Kia Niro EV review

If you've ever felt pressure to live up to a high-achieving parent, you'll understand the situation the Kia Niro EV is in. You see, it's the direct replacement for the e-Niro, which was the first electric car to win the overall Car of the Year award.

Why was the Niro EV's predecessor so good? Well, along with the related Hyundai Kona Electric, the e-Niro made a 250+ mile range affordable to many more buyers. Yes, various Tesla car models could go even further, but not by much – and the e-Niro cost a fraction of the money to buy.

Since then lots of respectably priced electric SUVs have burst on to the scene, many offering an even longer range and faster charging. Indeed, to prove itself the Niro EV needs to beat the Cupra Born, Peugeot e-2008, Skoda Enyaq and Smart #1.

Kia Niro EV video review

What’s more, the Kia EV3 now exists, and that new model costs less and can go further on a charge. So has the Kia Niro EV become irrelevant or is it still worth considering if you're in the market for an electric car? Read on to find out...

With many electric cars, you have to choose the size of the battery, how much performance you want and whether you’d prefer two or four-wheel drive. No such head-scratching is needed with the Kia Niro EV: all versions have a 201bhp electric motor driving the front wheels, fed by a 64.8kWh (usable capacity) battery.

Acceleration is surprisingly sprightly, and the Niro EV pulls well when you put your foot down at low speeds, sprinting from 0-60mph in 7.2 seconds in our tests. That’s a fair bit quicker than a Skoda Enyaq and much faster than a Peugeot e-2008 but some way off the 5.9 seconds the Smart #1 managed. 

The Niro EV is powerful enough that its front wheels can struggle for traction if you’re too aggressive with the accelerator pedal, and it gets worse if the road is wet. Generally, though, it's smooth and easy to drive. 

You can adjust the level of regenerative braking to suit your tastes (by pulling paddles behind the steering wheel). The most extreme setting kills speed so quickly when you lift off the accelerator pedal that you don't need to use the brake pedal very often. When you do use the brakes, you’ll find them less grabby and more predictable than in many electric cars.

Ride comfort has clearly been prioritised over sporty handling, and many buyers will consider that perfectly appropriate. The relatively soft suspension means that, at faster speeds, you float along with just some gentle side-to-side sway.

The Niro EV deals with beaten up urban backstreets pretty well, proving slightly more settled than the Smart #1.

It’s also more composed and confidence-inspiring than the #1 along winding country roads. Calling it fun would be a stretch (it's not a patch on the lower-riding Cupra Born), but by electric SUV standards it grips well and its accurate steering allows you to position the car where you want it. 

Pulling away from a standstill, you hear a slight whine from the Niro EV’s electric motor – more than in a Skoda Enyaq for example – but it’s much quieter than a petrol or diesel engine buzzing away under the bonnet. There's a fair amount of road noise, though, so the Niro EV isn't as hushed as some rivals, including the #1, at a motorway cruise.

Officially, the Niro EV can cover 285 miles between charges, but you probably won't get that far in real life – in our real-world range test, a 4 trim model managed 253 miles. The problem is that the new Kia EV3 with a bigger 81.4kWh battery will officially travel up to 375 miles and cost you less to buy.

“Its predecessor, the e-Niro, was more of a laugh to drive, but I reckon most prospective buyers will be happy to trade that for the improved comfort and refinement you get with the Niro EV.” – Steve Huntingford, Editor

The Kia Niro EV's interior takes its inspiration from the larger Kia EV6. That’s largely a good thing because it means the design looks smart and modern, and the materials used feel relatively upmarket.

It doesn’t quite have the showroom appeal of the more colourful Kia EV3 interior but it’s certainly plusher inside than a BYD Atto 3 or VW ID 3.

That’s despite parts of the seats being made from recycled plastic while the headlining is constructed from recycled wallpaper. Meanwhile, the insides of the doors have a water-based rather than solvent-based finish to create a smaller impact on the environment. Appropriate for an electric car, we reckon. For an even more upmarket interior check out the rival Smart #1.

By SUV standards, you sit fairly close to the road although still noticeably higher than in a traditional family hatchback. The driving position is tough to fault in other respects, with plenty of steering wheel and seat adjustment. You get a powered driver’s seat in 3 and 4 trim models, along with adjustable lumbar support.

You won’t have many issues seeing out of the front of the Niro EV or diagonally at junctions and roundabouts but over-the-shoulder visibility isn’t great. The contrast-colour rear pillar means there’s no glass on the side of the car behind the rear window, which leaves a big blind-spot. All versions get a reversing camera and rear parking sensors, though, with front sensors standard on all but entry-level 2 trim.

