Kia Niro EV Review 2024

The new Kia Niro EV builds on the success of the old Kia e-Niro, which blew the competition out of the water when it arrived in 2018. It doesn't change much in range and performance, but it was already best-in-class anyway, and now looks a bit more interesting. Our Kia Niro EV review will examine if it's still the best affordable electric family car around. 

At a time when most electric cars could barely crack 200 miles on a charge, and the only ones that could were expensive luxury models, the Kia e-Niro took the market by storm. For a reasonable price tag here was a family-sized SUV that could do up to 282 miles on a single charge with little compromise. The only issue Kia had was building enough of them to meet demand. 

Fast forward four years and the whole Kia Niro range has moved to a new generation. There's hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants available, but this review focuses on the Kia Niro EV (as it's now called). 

The first thing you'll notice is that distinctive new exterior design. You'll probably either love or hate it, but there's no denying it's got a lot more about it than the rather bland-looking old one. 

More universally appealing will be the Kia Niro EV's cabin, with a design and technology inspired by the extremely desirable, bigger and pricier Kia EV6. It's also spacious, comfortable and well-equipped - you can spend over £40,000 on a Niro EV but even the £36,000 base model isn't exactly sparse. 

Where the Niro EV hasn't changed a great deal over the old e-Niro is in the electric motor and battery department. Just as before you get a 64kWh battery (but no smaller, cheaper version this time) for an official range of 285 miles, which is still very competitive alongside rivals such as the Skoda Enyaq, Volkswagen ID.4 and Citroen e-C4.

The charging speed of 72kW is disappointing, though, particularly as the EV6 doesn't cost loads more and will charge at up to 234kW. Still, it'll charge a bit more quickly than the old e-Niro, and excellent efficiency means it won't use as much battery to get about as rivals. 

To drive, the Kia Niro EV is competent and comfortable rather than super agile and thrilling. Refinement is good, too, and there's plenty of tech to take the strain away from long distances or town driving. A Cupra Born is more fun to drive, however. Read on to find out more detail on the new Kia Niro EV.

Want a second opinion? Check out heycar's review of the new Kia Niro EV.

Looking for the older version? You'll want our Kia e-Niro (2018-2022) review.

The Kia Niro EV makes great use of its interior space given its external size. It's 4,420mm long, 1825mm wide and 1585mm tall, making it bigger than a Peugeot e-2008 but noticeably smaller than a Skoda Enyaq. 

It feels quite a bit bigger inside than the Niro EV's sister car, the Hyundai Kona Electric. Those in the front have plenty of head and legroom, and a longer wheelbase combined with thinner front seats means adults have more generous room for their legs than in the e-Niro. 

Certainly two adults in the rear will be fine for long distances, with plenty of headroom and a completely flat floor. Three's more of a push because it isn't a wider cabin, but it's fine for short trips. Of course you get Isofix child seat mounting points in the rear, and the wide and tall door opening means it's easy to load your offspring. 

In the boot you'll find 475 litres of space for luggage, which is actually more than in the hybrid Kia Niro. There's also a small 20-litre 'frunk' under the bonnet, which is useful for your charging cables - VW, Cupra and Skoda rivals don't have that. 

A neat feature that you also get on the Kia EV6 is vehicle-to-device tech, which allows you to power external electrical devices through a three-pin socket. It's standard on the Kia Niro 3. 

In terms of overall durability the Kia Niro EV's cabin is perfectly good, with nothing feeling loose or flimsy and no squeaks or rattles in our test cars. There are some harder plastics than we'd like, and although it feels more expensive than an MG ZS EV it's not as upmarket as the bigger EV6.

Kia likes to make a point of the sustainability of the cabin, materials. You'll find vegan leather seats made from sustainable eucalyptus wood, plus recycled paper used from the (rather cheap feeling) headlining. 

We've no complaints with the infotainment and touchscreen-based technology in the Kia Niro EV. Even the basic eight-inch media system that comes in the entry-level Niro EV 2 is fine, with a fairly responsive screen and graphics that aren't too bleak. 

You don't get sat-nav on that base version, but with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard you can easily just use Waze and Google Maps from your phone. One odd thing to note: you get wireless Android Auto on 2 spec but it's wired only on 3 and 4, because Kia says it's not compatible with the wireless phone charging that comes with those upper variants. Strange...

Upgrade to the Kia Niro EV 3 or 4 and you'll get built-in sat-nav on a larger 10.25-inch display. The menu layout is logical and it's quick enough to respond, and underneath you get a touch sensitive 'button' stack where you can switch between different control options. It's not as easy to use as simple buttons, but certainly looks cleaner. 

All models come with the same 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster which is pretty sharp and gives plenty of information. Kia has also kept proper buttons for the steering wheel (thank god), while you get both old-style USB and USB C connectors dotted around the cabin. 

You'll get in a Kia Niro EV for as little as £36,245. If that sounds expensive, remember that a basic Skoda Enyaq or Volkswagen ID.4 both cost more for a model with less range and performance. It's also less than £3000 more than the Niro plug-in hybrid. 

