2024 Kia Niro EV GT-Line review

2 weeks ago 6

The Kia Niro is astir to get earnestly upstaged.

The caller Kia EV5 is acceptable to romp into the Niro’s turf with a bolder plan and overmuch stronger proviso retired of China.

In fact, Kia expects to beryllium capable to bring successful up to 850 EV5s each month, which could spot it merchantability 10,200 examples annually. The institution sold conscionable 1000 Niro EVs successful 2023.

We haven’t driven the EV5 yet, truthful we can’t accidental for definite if it’s the amended car. We besides don’t yet cognize however overmuch it volition cost.

Nevertheless, the Niro is successful information of becoming adjacent much overlooked than it already is.

Should this electrical wallflower beryllium connected your shortlist?

How overmuch does the Kia Niro cost?

We’ve enactment the Niro EV GT-Line to the test, which is the priciest subordinate of the Niro scope astatine astir $10,000 much than the larger Tesla Model Y RWD and astir $4000 much than the related Hyundai Kona Electric Premium Extended Range.

Based connected a Sydney postcode, you’re looking astatine a drive-away terms tag of $78,282. Add different $520 for premium paint.

The Niro EV GT-Line’s terms tag makes it ineligible for Queensland EV incentives.

2024 Kia Niro pricing

2024 Kia Niro EV S: $66,590
2024 Kia Niro EV GT-Line: $72,360

All prices exclude on-road costs.

To spot however the Kia Niro lines up against its rivals, check retired our examination tool.

What is the Kia Niro similar connected the inside?

The angular lines of the Niro’s exterior proceed wrong the cabin, astir notably connected the doorway panels.

There’s besides a neat alcove successful the dashboard with ambient airy elements.

Kia has sacrificed functionality somewhat for the involvement of style. The dramatically angled beforehand doorway trims person elephantine slabs of gloss achromatic trim, portion their ledges are excessively constrictive to comfortably remainder your arm.

The abundance of gloss achromatic trim carries done to the centre console, which is astir wholly finished successful the smudge-, dust- and scratch-prone material.

Other worldly choices are better. The dash apical is finished successful a comparatively soft-touch worldly with a textured finish, for example.

The 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen has the modern graphics and logical interface expected of a Kia surface successful 2024, but the surface itself is wide yet abbreviated successful stature.

Oddly, Android Auto doesn’t instrumentality up the afloat screen. It, on with Apple CarPlay, besides inactive requires a cord to connect. It’s a USB-A outlet too, though there’s a abstracted USB-C outlet for charging devices up front.

There’s a useful EV menu, which besides includes a graphical practice of your remaining scope – some with and without air-conditioning connected – positive your nearest complaint stop.

The integer instrumentality clump has charismatic graphics too, though there’s nary representation presumption disposable arsenic you’ll find successful immoderate rival brands.

The Harman Kardon dependable strategy is excellent, but determination are immoderate antithetic diagnostic omissions for a top-spec Kia astatine this terms point. You get the brand’s useful Remote Smart Park Assist, but there’s nary surround-view camera similar you tin find connected vehicles costing thousands less.

The Remote Smart Park Assist, if you’re unfamiliar with the feature, allows you to determination the conveyance guardant and backmost from extracurricular – useful if immoderate rude idiosyncratic has parked excessively intimately to your door, oregon if you person a choky garage. It sounds similar a gimmick, but it came successful useful for maine connected astatine slightest a mates of occasions. It’s besides a amusive enactment trick.

The rotary dial for cogwheel enactment is tactile, and the touch-capacitive climate/media power sheet – arsenic seen successful different Kias similar the Sportage – is elemental to usage and features a brace of knobs.

A wireless charging pad sits astatine the basal connected the centre stack, portion connected the centre console there’s an unfastened retention country with retractable cupholders. The enclosed centre console bin, however, is connected the tiny side.

In presumption of different storage, there’s a decently sized mitt compartment positive vessel holders successful the doors.

Everything feels screwed unneurotic well, though the doors don’t adjacent with arsenic coagulated a thunk arsenic I’d expect.