Every Niro EV comes with a 10.3in infotainment touchscreen, which sits nice and high on the dashboard. It’s quite easy to use, with simple menus, but it’s starting to feel its age, taking a little too long to respond to all of your prods. It’s not awful, but lacks the immediacy of the newer systems in the Kia EV3 and Smart #1.

At least every Niro EV’s infotainment system comes with lots of standard features, including DAB radio, Bluetooth, built-in sat-nav, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. Stepping up to 3 trim also adds a wireless phone-charger. 

Adjusting the interior temperature is easy thanks to physical dials on the dashboard, although there's a slightly fiddly touch-sensitive panel between them for other air-conditioning settings.

“You no longer get a Harman Kardon sounds system with range-topping 4 trim, but I don't think that's a great loss because it didn't sound especially premium.” – Stuart Milne, Digital Editor

The Kia Niro EV is a fine choice for families because there’s plenty of space throughout. In fact, even two six-footers sitting up front won’t struggle for head or leg room, while there’s enough interior width to ensure they don't rub shoulders. 

It’s much the same story in the rear. Tall people sitting in the outer seats will enjoy more space than in a Peugeot e-2008 and won’t find their knees cramped against the front seats or their heads grazing the roof lining. The larger Skoda Enyaq provides a bit more head and leg room for exceptionally tall folk.

You can’t adjust the angle of the rear seat backrests like you can in the Kia EV6, although you can fold the seatbacks down (in a 60/40 split) when you need extra boot space. That’s not as versatile as the 40/20/40 seats that you’ll find in the Tesla Model Y and there’s no ski hatch to make up for it, like in the Smart #1.

Thanks to the Niro EV’s decently-sized boot space and standard-fit moveable floor, you shouldn’t need to fold the seats too often. Indeed, the Niro EV managed to swallow seven carry-on suitcases in our tests so it’ll easily take all the luggage you’ll need for a short family holiday. For reference, the #1 managed just four cases but the Enyaq’s larger boot took eight. 

“The Niro EV has a small storage compartment under its bonnet, which I just about managed to squeeze the charging cable into.” – Dan Jones, Reviewer

The Kia Niro EV is priced roughly in line with the larger Skoda Enyaq so it's a bit more expensive than the BYD Atto 3 and Smart #1. It’s also more expensive to buy than the Kia EV3 81.4kWh, a car with a longer range, more standard equipment and the same long warranty. 

The entry-level Niro EV 2 model covers all the basics, with creature comforts including dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, adaptive cruise control, touchscreen infotainment and parking aids.

Stepping up to 3 trim adds some extra goodies, including vehicle-to-load (V2L), a heated steering wheel, heated front seats and rain sensing front wipers. Even in this trim you have to pay more if you want an EV heat pump for more efficient warming of the interior.

Likewise, you don't even get a heat pump as standard with range-topping 4 trim, although you get lots of luxuries, including a sunroof, an electric tailgate, heated and ventilated seats in the front and heated seats in the rear. 

We’d avoid 4 because it costs almost as much as an entry-level Kia EV6 – a larger electric SUV that can travel further on a charge than the Niro EV and charge up much faster.

There’s plenty of safety kit on all versions – including automatic emergency braking (AEB) that senses cars, bikes and pedestrians, although the 2 model misses out on blind-spot monitoring. When Euro NCAP tested the Niro EV for safety in 2022, it was awarded five stars out of five. 

The Niro EV as a model did pretty well in the electric car category of the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, sitting just outside the top five models. Kia as a brand also performed well, placing 11th out of 31 car makers – below Hyundai but above Skoda and way above Peugeot. 

On top of that, to give you extra peace of mind, Kia offers a generous seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. That’s more than you’ll get from almost every other manufacturer, although Toyota offers 10 years if you get your car serviced at an official dealer annually.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the Niro EV is how long it takes to charge up. It can accept a maximum charging speed of only 72kW, meaning a 10-80% top-up takes at least 43 minutes – and that’s in ideal conditions. 

For context, a 10-80% charge in the Smart #1 can theoretically take as little as 27 minutes, while the Kia EV3 and Skoda Enyaq 80 should take around half an hour.

A 0-100% charge from a 7kW home EV charger in the Niro EV takes around 10 and a half hours.

“The Niro EV actually has a slower maximum charging speed than the older e-Niro. I don't know how Kia can reasonably justify that.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

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