Kia Niro EV

The Kia Niro EV has become one of the most popular and affordable family electric SUVs

Overview

The Kia Niro EV is the second generation of what Kia used to call the ‘e-Niro’. Just in case you’re wondering, the name’s got nothing to do with Nero the Roman Emperor or Robert De Niro the actor.

All forms of the Niro are now a very common sight on UK roads. The car is very practical and not too expensive. It’s the ubiquitous, functional, SUV shape, with plenty of room for family and friends.

The Niro EV also comes with Kia’s unique 7-year warranty which brings considerable peace of mind if you plan to buy the car and keep it for a while.

Battery range is very solid, too. Way more than you need for normal daily driving. If you are on a trip and need to stop to charge, the rapid charging speed is OK, without being exceptional, but it’s fine for most situations.

For full details about charging times and costs, both at home and in public, official and real-world range, all trims and costs, efficiency and performance, etc., check out all of the review sections below.

Kia Niro EV Price, Trims & Variants

The price of the Kia Niro EV starts at £37,325 for the base 2 trim, and goes up to £42,325 for the top spec 4 trim. Here are all the variants:

Range & Batteries

How far can you drive on a full charge of the battery in the Niro EV? In ideal conditions, you should be able to achieve the official ‘WLTP’ range in miles. However in winter, for example, electric car batteries don’t perform as well, and actual range will be lower.

This table shows both the more optimistic WLTP range, and a rough, more likely ‘average’ range for the various versions of the Niro:

Efficiency

We are all used to ‘miles per gallon’ of petrol or diesel when thinking about efficiency in traditional cars. With EVs, you need to replace ‘gallon’ with ‘kWh’. 1 kWh = 1 unit of electricity. So the ‘miles per kWh’ measure tells you how many miles you can go on 1 kWh of electricity – the higher the number the better.

Here’s data for the Niro EV, together with an equivalent in miles per gallon (yes, electric cars really are that efficient!):

Charging Times & Costs

If you have off-street parking, the best and cheapest place to charge your Niro EV is at home. Depending on your home energy tariff, you’ll either charge at a standard flat rate or at a lower off-peak rate. The 0-100% charge times below are a ‘worst case’ scenario – typically you will charge 1-2 hours a day, or maybe go for a longer charge on just a couple of days a week.

Charging at Home on an Off-peak rate of 10p per kWh

Charging at Home on a Peak rate of 34p per kWh

When you’re on a trip, you can get a quick boost at a rapid charger. These vary in terms of charging speed and you are also limited by the Niro’s maximum charging rate. Take the 10-80% charging times with a pinch of salt – the charging rate will gradually decrease and times are often longer.

Charging in Public at a 50 kW Rapid Charger at a rate of 50p per kWh

Charging in Public at a 150 kW Rapid Charger at a rate of 60p per kWh

Charging in Public at a 350 kW Rapid Charger at a rate of 70p per kWh

Performance

The Kia Niro EV, like all pure electric cars, has its wheels turned by one or more electric motors. The motors themselves are powered by a lithium-ion battery. Battery + electric motor is a great combination, giving you instant torque with no gears to change.

You’ll find the electric Niro eerily quiet after an internal combustion engine. Here are the performance stats:

Kia Niro EV Boot Space & Dimensions

The Niro is an SUV, and its boot space can be further increased by folding the rear seats down. Here are all the boot and dimensions measurements:

Boot Space & Cargo Volume

Dimensions

Next Steps

We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief analysis of the Kia Niro EV. We’ve focussed mainly on potentially unfamiliar electric car related items, such as batteries, range and charging.

Where to next?

1. Narrow down your EV search in a systematic way using our Car Selector tool
2. Read more about the Niro EV at Kia’s UK website
3. If you’re ready to go, consider leasing the Kia Niro EV from a low-cost broker