Step into the backmost and there’s a comfy rear seat and plentifulness of headroom and legroom. At 180cm tall, I could beryllium successful the somewhat higher, firmer centre spot and my caput inactive didn’t interaction the roof.

We’ve antecedently acceptable 3 big males abreast successful a Niro Hybrid for a travel to the airdrome with minimal grumbling, truthful the compartment is decently wide, too. Toe room, however, is simply a spot choky successful the Niro EV, though the level is level which is antithetic for an EV connected a combustion-engine platform.

There’s a USB-C outlet successful each beforehand seatback, positive a vehicle-to-load (V2L) outlet astatine the rear of the centre console.

The second allows you to powerfulness outer appliances with a accepted three-prong plug astatine up to 3.6kW; there’s besides an outer V2L outlet which you tin plug appliances into with an adaptor. There are besides 3 top-tether and 2 ISOFIX anchor points for kid seats.

Visibility retired the backmost is mean acknowledgment to a chunky C/D-pillar and a slim rear window. The Niro besides has rather a precocious loop line, truthful the compartment isn’t arsenic airy arsenic it could be.

Open the powered tailgate and there’s a decent 475L of cargo space, expanding to 1392L with the rear seats folded. There’s besides a tiny cavity nether the bonnet for other storage.

What’s nether the bonnet?

There’s conscionable 1 powertrain disposable successful the Niro EV range. If you don’t privation axenic electrical power, Kia besides offers the Niro with a hybrid powertrain successful Australia.

Model	Niro EV GT-Line
Drivetrain	Single-motor electrical drive
System power	150kW
System torque	255Nm
Driven wheels	Front-wheel drive
Battery	64.8kWh lithium-ion (358V)
0-100km/h	7.8 seconds
Claimed range	460km (WLTP)
Energy depletion (claimed)	16.2kWh/100km
Energy depletion (as tested)	16kWh/100km (300km mixed driving)
Charging capableness (DC)	85kW
DC complaint clip (10-80 per cent)	43 minutes
Weight	1727kg (tare)

To spot however the Niro lines up against the competition, cheque retired our comparison tool.

How does the Kia Niro drive?

The Niro is broadly competent without being exceptionally memorable to drive.

Let’s get the not-so-nice worldly retired of the way. The steering is oddly heavy, without being peculiarly communicative.

It doesn’t lighten up overmuch astatine debased speeds, with an antithetic magnitude of resistance, which makes the Niro little manageable successful a parking batch than, say, the larger EV6. We besides observed an annoying hold with the reversing camera.

The thrust tin get a small spot unsettled connected peculiarly patchy roadworthy surfaces, with the value of the 443kg artillery noticeable. For the astir portion however, the Niro rides comfortably, absorbing impacts adeptly.

The Niro is speedy disconnected the enactment without feeling overwhelming, with small successful the mode of torque steer. Sport mode makes it consciousness a spot much sprightly, but you’re ne'er truly near wanting erstwhile it comes to performance.

The dense artillery placed nether the compartment results successful a debased centre of gravity, and the Niro feels coagulated and planted. Handling is harmless and predictable.

The compartment is quiet, adjacent connected coarse-chip roads oregon astatine road speeds. Little successful the mode of upwind and tyre sound gets into the cabin.

There’s a one-pedal thrust mode, but you’ll request to activate this each clip you commencement the conveyance by pulling 1 of the paddles. The car will, however, retrieve your auto-hold setting.

If you’re caller to the satellite of EVs, you whitethorn find the one-pedal thrust mode daunting astatine archetypal but you rapidly get utilized to it. Otherwise, you tin toggle it to person arsenic small regenerative braking arsenic possible, making this consciousness much similar a precise quiescent Seltos.

In presumption of charging, there’s artillery pre-conditioning. As expected, you tin besides acceptable AC and DC complaint limits.

With 460km of WLTP range, it’s fundamentally lineball with the basal Tesla Model Y RWD which has 455km… but costs astir $10,000 less.

The Niro’s suite of progressive information and operator assistance features enactment without drama. We peculiarly similar however the blind-spot diagnostic volition actively intervene alternatively of simply sounding a chime erstwhile it detects danger; it volition besides vibrate the steering wheel.

The reddish light/speed camera alert diagnostic proved annoying, however.

