Kia Niro EV Review & Prices

The Kia Niro is a family-friendly SUV that you can have as a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid or as a fully electric car. In a way, you could almost say it’s a bit like an all-you-can-eat vegan buffet: there’s plenty of tasty food to choose from, but it’s all environmentally friendly and eco-conscious, which should leave you with a satisfying warm, fuzzy feeling…

For the warmest and fuzziest feeling of all, you’ll want the fully electric model that we’re concentrating on here. You can click this link to read our review of the Kia Niro hybrid and PHEV

Today’s Niro EV is more attractive than the old one, which was a bit podgy around the edges. It now has sharper, bolder lines, and the two-tiered front end is pretty cool too. It goes up against the likes of the BYD Atto 3, Peugeot e-2008 and even the larger Skoda Enyaq. Since the Kia is quite low slung by SUV standards, other cars with the Kia in their crosshairs include the Volkswagen ID3, Cupra Born and Renault Megane.

Kia Niro EV: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 285 miles
Efficiency: 3.8 miles per kWh
Battery size: 65kWh
Max charge speed: 72kW
Charge time AC: 6hrs 20mins, 0-100%, 11kW
Charge time DC: 43mins, 0-80%, 72kW
Charge port location: Front
Power outputs: 150hp

Inside, the cabin is much like that of the all-electric Kia EV6. There’s two large infotainment displays, and the touchscreen housed in the centre of the dash is available with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The interior upholstery (a lot of which is made from recycled materials) all feels nice and plush too.

There’s also loads of space in here - both front and back seat passengers will find the Niro more than comfy enough over longer journeys. That said, the larger Sportage SUV has even more room for loftier passengers.

Out of the three variants, the EV version has the biggest boot, measuring 475 litres, while the full hybrid boot is 451 litres. The PHEV is a much less practical alternative though, with just 348 litres of space. A good reason to stick with the EV, so long as the higher price doesn’t put you off.

It’s capable on longer journeys, too, as the EV will run on whisper-silent battery power for up to 285 miles, according to the official tests.

You’ll find the Niro comfy enough over lumps and bumps as well, and it doesn’t wallow about like a ship on a stormy sea when you put it through a faster corner either. It feels stable and secure, but it’s not particularly fun to drive. But then again, that’s not really what the Niro is all about.

There’s also a fleet of safety systems to help you out, such as lane keep assist, smart cruise control and lane follow assist, with adaptive cruise and highway assist fitted to mid and top-spec models.

Although it may not be the most exciting car around, the electric Kia Niro should be in your consideration if you’re after an eco-friendly family car. If you want to check out the latest offers on this electric family SUV, visit or Kia Niro EV deals page, or browse the latest used Niro EV stock.

You can also check out deals on other used Kia models, while if you want to change your car with carwow use the sell my car tool – our trusted dealers will bid on your car to get you the best price.

Prices for the Niro do depend on which version you go for. The electric car is more expensive than the regular hybrid or the plug-in hybrid. On the other hand, with zero exhaust emissions the EV is arguably the most appealing. It’s the most practical of the three, has a good range from its 65kWh battery pack and has a more spacious cabin. For a company car driver, rock-bottom tax rates make it the clear pick of the range.

Although it’s pricier than other types of Niro, against its electric alternatives the Niro is good value for money – the Peugeot e-2008, Skoda Enyaq and BYD Atto 3 all have more expensive starting prices.

The Niro EV is a good all-round car, especially in town with its tight turning circle and light steering. It's just not very exciting

In town

With its balanced suspension setup to combat body roll and bumps in the road, you’ll find the Niro works well around town. Slower speed bumps that may have otherwise unsettled the car don’t have much of an effect. However, going over cracks and bumps can transfer a serious thunk into the cabin.

There are large door mirrors, a well-sized rear mirror and limited blind spots. Pair that to a small turning circle of 10.7m and you’ve got a car that’s very easy to manoeuvre around town. The steering is nice and light, so getting around town is simple.

Being an EV, you waft through traffic in near silence. There’s a strong response from the electric motor the moment you press on the throttle, so it’s easy to nip into any gap in traffic. And as there are no exhaust emissions, you know that your urban journeys aren’t as harmful to local air quality as travelling in a car with an internal combustion engine.

On the motorway

Kia has fitted this 2022 Niro with more insulation and sound-deadening than the previous model, and that means motorway driving is much quieter than before. That’s most noticeable in the Niro EV, with wind and tyre noise now much less obvious than while travelling in the old car.

The Niro is also fitted with a decent amount of assistance systems as standard to make long-distance driving simpler. Lane keep assist, lane follow assist, forward collision assist and smart cruise control are all fitted as standard here, all of them helping you knock off the miles easily. Higher spec models get blind spot monitoring as well, warning if you are about to change lanes towards another car you haven’t noticed.

