2025 Kia Niro

Pros 

• The ride is quiet and comfy. 
• Amazingly good fuel economy. 
• A large place for luggage and seating. 

Cons 

• Slow but steady speeding up. 
• You can’t get all-wheel drive. 
• It might get annoying to drive around turns or over bumps.

How does Niro like to drive? When going slowly, the Niro stays calm and collected. But it could be more appealing when you need a quick boost. The Niro’s handling could be better than that of the Toyota Prius, which has recently improved in this area. The Niro accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 9.7 seconds on our test track. This is really slow for a hybrid these days, and it feels that way while you’re driving it. 

Aside from moving slowly, the Niro is also hard to turn. When it quickly changes directions, its body becomes very shaky; it looks weak and easy to bend. The steering wheel is not very satisfying to feel, but its light weight seems right for this type of car. There’s no doubt that the Niro feels much more at ease in cities.

How comfortable is Niro? The Niro is a great car to drive, and the cabin is mostly quiet. It only gets noisy when you speed up quickly. At city speeds, it’s really nice. In the same way, the suspension can be changed to make sure you’re comfortable over rough roads. The Niro is a beautiful and relaxed way to get home. The seats are supportive and easy to change, but they feel too stiff. Extra padding would make long-distance trips a lot more comfortable. 

The system did great in our tests, and the fact that it comes with standard dual-zone climate control is a great bonus. It’s nice that you can choose to have air in the front seats.

How is the inside? Kia tried to make the Niro feel fresh and new, even though it wasn’t very expensive. The newest version has a bright design with lots of curves and patterns that make it stand out more than the old one. Everything that controls the car is right in front of the driver, making it easy to get to. The driver has to take their eyes off the road to use the switchable touch bar, which can be hard to use to change the temperature and sound settings. The center tablet, on the other hand, is higher on the dashboard and easier to reach. 

The Niro is surprisingly small, but the trunk is surprisingly big. From the front, the view is great, and the driving position is straight up. The rear roof beam might make it hard to see, but it’s pretty good. The Niro has more space for passengers than the Prius, but the fact that the windshield doesn’t taper doesn’t change the headroom.

How does the tech work? Kia’s technology looks good and is easy to use, but it has some things that could be improved. If you choose the bigger tablet, you won’t be able to connect your phone wirelessly, and the data port is an older USB-A instead of a newer USB-C port. This means that, say, the cord that comes with a brand-new iPhone won’t work right away. The Harman Kardon music system sounds great, considering how much the car costs, which is a plus. 

The housing for the 10.25-inch tablet and digital instrument panel has two screens, and it looks sleek and high-end. There are too many ways to enter a location into the onboard navigation system, but the infotainment system is usually simple to use. Google Maps with Apple CarPlay is still the most popular way to get around. There needs to be more than the voice tools that come with the Niro to make the experience much better. 

One of the best parts of the game is Kia’s Highway Driving Assist. It’s lively but not bothersome when driving regularly. The stop-and-go speed control system is well-tuned to ensure the car stops in plenty of time, and activating it is also easy.

How are things with the storage? You’d be surprised at how much this small car can hold. Even more, the multi-level loading floor makes it easy to load things, and the 22.8 cubic-foot cargo area is big and easy to get to. You can fit even long things because the back seats fold almost flat and split in half, 60/40. The Niro’s center bench is big enough to hold most of your daily items, but the door pockets are a bit on the small side. 

Do you have little kids? The fixing points for the back seats of cars are easy to reach. But it might be hard to get little kids into the Niro because it’s not very tall, and the doors don’t open all the way.

How much fuel does it use? On our real test route, the Kia Niro got 47.7 mpg. Our hopes were raised when we learned that the EPA thinks the Niro will get 49 mpg going both ways. On the same road, the Toyota Prius got 50 miles per gallon. It’s not as fuel-efficient as its biggest rival, but the Niro is still a fuel-efficient crossover.

How much is the Niro worth? The Niro has a great set of features and is a great deal for the money. The build of our test car felt solid, but we would have liked to see more high-end materials and less plastic inside. Since a Toyota Prius with similar features costs the same, it’s clear that neither car is clearly better than the other. 

Kia still has one of the best engine warranties in the business, covering 10 years or 100,000 miles. The Niro is a better buy because it comes with a basic warranty that covers five years or 60,000 miles.

The Niro’s best feature is that it can stand out from other cars. It has a unique and interesting look, which is something that many hybrids don’t have. You won’t be impressed by this Kia on a steep road, but it’s a real gem in the city, which is where it really matters.

We suggest that you look at the EX model. For a fair price premium over the base model, you can get upgrades like a bigger infotainment screen, a wireless charging pad, keyless entry, heated seats, and adaptive cruise control. Aside from the fake leather seats, the changes make it look better.