With the Kia Niro, the Korean company beat most of its rivals to the wildly popular segment of small SUVs – and did so with reasonably priced hybrid options and an electric car with a long range.
And that highlights something quite unusual about this car: there has always been a Niro Hybrid, a Niro Plug-in Hybrid and a Niro EV.
Accommodating both combustion engines and big battery packs on the same platform can lead to an unhappy compromise, but the original Niro (2016-2022) managed to be both a convincing hybrid and an impressive EV when it came out, and this second-generation model aims to do the same.
With this Mk2 Niro, though, Kia has more competition to be worried about, with a whole glut of rivals with all kinds of electrified powertrains. New arrivals in the class seem to arrive every week, and in the case of Kia itself it has since launched another similarly sized electric car to the Niro EV just two years after our test subject was launched in the shape of the Kia EV3. Progress is fast in the compact crossover world.
For now, the Niro EV is the biggest seller in the range, with the hybrid close behind it. The PHEV sells in tiny numbers. It’s the two hybrid versions that are the subject of this review.
The new Niro sits on a new platform, the second-generation K3 platform also found beneath the Hyundai i30, and there are even bigger changes in its design.
The old Niro was more butch MPV than crossover, whereas the new one has a more confident SUV stance and follows the Kia EV6 and Kia Sportage in adopting an aggressive, alien-like face.
The Niro has grown in most dimensions over its predecessor. It now measures 4.42m long and also has slimmer, EV6-style front seats, leaving a truly impressive amount of rear passenger space that’s right up there with bigger SUV alternatives like the Ford Kuga.Vicky Parrott
Kia's 'tiger nose' grille remains in a way but forfeits its original purpose as an air intake, becoming more of a decorative monobrow.
The whole car has grown, too, becoming 65mm longer and 20mm wider. Whether that’s a good thing on crowded roads is one thing, but it certainly benefits the car’s stance and interior space. And despite the growth spurt, Kia has managed to avoid making the Niro any heavier.
The big leap on from the old Niro is in the interior ambience. It emphasises the EV6 family connection with fused twin screens set into a single display, wildly swooping lines and that curious two-spoke steering wheel.
What’s remarkable is that the aesthetic actually works better on the Niro. Where the EV6 and Sportage have a bit too much shiny black plastic and scratchy surfaces for their price point, those cheaper materials sit more comfortably in the more affordable Niro. In fact, the designers have seized the opportunity to introduce some creative touches.
The Niro scores with a thoughtfully designed interior that offers excellent space, looks that stand out from the crowd, strong standard equipment, good infotainment and Kia’s market-leading seven-year warranty.Illya VerpraetRoad Tester
Instead of the usual elephant-skin texturing, they’ve gone for a stone-like surface on the plastic door and dash panels, and there are flashes of colour to keep it all light. The trim panels are plastic but in the higher trim levels, they look like tarnished brass. The seats and headlining use recycled materials and leather isn't an option.
Amid all the style, function hasn’t been forgotten: there are plenty of easy buttons and switches. Kia’s switchable dual-purpose touchbar for the ventilation and the infotainment shortcuts is a little fiddly, but we’ve seen far worse solutions.
The Niro has Kia’s standard touchscreen infotainment system, which requires a cable for smartphone mirroring but is otherwise easy to use.
The seats are comfy and supportive and the lofty driving position will be appreciated by SUV buyers, but taller drivers will wish for some more reach adjustment in the steering.
The back seat is now a realistic proposition for adults and, unlike in the Honda HR-V, that’s not to the detriment of boot space.
At 451 litres, the boot of the hybrid is a good deal bigger than what you get in the HR-V or the Toyota C-HR but slightly smaller than in the Renault Arkana. The hybrid battery naturally robs space compared with pure-petrol rivals.
The PHEV loses the underfloor boot space of the hybrid and EV and is therefore smaller still, but its 348 litres of luggage capacity takes the form of a nice, squared-off boot that will house a chunky buggy or a sizeable dog with relative ease.
Both the hybrid system and the PHEV system are based around a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox driving the front wheels.
Electric assistance comes from a 1.32kWh battery and a 43bhp electric motor in the case of the hybrid or an 11.1kWh battery and an 83bhp electric motor in the PHEV.
The hybrid powertrain has proven to be very efficient and more pleasant in daily use than its direct rivals.Illya VerpraetRoad Tester
The hybrid produces a combined 127bhp and the PHEV a combined 168bhp.
In the PHEV, the battery is up from 8.9kWh previously, so its official electric-only range now extends as far as 40 miles.
A Type 2 socket on the flank of the PHEV will suck up enough electricity for a flat to full battery in around 2.5 hours from a standard home wallbox.
From a standstill to about 40mph, the electric motor makes the Niro hybrid feel pleasantly torquey. At higher speeds, the engine has to work harder. It means the hybrid isn't exactly fast, but it's adequate, and Kia has done a good job keeping the engine noise out of the cabin. The only time the engine feels slightly coarse is when it unexpectedly has to fire up, especially from cold.
As before, you get two driving modes: Eco and Sport. The old Niro suffered from overly languid throttle calibration in Eco mode, but that has been addressed now.