On a twisty road

As an SUV, you’d think body roll will be pretty obvious when driving the Kia on a winding country road. But with the suspension setup it has, the Niro manages to handle its weight well and soaks up the bumps nicely. It’s not too wide either and it’ll go down most B-roads without any trouble.

The steering is responsive at higher speeds, although there isn’t a huge amount of feel. The electric motor is also very responsive, meaning you can get out of corners quickly and not worry about getting bogged down. It’s no sports car, but the 0-60mph time of 7.8 seconds shows that the Niro EV doesn’t hang around.

Spacious in all areas of the car, with the boot of the EV the best of the Niro's line-up. The only downside is the size of the door bins

With the Niro, you get lots of space throughout, especially with the EV. Up front there’s plenty of adjustment for the driver, while your front passenger will be happy with the head and legroom they have. Powered lumbar support for the driver is standard on all but the entry-level ‘2’ spec car, and the front passenger enjoys the same feature on the range-topping ‘4’ model.

There’s also a decent amount of storage space up front, with well-sized central bins and cup holders, while there’s a good space for your phone. The door bins aren’t the largest, but you can fit a water bottle in there and any other bits you might need.

Space in the back seats

In the back seats, there’s decent space for head and legroom, with the EV also getting the benefit of a flat floor so taking three adults won’t be an issue. The seats are a little flat though so you might get a sore bum after a long while.

There are USB ports in the sides of the front seats for those needing to charge devices on the go, while there’s decent storage and some cupholders in the fold-down armrest in the middle.

The electric EV6 does have more room for rear-seat passengers than the Niro, but you’ll need to stretch your budget quite a bit further.

Boot space

In the boot, you’ve got access to 475 litres in the EV. That’s an improvement over the 451 litres in the standard hybrid and 358 litres in the PHEV. The PHEV is much worse off due to its electric drive batteries being stored under the boot floor, which seriously hampers practicality. Generous boot space is another reason to favour the EV over the other Niro models.

The Niro spans a few categories and up against the Volkswagen ID3 (385 litres) and Peugeot e-2008 (434 litres), while the Skoda Enyaq – admittedly a much larger vehicle – has 585 litres of space.

The shape of the boot is good though, and you’re able to fit plenty in. There are also tie-down points and a 12-volt socket if you need to use them.

While interior quality is good, with large screens and decent equipment, it's not the most exciting cabin

Kia’s interior styling has improved a lot, especially with its eco-friendly models. Cars like the EV6 and latest Sportage all have sleek cabins that are well-built and easy to navigate. The Niro is no different and the cabin is tidy and simple.

You get large screens, cool lines and textures to help it look modern, and a good amount of piano black trim – although that can scratch fairly easily.

The overall layout of the infotainment is also good, with the graphics on both screens being very clear and easy to read. The infotainment system itself is also easy to navigate and looks exactly the same in any other Kia with its neon icons and dark background, but you’ll likely use your Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connection.

On the driver’s display, you can navigate between different data options and screen designs. Again, all of these are clear and easy to read, while they change when you cycle through the drive modes.

As manufacturers look to reduce emissions and waste, that means there’s less personalisation to make your car better suited to you. That means the only real options are cosmetic, such as paint colour and exterior trim detailing.

As you would expect, the EV version is the best for your wallet once you pay the premium of buying an EV in the first place. With its 64.8kWh battery pack, the Niro can do an official 285 miles on a single charge, if you can achieve the 4.4 miles/kWh efficiency that is. You’re more likely to get somewhere around 260 miles on a charge, and if you have a wall charger at home, that makes ownership much easier.

If you do need to charge on a long journey, every version of the Niro EV is compatible with DC rapid chargers. Kia says the Niro can go from 10-80% in as little as 43 minutes, in ideal conditions.

In terms of driver assistance and keeping your four wheels on the road, Kia has fitted the electric Niro with plenty of kit as standard. You get forward collision assist, lane keep assist, intelligent speed limit assist, lane follow assist and smart cruise control with stop/go.

By choosing grade ‘3’ or ‘4’, you’ll get access to blind spot monitoring and highway driver assist, both of which make motorway and long-distance driving much simpler. For those wanting to make parking that little bit easier, the ‘4’ model comes with remote parking and parking collision avoidance.

Remote central locking is standard on ‘2’ spec, while grades ‘3’ and ‘4’ have a smart key and push-button starting.

With a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, if anything does go wrong with your Niro, it’ll be fixed no problem. Even if you didn’t have such a long warranty, you wouldn’t have to worry too much, as the previous Niro performed superbly in terms of reliability.

If progress is a sign of anything, it’ll be that the latest Niro will be even better. Yes, there’s a lot more electrically-powered equipment which has a chance of going wrong, but as Kia models continually perform reliably, you shouldn't have a lot to worry about.

Generally speaking, electric cars are more reliable than those with petrol or diesel engines, so Niro EV owners should sleep easy.