What bash you get?

The GT-Line sits supra the basal S successful the two-model Niro EV range.

Niro EV S highlights:

Automatic headlights
Automatic high-beam
Halogen headlights
LED beforehand fog lights
Keyless introduction and start
Rain-sensing wipers
6-speaker dependable system
10.25-inch integer instrumentality cluster
10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
DAB integer radio
Wired Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
Dual-zone clime control
Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel
Tilt and telescopic steering file adjustment
Cloth/artificial leather upholstery
Eight-way powerfulness driver’s seat
Rear centre armrest
Kia Connect connected services
- incl. exigency telephone function, distant conveyance monitoring

Niro EV GT-Line adds:

LED headlights
Rear privateness glass
Remote Smart Park Assist
Single-pane sunroof
Hands-free powerfulness tailgate
8-speaker Harman Kardon dependable system
10-inch head-up display
Heated steering wheel
Leatherette upholstery
8-way powerfulness rider seat
Heated and ventilated beforehand seats
Alloy pedals
LED interior lighting
64-colour ambient lighting
Wireless telephone charger

Is the Kia Niro safe?

The Kia Niro EV has a five-star information rating from ANCAP, based connected investigating conducted successful 2022.

It received an big occupant extortion standing of 88 per cent, a kid occupant extortion standing of 84 per cent, a susceptible roadworthy idiosyncratic extortion standing of 76 per cent, and a information assistance standing of 87 per cent.

Standard information instrumentality connected the Niro EV S includes:

Autonomous exigency braking (AEB)
- Vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist detection
- Junction assist
Blind-spot assist
Driver attraction alert with starring conveyance departure alert
Lane-keep assist
Lane Following Assist (lane centring)
Rear cross-traffic assist
Safe exit warning
Rear occupant alert
Rear parking sensors
Reversing camera
Front, front-side, centre-side, driver’s genu and curtain airbags

Niro GT-Line adds:

Parking Collision Avoidance Assist – Reverse
Safe Exit Assist
Front parking sensors

How overmuch does the Kia Niro outgo to run?

The Kia Niro EV is backed by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre conveyance warranty and a seven-year, 150,000km artillery warranty.

Kia offers three-, five- and seven-year pre-paid work plans, priced astatine $706, $1351 and $1997, respectively. While that’s connected par with the likes of the BYD Atto 3, it’s a much conventional, ICE-like attack to attraction than Tesla.

The American marque doesn’t specify servicing intervals for its Model Y and lone specifies immoderate items that request to beryllium replaced each 2-4 years similar compartment aerial filters.

CarExpert’s Take connected the Kia Niro

The Kia Niro is 1 of those vehicles that leaves small lasting impression.

That’s not needfully a atrocious thing. In fact, its precocious level of all-round competence means determination are fewer flaws that linger successful one’s memory.

But it’s besides not terribly exciting, and astatine implicit $70,000 and facing immoderate pugnacious competition, it ought to person a small spot much pizazz. It doesn’t consciousness cheap, but it doesn’t consciousness similar a $70,000 car, either.

It’s hard to enactment one’s digit connected conscionable what’s missing here. It’s speedy enough, handles and rides good enough, and has a decent magnitude of interior room.

It’s besides much absorbing to look astatine than the past Niro, which was exceedingly conservative. There are distinctive angular lighting elements, positive the antithetic colour-contrast C-pillar trim is similar thing other retired there.

And yet it doesn’t person rather the ocular interaction wide of the upcoming EV5. With perchance crisp pricing for that exemplary positive stronger supply, the Niro is apt to recede adjacent further into the background.

It’s besides hard to disregard the elephant successful the room: the alternatively elephantine-looking Tesla Model Y, which is not lone Australia’s best-selling EV, but 1 of the market’s champion sellers, period.

It can’t lucifer immoderate of the luxury items of the Niro, but it offers much abstraction and slick exertion of its own. The Niro’s lofty terms tag besides pushes it up adjacent to rivals from luxury brands similar the BMW iX1.

It’s not a atrocious car by immoderate stretch, but it’s successful an uncomfortable, precarious presumption that tin lone beryllium remedied with immoderate terms cuts.