I bought a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe earlier this year (so not a Kona, although I did look at that model because I loved the advertised gas mileage on the hybrid).
I visited a couple of dealerships (multiple makes) and test drove vehicles I was interested in, then told the dealer it wasn't what I was looking for and walked away. They weren't always happy about that, but that is why they offer test drives. Sounds like you're past this stage. I did get calls from a couple of visited dealers for a few months after I'd already bought, which I just ignored.
I roughly followed the process outlined in past threads on this site.
Most dealerships have searchable inventory on their website.
Once I decided on the model and trim I wanted, I did a search (cars.com) for all matches within a 250 mile radius and chose some of the lower list price dealers to contact.
I searched the VIN for the exact car I wanted to negotiate on at each dealer, then emailed the dealership directly (sometimes they don't list an email address but have a contact form you can fill out with details) and asked for their best out the door price including all taxes and fees. I stated I was not willing to pay for add-ons that are not listed on the invoice and would only consider an out-the-door price via email. I stated I could pay cash or would finance part of the purchase with them if it made a difference to the pricing.
Some will reply that they want you to come in; I politely told them due to time and distance I would only come in with a firm price and if they couldn't provide via email, I moved on. Most came back with a price. I think only two dealers didn't reply or refused to give a price over email.
All quotes included an incentive to finance at least part of the price.
Once I got the lowest price that way (from a dealer that advertises as being non-commission based and was about 2 hours away from me), I came back to the 3 dealers with the next lowest prices who were closer to me and asked if they would match or beat the best price. None would.
I got on the phone with the distant dealer the day before I planned to make the purchase, confirmed the price and VIN, said I would come in for a test drive and then buy same day. Told them I was driving from some distance and would not accept a change in terms. They actually volunteered an even lower quote during the call because Hyundai Motor Finance had increased their incentive that day. They confirmed that they would hold the car for me.
Drove out, confirmed the VIN and mileage, took a test drive, bought the car with the minimum amount financed to get the incentive, and drove off with the car. It was actually a pretty pleasant experience - maybe in part because of the non-commission model at that dealer. Spouse and kids came with to participate in the pro forma test drive and have someone to drive the car we arrived in back.
Wound up with a price almost $6k less than the sticker price and several thousand below the next nearest quote.
I started contacting in the last week of a quarter, and had a finalized price within 3 days.
If you can get the deal done before Oct. 1, some dealer might have a quarterly incentive to make you a great deal.
If you are willing to travel to get the car and make it obvious you're serious but will walk away quickly if they start playing games, you will be in a good position.
If you can't travel to pick up the car, some will deliver it to you for a fee and you might still come out ahead over buying locally. Personally, I want to test drive the exact vehicle I'm buying, but most cars from a major dealer should be fine if you have driven the same model and trim.
Have been super happy with the car so far, only about 5k miles in, though. Long-term reliability: who knows? One of my previous cars was a 2002 Elantra that I enjoyed and only needed routine maintenance for 10 years before it was totaled when someone hit me. Sometimes wonder how long it would have gone if that hadn't happened.
Looks like they dropped the hybrid model on the 2026 Kona. The 2025 hybrid was only a small step up in price with a huge increase in mpg, so very likely worth it over the vehicle life. Irrelevant if you are doing the all-electric model. Since the 2026 models are out, you may get a better deal on the 2025.
If you have to go up in trim levels to get the Smart Cruise Control, I can totally recommend that if you do much highway driving. (Edit: I see you're planning on the Limited, which is the highest trim, so it will be included.) Paired with the lane assist, the car practically drives itself on the highway, and slows down with traffic (even to a near stop) more gradually and smoothly than I can.
If their Ecotronic Matte colors are offered on the Kona, don't shop those colors. They look great but require special care and can't go through a normal carwash.
Sorry that is long, but hope at least some of it is useful. I hope you enjoy your Hyundai as much as I've been enjoying mine.
