric power, and the engine joins in with no surges, cut-outs or warnings.

Engine. Pulls smoothly with no stutter, hesitation or smoke.

Steering and suspension. Tracks straight; no knocks over bumps or clunks through the wheel.

Brakes. Firm pedal; stops straight with no pulling, pulsing or grinding.

Noises at speed. A hum that grows with speed is often a worn wheel bearing.

Afterwards, check for new drips, a steady temperature gauge and no hot smells.

Seller's ID matches the rego papers, and the VIN matches on the papers and VIN plate.

Service history. Logbook stamped on time. Turbo engines and dual-clutch gearboxes don't forgive skipped services.

Modifications in writing. Tunes, lowering and exhausts, with engineering sign-off where your state requires it.

Warranty. A newer Kona may still be under Hyundai's new-car warranty. Check the start date and that servicing kept it valid.

Rego and roadworthy. Rego checked online; roadworthy supplied if your state requires one on sale.