Kia Niro EV review

Driving position

It’s really easy to jump straight into the Kia Niro EV and drive 100 miles without thinking. The seat offers the right amount of support, and it takes little effort to align the steering wheel and mirrors to your liking.

Unlike some try-hard SUVs, the Niro EV is pretty faff-free. The steering, for example, sits right in between offering light control around town and stability on faster roads, which is one less thing to worry about when the family’s in tow.

A blind spot around the C-pillar – the area between the rear doors and the rear windscreen – was pretty noticeable, but tech like blind-spot monitoring and a reversing camera makes it less of an issue most of the time.

Tech and features

Kia has been strong in this department for many years – while most car prices have crept up over the years, a Kia Niro is still an affordable crossover, even as an EV. Despite this, all models come with plenty of standard-fit tech.

We tested the Niro EV in its most basic form, ‘2’, and were left wanting nothing more. The twin-10.25-inch displays look smart, and Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a reversing camera all come from the factory.

The rear parking sensors and adaptive climate control were also appreciated, though if you go for a special edition Horizon model, you’ll also get front parking sensors, heated seats and a heated steering wheel – that’s really good value for money considering it’s only £670 more when new.

Another standout feature is the dual-purpose touchscreen control panel beneath the infotainment display – you can flick between climate control and infotainment functions.

We complain a lot about a lack of physical climate controls, and while the Niro EV’s climate settings are operated via a touch panel, it’s a promising middle ground.

The only upgrade we’d make to the interior of the Niro EV is addressing the harsh plastics around the cabin, which can look dull and low-budget next to more vibrant interiors like that of the BYD Atto 3.

Some of that is solved by opting for higher trim levels, which introduce leather and other soft-touch materials in some places.

Electric motors and power

There’s only one option in terms of power, but thankfully it’s a good one. The second-generation Kia Niro EV uses a 204hp electric motor, much like the Volkswagen ID.3.

Power goes to the front wheels, but it never seems to scramble for traction.

It takes 7.8 seconds to go from 0-62mph, which is slightly slower than its predecessor. It’s still no slog, though, and acceleration around town is quicker than the figures suggest thanks to the electric motor’s instant response.

Handling and ride comfort

The Niro EV is more focused on comfort than sporty handling, so it has a fairly soft throttle response and it makes for a quiet and smooth ride at low speeds.

Because the 64.8kWh battery sits beneath the wheels, the Niro EV has a low centre of gravity, which significantly reduces the body roll that’s typical of many SUVs around corners.

Boot space

The boot offers 475 litres of space with the seats up, which is a lot considering this car is no bigger than a large family hatchback.

It’s more space than you get in most of the car’s rivals, such as the BYD Atto 3, Jeep Avenger, Fiat 600e, Smart #1 or Volkswagen ID.3.

It’s also more than you’ll get in a hybrid or plug-in hybrid version of the Niro – it’s usually the other way around.

There’s a small 20-litre frunk under the bonnet, which is good for things like a first aid kit and a tyre inflator, but not a charging cable. You’ll need to keep this under the adjustable-height boot floor.

Rear seats

The Niro EV offers plenty of space for passengers and luggage, making it a great choice for families.

Rear passenger space is generous, with good headroom and legroom. The front seatbacks have also been styled in a way that maximises legroom thanks to some clever contours.

Because the batteries sit underneath, the floor is a touch higher than in non-electric crossovers, so taller passengers might not get as much support from the seat bases as they’d want.

Storage solutions

If you need to empty your pockets when you sit behind the wheel of the Niro EV, there are plenty of storage places, including a large smartphone tray, an adaptable centre console area with retractable cupholders, and plenty more space in the door bins for bottles.

Safety

Standard safety features include adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, a reversing camera with rear parking sensors, and front collision avoidance.

Depending on the equipment you’ve got fitted to your Niro EV, it scores either four or five stars in the Euro NCAP crash testing, which was conducted in 2022.

Look out for examples of the Niro EV with driver aids like lane-change assist, blind-spot collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance and more for the safest drive.

Range and charging

The 285-mile claimed range from the 64.8kWh battery is pretty average for this size car – its efficiency matches its key rivals.

We spent a lot of time around town, where we consistently saw figures of 4-4.5 miles per kWh, which is strong.

Efficiency drops at higher speeds, as is the case with all EVs, but on the whole, the Niro EV impresses on this front.

The car can also precondition itself for optimal charging when a rapid charging destination is entered into the sat-nav.

Every Kia Niro EV supports 11kW charging as standard, which means the battery could be brimmed in just under six hours.

The catch? Most homes can’t support an 11kW connection, which means you’ll likely only be able to access this higher speed at public car parks, where you’re less likely to spend six hours.

With a standard 7kW connection at home, a full charge takes a little over nine hours.

At a rapid charger, an 80% fill will take around 45 minutes. Most other EVs have reduced this to 20-30 minutes, and we wish the Niro had support for higher-speed DC rapid charging to reduce the wait time.

Reliability

Kia generally performs well in reliability tests, and its cars are backed by a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty. Only Toyota and Lexus have this cover beat, but you’ll need to comply with servicing schedules for those Japanese brands.

The Niro EV is the second iteration of this car, replacing the discontinued first-generation e-Niro, which means much of the car’s running gear has been tried and tested.

Electric cars also tend to be more reliable than petrols or diesels because there are fewer moving parts to go wrong.

Insurance groups

The Niro EV falls into insurance groups 28 or 29, depending on the trim level. This should translate to fairly average insurance costs.

Some newer models, like the BYD Atto 3 and Smart #1, are closer to 40, and others, like the ID.3, are closer to 20.