Kia Rio review
The Kia Niro is a sensible and spacious family crossover that makes going hybrid or electric easy and affordable.
Author: Charlie Harvey
17th Dec 2025 – 8 mins read
If you're looking for a family car that’s cheap to run, practical, and packed with equipment, the Kia Niro is a brilliant choice. It was one of the first cars to be designed from the ground up for hybrid and electric power, and Kia cleverly put all that clever tech into the body of a stylish and sensible crossover. It’s a car that gives you all the benefits of electrified motoring without any of the weirdness. Launched in 2016, the Niro has a focus on comfort and ease of use. It’s not a car that shouts about its green credentials; instead, it just gets on with the job of being a great family car that happens to be very efficient. With a spacious interior, a smooth drive, and Kia’s famous seven-year warranty, it’s a smart and reassuring choice for anyone looking to lower their running costs.
Pros
- Very quiet and refined around town
- Spacious and practical interior
- Comes with a lot of standard equipment
Cons
- The looks are a bit uninspiring
- Can feel a little underpowered on the motorway
- The driving experience isn't very exciting
Interior
Dashboard & tech
The interior of the Kia Niro is a very sensible and user-friendly place. The design is clean and conventional, which was a deliberate choice by Kia to make the switch to a hybrid car feel as normal as possible. The dashboard is well laid out, with a good mix of physical buttons for key functions and a central touchscreen for the infotainment.
All models come with a slick and modern-looking touchscreen, with higher-spec versions getting a larger screen. The system is easy to use, and the graphics are clear. You feel like you're in a modern car, but without the headache of having to control everything through a screen. The build quality is excellent, with everything feeling solid and well put together.
Comfort
The Niro prioritises comfort over sporty handling. The ride is generally smooth, especially around town where the car can often run on its silent electric motor. The seats are comfortable, and there’s plenty of adjustment to help you find a good driving position.
It’s a very relaxing car for daily journeys like the school run or the commute to work. At higher motorway speeds, it can feel a little less settled, and you might notice some engine noise when you accelerate hard, but for the most part, it’s a calm and quiet place to be. The dual-clutch automatic gearbox is much smoother than the CVT gearboxes found in many other hybrids.
Quality
Kia has made huge progress in quality over the years, and the Niro feels like a very well-built car. The materials used in the cabin are of a good standard, with plenty of soft-touch plastics and smart-looking trim pieces. It might not have the premium flair of a German rival, but it feels durable and built to withstand the demands of family life.
The switchgear feels solid, and there are no annoying creaks or rattles. It’s a cabin that inspires confidence and feels like it will last, which is all backed up by Kia’s excellent seven-year warranty.
Practicality & boot space
Interior space
The Niro is a very practical car and makes great use of its interior space. It feels roomy in the front, and there's plenty of space in the back for two adults to sit comfortably, with good legroom and headroom. The middle seat is a bit narrow, but it's fine for children.
Because it doesn’t have the high ride height of a big SUV like the Kia Sportage, it’s easier for kids to get in and out. There are also plenty of useful cubby holes and storage spaces dotted around the cabin, which is always a bonus in a family car. It’s a very easy car to live with day-to-day.
Boot space
The boot in the standard hybrid model is a good size, and the clever packaging means the batteries don't eat into the space too much. You also get some useful underfloor storage. It’s worth noting that the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version loses this underfloor area because its battery is bigger, which does make the boot a bit less practical.
A really useful feature of the Niro is that, unlike many other hybrids, it’s approved for towing. With the optional towing pack fitted, you can tow a small caravan or trailer up to 1,300kg, which adds another layer of brilliant versatility.
Driving
Driving experience
The Kia Niro is all about relaxed and easy-going driving. The transition between electric and petrol power is very smooth, and around town, it’s a quiet and refined companion. The steering feels light, which is great for parking, but it doesn't give you much feedback from the road.
It’s not a car that enjoys being driven hard. There’s a 'Sport' mode, but it doesn't make a huge difference to the way the car feels. If you try to accelerate quickly, the engine can get a bit noisy, and it can feel a little out of its comfort zone on the motorway. But if you drive it in a calm and relaxed manner, it’s an incredibly pleasant and efficient car to drive.
Performance
There are two main versions of the first-generation Niro. The standard hybrid uses a 1.6-litre petrol engine combined with an electric motor. It’s designed for efficiency rather than speed, and it’s at its best around town.
The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model uses the same petrol engine but has a more powerful electric motor and a bigger battery. This makes it feel a little quicker and allows it to travel for up to 36 miles on electric power alone when fully charged. This is fantastic for doing short journeys like the school run or commute without using any petrol at all.
Running costs
Fuel economy & CO2 emissions
This is where the Niro really shines. The standard hybrid model can officially return up to 74.3mpg, which is an excellent figure for a family-sized crossover. The plug-in hybrid is even more impressive on paper, with an official figure of over 200mpg. To get anywhere near that, you’ll need to charge the battery regularly and do most of your journeys on electric power.
With very low CO2 emissions, the PHEV model is also exempt from things like the London Congestion Charge and is very cheap for company car tax. Insurance groups are also very reasonable for all versions.
Value for money
A new Niro offered good value, but it's on the used market that it becomes a real bargain. You can find early examples with significant savings compared to the new price, making it a very affordable way into hybrid or plug-in hybrid ownership. When you factor in the low running costs and the long warranty, it represents fantastic value for money.
Reliability & Warranty
Kia has one of the best reputations for reliability in the business, consistently scoring highly in owner satisfaction surveys. The biggest selling point, however, is Kia’s industry-leading seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. This means that even a three or four-year-old used Niro will still have a lot of manufacturer warranty remaining, which provides incredible peace of mind.
Safety
Safety features
When it was tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP, the Niro scored four stars. However, models fitted with the optional advanced safety pack were awarded the full five stars. It's definitely worth looking for a used car that has this pack fitted.
The pack includes important technology like autonomous emergency braking, which can apply the brakes automatically to help avoid a collision, as well as adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist. Higher-spec models often have this equipment as standard, along with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, making them very safe cars indeed.
Trims & Engines
Trim levels
The Niro was available in a simple range of numbered trim levels, all of which are very well-equipped.
2: The entry-level model is far from basic. It comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, a seven-inch touchscreen with sat-nav, a reversing camera, and rear parking sensors.
3: This popular trim adds larger 18-inch wheels, a bigger eight-inch touchscreen, a premium JBL sound system, and front parking sensors. It also includes full leather upholstery and heated front seats.
4: The top-of-the-range model is loaded with kit. It gets an electric sunroof, ventilated front seats with a memory function, and the full suite of advanced safety features like autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control as standard.
Powertrains
The first-generation Niro was designed purely for electrified power.
Hybrid: This version combines a 1.6-litre petrol engine with an electric motor and a small battery that recharges as you drive. You just fill it up with petrol like a normal car.
Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV): This uses the same petrol engine but has a larger battery that you can plug in to charge. It offers an electric-only range of up to 36 miles, perfect for short trips, with the petrol engine available as a backup for longer journeys.