How this ordinary used car changed my life

When you’re a motoring journalist travelling in the latest new cars every week, you can forget that not everyone has a brand-new – or even just a reliable and functional – vehicle as their daily driver.

Unless you're me.

Despite a range of the newest models entering the Drive garage weekly, my reality was so far removed. Since I joined the team in 2023, my personal vehicle had been a 2006 Toyota Corolla sedan, which was still running (if out of spite) even after clocking more than 250,000km.

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Sure, it was extremely cheap to run and own. But the trade-off was a car that rattled when it hit 100km/h, a cabin with no sound insulation, and no AUX, meaning my elite playlists ran through a Bluetooth speaker I chucked in the centre console so it wouldn't move while I was driving.

Oh, and how could I forget the quarterly mechanic visit, because of course it always had to break at the most inconvenient time.

Before you ask why on earth I chose a car old enough to be a university student, it was the cheapest option I could get on short notice. You see, I had a car accident in 2023, when another driver T-boned my mum's 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan that I had been borrowing frequently (sorry mum).

Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, but I must confess that my perspective on driving changed for the worse after the incident. Particularly while driving on freeways – as that's where the accident happened.

Confidence turned to doubt, calm turned to stress, and I just couldn’t shake the dark feeling that something was bound to go wrong. It was so bad, I ended up avoiding freeway driving whenever I could.

Further plaguing my consciousness, I was now travelling in a 20-year-old car, where the safety of myself and my passengers relied almost solely on my driving ability (save for the car's airbags and AEB).

Couple that with the fact that my job entails covering stories of dangerous – or just plain bad – driving, and you can see why my anxiety was at an all-time high.

Flash-forward three years, and my somewhat-trusted 'Corolls-Royce' finally packed it in – its final drink at a respectable 256,000km (RIP).

After licking my wounds at the sight of my first car on its way to the graveyard (pictured below), sadness quickly turned to happiness once the hunt for my perfect car began. This is where the fun started.

My priorities were as follows: modern safety tech, fewer than 100,000km on the odometer, and god oh god, Apple CarPlay or at least Bluetooth.

While I could spend days happily sifting through every single car within a 25km radius, I needed to find the right car for me and my partner ASAP, and I did. But I didn’t expect it to change my life in this important way.

The car in question isn’t a luxurious spacecraft from exotic brands such as a Lamborghini or Rolls-Royce, nor is it a grunty workhorse such as a Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux; it’s a humble 2021 Hyundai Kona.

Before you start wondering why such a mundane car is life-changing, hear me out. Jumping from a two-decade-old car with little protection to a newer vehicle that is equipped with modern basic safety features has virtually eliminated my PTSD and driving anxiety on freeways and busier roads.

Sure, cars are an expensive investment, and if you're like me and don't have a surplus of money to buy the latest model, it's hard to justify buying a brand-new vehicle, especially if all you care about is getting from Point A to Point B.

Having said that, as I was driving my Kona, it struck me there was one more thing I cared about – a crucial one at that – safety.

The comfort and peace of mind that come with knowing you're in a safe vehicle that can increase your chances of survival in an accident are priceless.

It's not the top spec, nor is it the latest variant, but it was eye-opening to feel my confidence grow – and the psychological barrier erode – while driving the used SUV, which, to me, is the ultimate example of luxury.

It might seem hyperbolic, but basic driver-assist features such as lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and cyclist/pedestrian detection have drastically reduced my concerns, particularly at night when visibility is reduced.

By no means am I all in on full automated driving, particularly the overzealous systems featured in newer cars. However, I’ve found that the basic safety features in my 2021 Hyundai Kona have provided another layer of security and peace of mind that money can’t buy.

Sure, newer cars are undoubtedly more advanced, but in the chase for prevention, some drivers end up fighting the system.

In my 2021 Hyundai Kona, I’ve found it offers the perfect balance between tech and driver. I don’t feel like I have to constantly fight the steering wheel, but it genuinely assists in some situations.

This wasn’t more prevalent than a late-night drive along Plenty Road in Bundoora. As reported by Drive in January 2025, the major arterial in Melbourne’s north-east was previously crowned the country’s most dangerous due to the high rate of accidents along the road.

Driving along the major arterial at night, where the road is virtually black due to the lack of road lighting, the lane centring and lane-keep assist proved their value and eased my nerves as I travelled.

It sounds silly, but I didn't know true comfort until I purchased a car with Apple CarPlay and a reverse parking camera.

Sure, it doesn't have fancy features like leather or heated seats. But coming from an ancient sedan that didn't even have an AUX port, true luxury, as I've found out, is in the everyday things that make the driving experience easier and safer – and there's no price for that.