I visited a couple of dealerships (multiple makes) and test drove vehicles I was interested in, then told the dealer it wasn't what I was looking for and walked away. They weren't always happy about that, but that is why they offer test drives. Sounds like you're past this stage. I did get calls from a couple of visited dealers for a few months after I'd already bought, which I just ignored.
I roughly followed the process outlined in past threads on this site.
Most dealerships have searchable inventory on their website.
Once I decided on the model and trim I wanted, I did a search (cars.com) for all matches within a 250 mile radius and chose some of the lower list price dealers to contact.
I searched the VIN for the exact car I wanted to negotiate on at each dealer, then emailed the dealership directly (sometimes they don't list an email address but have a contact form you can fill out with details) and asked for their best out the door price including all taxes and fees. I stated I was not willing to pay for add-ons that are not listed on the invoice and would only consider an out-the-door price via email. I stated I could pay cash or would finance part of the purchase with them if it made a difference to the pricing.
Some will reply that they want you to come in; I politely told them due to time and distance I would only come in with a firm price and if they couldn't provide via email, I moved on. Most came back with a price. I think only two dealers didn't reply or refused to give a price over email.
All quotes included an incentive to finance at least part of the price.
Once I got the lowest price that way (from a dealer that advertises as being non-commission based and was about 2 hours away from me), I came back to the 3 dealers with the next lowest prices who were closer to me and asked if they would match or beat the best price. None would.
I got on the phone with the distant dealer the day before I planned to make the purchase, confirmed the price and VIN, said I would come in for a test drive and then buy same day. Told them I was driving from some distance and would not accept a change in terms. They actually volunteered an even lower quote during the call because Hyundai Motor Finance had increased their incentive that day. They confirmed that they would hold the car for me.
Drove out, confirmed the VIN and mileage, took a test drive, bought the car with the minimum amount financed to get the incentive, and drove off with the car. It was actually a pretty pleasant experience - maybe in part because of the non-commission model at that dealer. Spouse and kids came with to participate in the pro forma test drive and have someone to drive the car we arrived in back.
Wound up with a price almost $6k less than the sticker price and several thousand below the next nearest quote.
I started contacting in the last week of a quarter, and had a finalized price within 3 days.
If you can get the deal done before Oct. 1, some dealer might have a quarterly incentive to make you a great deal.
If you are willing to travel to get the car and make it obvious you're serious but will walk away quickly if they start playing games, you will be in a good position.
If you can't travel to pick up the car, some will deliver it to you for a fee and you might still come out ahead over buying locally. Personally, I want to test drive the exact vehicle I'm buying, but most cars from a major dealer should be fine if you have driven the same model and trim.
Have been super happy with the car so far, only about 5k miles in, though. Long-term reliability: who knows? One of my previous cars was a 2002 Elantra that I enjoyed and only needed routine maintenance for 10 years before it was totaled when someone hit me. Sometimes wonder how long it would have gone if that hadn't happened.
Looks like they dropped the hybrid model on the 2026 Kona. The 2025 hybrid was only a small step up in price with a huge increase in mpg, so very likely worth it over the vehicle life. Irrelevant if you are doing the all-electric model. Since the 2026 models are out, you may get a better deal on the 2025.
If you have to go up in trim levels to get the Smart Cruise Control, I can totally recommend that if you do much highway driving. (Edit: I see you're planning on the Limited, which is the highest trim, so it will be included.) Paired with the lane assist, the car practically drives itself on the highway, and slows down with traffic (even to a near stop) more gradually and smoothly than I can.
If their Ecotronic Matte colors are offered on the Kona, don't shop those colors. They look great but require special care and can't go through a normal carwash.
Sorry that is long, but hope at least some of it is useful. I hope you enjoy your Hyundai as much as I've been enjoying mine.
Statistics: Posted by epoche — Fri Sep 26, 2025 3:07 pm — Replies 9 — Views 461