Thinking of getting a Kia Niro?
The style of the car
The Kia Niro is a compact family SUV that’s about the same size as the Nissan Qashqai or Seat Ateca. It’s available as a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid.
How it drives
The Niro is very easy to drive and feels solid and secure on the road. It’s relatively compact, has an automatic gearbox and the driver has a good view out, so nipping around town and manoeuvring into parking spaces is no hassle at all. All models have parking sensors and cameras. The self-charging and plug-in hybrid models both combine a petrol engine with an electric motor. They give sprightly acceleration around town, have enough power for confident motorway driving and are quiet and comfortable on a long journey.
Looking for a hybrid car? Here are our 10 favourite used hybrid cars.
The interior
The Niro is a compact SUV with five doors and five seats. It’s about the same size as the Peugeot 3008. There’s generous space for four adults, so it’s a great family car whatever age your children are. The boot’s a very good size for this type of car, too, with room for a couple of week’s worth of holiday luggage. The back seats fold down for more space and there’s lots of storage cubbies dotted around the interior. All Niro models come with climate control, sat nav, cruise control and smartphone connectivity in a user-friendly interior.
Running costs
Both versions of the Niro give fuel economy of at least 58mpg, according to official figures, which is comparable to similar cars with diesel engines. The plug-in hybrid has a range of 30 miles on battery power, so it’s possible that most of your journeys will be completed without the engine kicking in at all. (But it’s there when you need it for a longer journey.) Recharging the batteries takes a few hours from a home ‘wallbox’ charger. Road tax and servicing costs are very low. Safety experts Euro NCAP gave entry-level Niro models a four-star safety rating because the cars lacked some advanced driver safety systems. High-spec models have those systems, though, and score the full five-star rating.
How it compares with similar cars
There’s a growing number of hybrid compact SUVs available, including the Toyota C-HR, Peugeot 3008 and Mini Countryman SE. That’s strong competition, but the Niro offers a combination of space, user-friendliness and excellent value that could suit your needs very well.
The Kia Niro is one of our favourite crossovers. Find out more in our guide to the best used crossover cars.
