Performance & drive
What it’s like to drive, and how quiet it is
Engine, 0-60mph and gearbox
If you go for the Kia e-Niro's entry-level 39kWh battery, you get a 134bhp electric motor. It's the same motor and battery combo that's used in the entry-level Hyundai Ioniq Electric and delivers respectable performance: we achieved 0-60mph in 8.2sec, which makes it quicker out of the blocks than the Citroën e-C4, Mazda MX-30 and Peugeot e-2008. It's someway off the VW ID.3 Pro Performance's pace, though.
For something on that level, you need to opt for the 64kWh battery, which is our pick. It has a 201bhp electric motor that we clocked going from 0-60mph in 6.5sec. That’s not Tesla Model 3 quick but it's rapid nonetheless. It’s on tap the moment you put your foot down, and if the road is wet, such is the eagerness of its acceleration that the e-Niro relies quite heavily on its traction control to stop the front wheels spinning.
Suspension and ride comfort
If you go for the 64kWh battery, the ride is very good. It's far more settled over undulations than the agitated BMW i3 and not even the closely related Kona Electric and Kia Soul EV are as calm. The e-C4 and e-2008 are softer, but they're also bouncier and more prone to rocking you from side to side at times.
We've driven versions of the ID.3 (fitted with smaller wheels) that ride similarly well and the Enyaq is even better, but only just.