Apart from having no reverse gear (that is taken care of by the electric motor), the dual-clutch gearbox is utterly conventional. In this case, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Having six gears to cycle through means it can't replicate the perfect smoothness in the HR-V and C-HR, but it does feel more direct and natural, both compared to its Japanese rivals and Renault's E-Tech solution.
If you desire a dynamic powertrain with instant responses, a mild-hybrid or pure-petrol alternative is still a better bet, because the Niro hybrid can be slow to downshift when you demand more power.
The Niro PHEV is a predictably pleasant and refined way to get about. There’s very little whine from the motor as you set off, which you can do with greater urgency than you might expect, given the moderately slovenly 0-62mph time of 9.6sec.
There’s quite a noticeable thrum as the petrol engine kicks in, but vibration is kept to a minimum and the engine stays quiet so long as you don’t rev it too hard.
Which you’re not terribly inclined to do, because, in contrast to the hybrid version, the engine sounds coarse and noisy in its PHEV application, without delivering much recompense in acceleration.
And even without the fun deterrent that this underwhelming 1.6-litre engine in this installation undoubtedly is, this simply isn’t a car that encourages spirited driving.
Given that all Niros use the same platform and look largely identical, you would expect them to feel broadly similar to drive. However, that isn't the case at all, as we’ve already seen in the performance section.
Whereas the new Niro EV is genuinely engaging, thanks to feelsome steering and a keen front end, the hybrid just handles securely but uninspiringly. There's more body roll and the steering is quite light and mostly mute.
To drive, the Niro is… fine. The old one was lacklustre at best, and on the evidence of its commercial success, the new one probably needn’t do much more than that. However, given the dynamic sparkle evident in the EV6, we had hoped for a little more progress.Illya VerpraetRoad Tester
It's the same story for comfort: even on the smallest wheels, the hybrid's suspension can crash through potholes where the EV would soften off the edges.
Compared with other hybrid crossovers, the Niro's ride is absolutely fine, however, and much improved over the old car.
Acoustic refinement isn’t the Niro’s strong point. Slightly more road roar, suspension noise and wind whistle filter through into the cabin than in rivals – but, as with the ride, it’s nothing you wouldn’t quickly get used to.
The Niro PHEV is comfortable and relaxed, which is far more relevant to its likely use. Our high-spec test car came on 18in alloy wheels that bring a slightly chatty ride around town, but it’s never intrusive enough to bother you, and it settles nicely at higher speeds.
It has a Sport mode that brings heavier steering, wakes the petrol engine and turns the steering-wheel-mounted paddles (which you more commonly use to toggle through the brake regen modes) into gearshift paddles. But even with that in action, the steering still feels very anodyne – nicely weighted and predictable for everyday driving but never engaging.
Ultimately, the Niro PHEV is at its best when you’re at a steady gait, enjoying the confident, easy-going progress. It’s not a car you buy for its dynamic effervescence, certainly, but it is one that you can find satisfaction in driving – especially when you’re enjoying the hushed, seamless ebb and flow of EV mode.
Both the hybrid and PHEV versions of the Niro are available in three different trim levels: 2, 3 and 4.
The hybrid starts from just over £30,000 and the PHEV from just over £35,000.
Consider carefully which trim level you go for with the new Niro. The base 2 is quite well-equipped on paper but its interior misses out on a lot of the soft-touch materials of the more expensive versions. It also gets a smaller infotainment screen that runs an older, slightly less user-friendly software version.Illya VerpraetRoad Tester
As with all Kias, options are typically limited to paint colours in favour of the trim levels bundling in extra equipment as you walk up through them to the point where range-topping 4 models are better equipped than many a premium rival.
Whatever the version, a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty is included.
The Niro hybrid has seriously impressive fuel economy. On the motorway, it will average well over 60mpg with ease, and even if you cane it on some back roads, it refuses to dip under 40mpg. In mixed usage, MPG figures in the high 50s ought to be realistic.
Kia and Hyundai used to lag behind Toyota when it came to the efficiency of their powertrains, but they appear to have closed that gap now.
In the Niro PHEV, our real-world electric range was around 30 miles.
The Niro remains at its best as an all-electric car: within the entire range, the Niro EV is the one we would recommend. However, that car itself has already been bettered by the new Kia EV3, meaning it might not be around for long, leaving the Niro’s future as a hybrid-only model.
Buyers of the hybrids will find a pleasant car that’s efficient, decent if not inspiring to drive and with a comfortable, well-equipped interior. It’s the kind of car that doesn’t stand out in any particular area while not falling obviously short anywhere either.
It's slightly frustrating that Kia wasn't able to make the hybrid handle as well as the EV and inject a touch more refinement. However, it improves on the old one in the ways that matter and secures Kia’s place at the top of a segment that’s only going to get more important.Illya VerpraetRoad Tester
The Niro has migrated into a more desirable bodyshape and become a slightly larger car while still retaining a compact feel and fully making use of its increased exterior dimensions to the benefit of passengers and their luggage.
It’s the classic case of a car that you would buy with your head more than your heart. Yet you can do so without regret, as you will get to enjoy another modern, relevant Kia that has plenty of objective qualities.