Five things we like	Five things we dislike
Excellent efficiency and accurate range	Lack of seat heating and cooling, even on top model
Decent interior comfort and appointments	Nearing the end of its life;
Strong performance, plenty of torque	Ride a bit firm on city streets
Sharp large-format infotainment system	Front wheel spin under hard acceleration
Conventional design will appeal to those not looking to make an "eco" statement	Recessed boot handle thoughtlessly designed

First things first; this is an electric vehicle that has been on sale since 2018 in other markets, and has arrived in Australia in May 2021 with only a few minor changes since that original launch date. These facts clouded the anticipation of my first Niro EV drive, however in the end, they did little to diminish my impressions of this compact crossover.

Cost and Inclusions

The Niro EV is available in “S” and “Sport” guises, from $62,590 and $65,990 respectively (before on-road costs). This places the Niro EV very close to sister-brand Hyundai’s Kona Electric sibling, as well as Tesla’s popular Model 3 Standard Range Plus.

Both models feature the same drive system, motor, and battery. Brake regeneration control via paddle-shifters, a virtual engine sound system, 17-inch alloys with low rolling-resistance tyres, rear-view camera, wireless Apple Carplay/Android Auto via an 8-inch touchscreen, seven airbags, Autonomous Emergency Braking (car/pedestrian/cyclist), Lane Keep Assist, Lane Follow Assist, Smart Cruise Control, and Driver Attention Alert are standard.

The Sport model adds a 10.25-inch touchscreen with built-in navigation (but with wired Apple Carplay/Android Auto), full LED headlights, a premium 8-speaker JBL audio system, aluminium sports pedals, and Kia’s Blind Spot Detection and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert. it’s disappointing that Kia Australia chose to differentiate the entry-level EV S by excluding these safety systems; we always believe all available safety technology should be standard across a model’s range.

Gallery - Kia Niro EV Sport

Exterior Design

The Niro EV’s exterior design won’t make any jaws drop, though it did receive a surprising number of glances and complements for the week we had the car. This compact utility vehicle debuted at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show, and has only received very minor changes since then.

The car’s design language shares familiar themes from the brand’s other SUVs (no bad thing); The raked windscreen, design accents through the door panels and broad rear end are purposeful, though a little conservative. The cab-backward design of the Niro EV actually gives it a sporty stance, though that appearance is quickly diminished by the small 17-inch alloy wheels. We’ll take range over aesthetics on this car though, and those wheels are shod in skinny 215/55 R17 Michelin Primacy 3 EV tyres.

With a wheelbase of 2,700mm — 100mm longer than Hyundai’s Kona Electric — the Niro EV has more cabin space than its Hyundai cousin. The body is 4,375mm long, while the height is only 1,570mm so the Niro EV has quite a low-slung presence next to other SUVs.

As with most other manufacturers, Kia has chosen light blue accents to highlight its electrified model, and these can be found subtly gracing the front and rear of the Niro EV. Aside from these details and the lack of a front grille, there’s very little to distinguish this as the all-electric model, and some buyers will like it that way.

Interior Design and Features

Climb inside the Niro EV, and while its cabin is not as futuristic as Tesla’s Model 3, the space is well designed and inviting. The artificial leather seats appear sporty, and offer good long-range comfort and support. We always advocate for more sustainable alternatives to leather and wish more manufacturers would offer cloth or synthetic seat options. There’s white contrasting stitching, which, combined with the brushed metallic-look trim elements, save the overly black interior from a funereal aesthetic.

The interior of the Niro EV is a comfortable place to spend time.

The central control stack sits high and falls nicely to hand, as does the ‘floating’ console between the seats which features a circular gear controller, parking brake operation, and driving mode control. There’s a large, rubberised storage shelf underneath where a transmission tunnel would have lived in a petrol model, and a large central bin under an armrest. Two expandable cupholders live under the central drawer, but are too big for coffee cups.

It’s a conservative yet functional interior, and the presence of hard buttons for the vehicle infotainment’s main menus and HVAC controls will be a pleasing site for those who bemoan the intrusion of touch screen control surfaces. I liked the ‘driver only’ mode for the HVAC system; when driving sans passenger, the car will only heat and cool the driver zone, saving energy.

The Niro EV’s central drive controller and console features ample storage.

The steering wheel is sporty; not too thick and not too thin. The usual instrument cluster menu controls appear on the wheel, as do adaptive cruise control functions. The Niro EV doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel, or heated and ventilated seats like the Hyundai Kona Electric highlander.

The infotainment system in the Niro EV Sport is based around a 10.25 inch touchscreen, which is excellent to operate. Fast and easy to use, the basic menu structure will be familiar to drivers of other Hyundai and Kia products.

Charging can be scheduled through the system, utilising a target for the system to reach your set level of charge by a certain departure time, or by manually entering off-peak electricity times and setting the vehicle to only charge during those periods. The cabin’s temperature can also be set for the same departure time. DC and AC charge limits can also be set by the driver, and an energy consumption menu will monitor exactly which vehicle systems and accessories are drawing power at any given time.