Stepping up to the Kia Niro EV 3 puts the price up to £38,995, and that's probably the best blend of kit and cost. The £41,745 Kia Niro EV 4 is perilously close to the excellent Kia EV6. 

You won't find any bargains on the used side just yet - having only just launched, the Niro EV will be in very high demand and there will be a long waiting list. 

Charging the Kia Niro EV will cost noticeably more in late 2022 when electricity tariffs change, as will all electric cars. But reviewing this car in mid-2022 sees it remain noticeably cheaper to run than equivalent petrol or diesel cars. 

You'll also avoid paying any road tax (VED) on it, while the £40,000 'premium' car tax doesn't apply to electric vehicles either. We wouldn't expect insurance to be prohibitively expensive either. 

Charging the Niro EV via a rapid charger will soon get very expensive, but it's still frustrating that Kia couldn't improve the Niro EV's charging speed beyond 72kW. A number of rivals can beat that (the Skoda Enyaq charges at 125kW, for example), but battery pre-conditioning means you'll still take it from 10-80% on a suitable rapid charger in about 45 minutes. 

Of course charging at home will take far longer. A 7kW home charging wallbox will take the Niro EV from empty to full charge in a little over ten hours. 

What's important, though, is how efficient the Niro EV is. We got 4.4 miles per kWh in our testing which involved town, motorway and country lane driving, and we've no doubt you'll achieve (or possibly even exceed) the 285-mile official range without much effort. 

The Kia Niro EV was never going to be a sporting electric SUV, not when Kia already has the fun-to-drive EV6 on its books. The cheaper price of the Niro means some sacrifices in handling, but it has a more comfortable ride than its pricier sibling.

The softer suspension means about town potholes and manhole covers are ironed out nicely, while on faster roads it isolates from rough tarmac without bouncing all over the place. Sure, push it hard through a bend and grip from the eco tyres will run out, while body lean is somewhat noticeable, but it isn't bad by any means. The steering is light and largely feel-free, with some added weight in Sport mode. 

What probably matters more to buyers is that the Niro EV is an easy and relaxing car to drive in every situation. Visibility is pretty good all-round, with sensors and a rear-view camera to aid parking, and it's not that much bigger than a regular hatchback. 

Wind noise is also well isolated, although road noise is a little more pronounced than the most refined electric SUVs. Overall, it's as good as it needs to be to drive and one of the better affordable EVs on the road. 

Your sole engine (or electric motor) choice is a 204PS motor driving the front wheels. It's mated to a 64.8kWh battery, with the whole car weighing in at a reasonable (for an EV) 1739kg. That's still around 130kg heavier than the plug-in hybrid, so the Niro EV is peppy rather than Tesla rapid. 

The instant electric motor torque means it feels a little more sprightly than the 0-62mph time of 7.8 seconds suggests. That figure is noticeably quicker than a Vauxhall Mokka-e or the entry-level Skoda Enyaq, although like all of these the performance tails off at motorway speeds. It's plenty fast enough for the majority of buyers. 

You do get a bit more whine from the electric motor than some rivals, but it's far from intrusive. We also like that Kia uses what would be the gearshift paddles on the wheel in a petrol or diesel car to control the regenerative braking through three modes. In max regen it'll brake firmly, great for town use, but on minimum regen it'll cruise much more smoothly on a motorway. 

You get the usual Forward Collision Avoidance system on the Kia Niro EV, which can detect cars, pedestrians and cyclists and apply emergency braking. Go for the top-spec Niro EV 5 and it's upgraded to 'FCA 2.0', which brings further features such as junction crossing avoidance (that detects potential collisions from the side) and evasive steering assist (that'll help steer you around an imminent obstacle). 

You also get Highway Driving Assist, that'll combine adaptive cruise control with steering assistance to keep you locked in your lane, blind spot collision avoidance and an intelligent speed limiter. With all that in place we expect a strong performance when the Niro EV is crash tested by Euro NCAP. 

With a towing capacity of just 750kg the Kia Niro EV is, like many electric cars, not much use for towing anything beyond a small trailer. The hybrid Kia Niro manages 1300kg.

The entry-level Kia Niro EV 2 comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera, an eight-inch touchscreen media display, a 10.25-inch digital dial display, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and adaptive cruise control, plus Forward Collision Avoidance.

Stepping up to the Kia Niro EV 3 brings a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen with built-in sat-nav, part faux leather trim, front parking sensors, keyless entry and go, heated seats and a heated steering wheel. There's also privacy glass, driver lumbar adjustment, a wireless phone charger, vehicle-to-device powering and reclining rear seats. Furthermore you get Highway Driving Assist with Blind Spot Collision Avoidance. 

Finally, the top-spec Kia Niro 4 adds to that with a head-up display, heated rear seats and ventilated front seats, vegan leather upholstery, an electric tailgate, an electric sunroof, a Harmon Kardon sound system upgrade, a memory function for the driver's seat and a 'premium relaxation' setting plus lumbar adjustment for the front passenger seat. Driver assists include Remote Smart Parking Assist, Parking Collision Avoidance Assist and upgraded collision avoidance tech.