Pros

• Things that make a ride quiet and nice.
• Excellent fuel economy.
• There is a lot of room for stuff and seats.

Cons

• Gradually speed up.
• There needs to be a way to get an all-wheel drive.
• The driver may get tense when going around curves or over bumps.

How does Niro move? At low speeds, the Niro is stable and easy to drive. It doesn’t look as good when you need to speed up quickly. The Toyota Prius has much better performance ratings than the Niro, so its agility is below average. It took the Niro 9.7 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph on our test track. That’s not fast for a hybrid, and driving feels slow.

The Niro isn’t athletic, and its acceleration could be better, too. The Niro’s frame is shaky when you quickly change directions; it feels light and weak. Even though the steering wheel doesn’t feel very good, the lightweight feels suitable for this kind of car. The Niro is more comfortable in the city.

How comfortable is the Niro? The Niro is easy to drive and has a quiet car that only gets noisy when you speed up quickly. It’s very pleasing when going fast in the city. Similarly, changes have been made to the suspension to make it smoother over road bumps. The Niro is a lovely and calm way to get home. The seats feel too stiff, even though they are comfortable and easily switched around. Extra padding would make driving long distances a lot more pleasant.

Dual-zone temperature control is a great feature; our tests showed that the system worked well. A great bonus is a front seat air that can be added as an option.

How is the inside? Even though it wasn’t costly, Kia worked hard to make the Niro feel modern and fun. The most recent model has a bright, angular, and pattern-filled design, making it much more unique than the last generation. All of the controls are easily placed right in front of the driver. The driver has to take their eyes off the road to change the settings on the touch bar that can be used to switch between music and climate. The tablet in the middle, on the other hand, is higher on the dashboard and easier to use.

Considering how small the Niro is, the trunk is shockingly significant. The view from the front is beautiful, and the driver sits up straight. There isn’t much wrong with the rear roof pillar, but it can be a blind spot. The Niro has more space for passengers than the Prius, and the fact that the roofline doesn’t taper doesn’t change the legroom.

How does the tech work? Kia’s technology looks good and is easy to use, but it has some problems that make it look old. You must pick the giant tablet and the older USB-A port over the newer USB-C port to connect your phone wirelessly. So, for example, the chord that comes with a new iPhone won’t work immediately. The Harman Kardon sound system is an excellent choice for the price of the car.

The 10.25-inch tablet and digital instrument panel are in a sleek, high-end twin-screen chassis. While it’s easy to use the leisure system, the onboard navigation system is complex because so many choices need to be made before you can get to a place. Apple CarPlay with Google Maps is still the most popular way to get around. The speech commands that come with the Niro aren’t strong enough to improve things.

The Highway Driving Assist on Kias is one of the best out there. Driving daily is busy, but it never feels like getting in the way. The stop-and-go cruise control system is set up correctly because the car stops early. In addition to that, the setup is an easy process.

What’s the deal with the storage? This little hatchback has a fantastic amount of space for cargo. The multi-level loading floor makes it easy to load things, and the 22.8 cubic-foot cargo area is big and straightforward to get to. The back seats can be split in half and folded almost flat, so long items can also fit. The door pockets on the Niro are small, but the center bench has enough space for most of your daily items.

Do you have little kids? The fixing points for the car’s back seat are easy to get to. On the other hand, the Niro’s low height and narrow door openings may make it hard to move small children.

What kind of fuel economy does it have? The Kia Niro got 47.7 miles per gallon on our objective test route. We had higher hopes because the Niro gets 49 mpg on average, according to the EPA. The Toyota Prius got 50 mpg on the same trip. However, the Niro is a fuel-efficient car, even though its main competitor is better.

Should you buy the Niro? The Niro works well for the price and can do many different things. The build quality of our test car looked good, but we would have liked more high-quality materials and less plastic on the inside. Compared to Toyota Prius models with similar features, both cars are about the same price, so it’s clear neither is a better pick.

Kia still has one of the best engine warranties, covering ten years or 100,000 miles. This, along with the Niro’s fundamental guarantee of five years or 60,000 miles, makes it a better buy.

How unique the Niro is is the biggest question about it. Some blends don’t have the fun and creative parts of the design. This Kia could be better on canyon roads, but it’s excellent in the city, which is what counts.

The base LX is an excellent pick if your main goal is to get the most for the least amount. Not only is it a way to get around, but it also has a lot of great benefits. The EX is better, though, if you have the room. You can choose a 10.25-inch central touchscreen, navigation, synthetic leather upholstery, and adaptive cruise control for a few thousand dollars more. Even though Apple CarPlay and Android Auto require a cable connection, a wireless phone charger is included. Although Kia should have made this vexing concession sooner, we won’t let it derail our purchase.

Kia Niro variations

The Kia Niro hybrid for 2024 is a small SUV available in LX, EX, EX Touring, SX, and SX Touring model levels. Every Niro has a four-cylinder hybrid electric powertrain with 139 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission transfers That power to the front wheels.