Space in the back is good; not cavernous, but ample for even three abreast. Shoulder room and headroom are comfortable, and visibility is fine. There’s an armrest built into the cupholders, and USB power outlets, but Australia misses out on an option for a household power outlet in the rear (the owner’s manual shows it as an option in other markets).

The rear luggage compartment isn’t especially deep, however, its 451-litre capacity is practical, and 90 litres greater than its Hyundai cousin. There’s a small underfloor storage area for an included type 2 EV charging cable, and the tyre repair kit.

Charging and range

The Niro EV is rated at 455km WLTP range.

With a 455-kilometre WLTP range, and a real-world range around town above 400 kilometres (we plan to conduct our own range test soon), the Niro EV would be more than suitable for the average Australian’s weekly commuting needs. When the time does come to charge, however, Kia claims the car will charge from 0-80% in 54 minutes on a 100 kW DC fast charger, in 1 hour 15 minutes on a 50 kW DC fast charger, and in 9 hours 35 minutes on an AC 7.2 kW charger. For those unfamiliar, the latter option would require a licenced electrician-installed home charger.

In ambient temperatures of around 20 degrees on a 350 kW DC fast charger, I experienced brief peak charging power around 75 kW from a 40 per cent state of charge before it quickly tailed off to 54 kW about a 50 per cent state of charge. I didn’t run the battery down more than once during my week with the car, and when plugging in about 80 per cent state of charge, peak power was slow at 22 kW.

Kia’s next-generation E-GMP electric vehicle architecture should revolutionise charging speed; with a 400 and 800 V setup, real-world tests have demonstrated a 10-80 per cent charge time of 18 minutes, adding around 400 kilometres of range in four minutes.

The energy consumption is rated at 159 watt-hours per 100 km (wh/100km) on the WLTP testing cycle, and for our mixed driving, we saw it sit between 146 and 156.9, even with a few squirts in sport mode.

AC and DC Charging is accessed via a flap on the front of the vehicle, and it’s pleasing to see a small LED to help with locating the connectors when it’s dark. There’s a 7.2 kW type-2 AC connector, and a type-2 CCS2 DC connector. The front-mounted port doesn’t really suit my house with a tight, back-in only driveway, however, I imagine most owners would prefer to nose into a fast-charging parking spot rather than back in, as is required on EVs like the Tesla Model 3.

Autonomy and Safety

The Niro hybrid and plug-in hybrid models receive a 5-star safety rating, however, the Niro EV variant we tested remains unrated. The Niro range receives good scores for impact, pedestrian, and child protection tests, and has a full suite of airbags for occupant protection.

There’s a number of active safety features; ABS with ESC and TCS are of course standard, and the Niro range receives Lane Keep Assist and Lane Follow Assist as standard. There’s a driver attention alert system, though blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts and braking are unfortunately only available on this top model. Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) is standard, with pedestrian and cyclist detection.

There’s an adaptive cruise control dubbed Advanced Smart Cruise Control which works well and works smoothly around town or on the freeway. The system notifies the driver when the vehicle ahead has pulled away, and must be reactivated by pressing the accelerator pedal. Only slightly annoying is the fact that the cruise control won’t stay “armed”, and must be switched on every time you get in the car.

Battery and Drivetrain

The Niro EV offers a 64 kWh usable Li-ion polymer battery pack. Hyundai and Kia are unique in advertising the net battery capacity; the gross capacity of the Niro EV and Kona Electric is likely greater than 70 kWh.

The interior is well laid out, with a combination of an excellent touch screen and hard buttons for important vehicle functions.

Manufactured by South Korea’s SK Innovation, the battery comprises 294 cells split into 3 modules with a system voltage of 356 V. The modules weigh 457 kg in total and feature a water-based cooling system to optimise battery performance.

There’s a single permanent magnet synchronous motor up front, with 150 kW and 395 Nm. Regenerative braking is standard on the Niro EV, and there are 4 user-selectable levels (0-3). The Niro EV is a front-wheel drive, with a single-speed reduction transmission that is smooth and usable, and thankfully is nothing like the single-speed continuously variable transmissions (CVT) from petrol cars. As with other electric cars, that torque is instant and addictive, and the Niro EV offers performance above what most buyers of a compact SUV would require.

Under the plastic cover, there’s a 150kW electric motor nestled between the front axle.

On the Road

As we’ve already mentioned, acceleration is great, and the Niro EV is a well-sorted machine to drive. It hasn’t benefited from a local suspension and engineering tune as is often the case with Hyundai and Kia models, and Australia ostensibly gets the same ride and suspension tune as the European market vehicles.

The result is a compact SUV that corners admirably, aided by its low centre of gravity and moderate kerb weight (for an electric SUV) of 1,791 kilograms. While the steering isn’t exactly communicative, the Niro EV is at least easy to place on the road and park. There’s a 10.6-metre turning circle; next-generation electric SUVs like the Volkswagen ID.4 are now offering tighter turning circles around 10.2 metres.

The Niro feels solid as a rock, without a creak or rattle from the interior trim. This is quite a feat; without an engine rattling away, passengers in EVs are acutely aware of in-vehicle Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH). Unfortunately, the suspension is also rock-like: It’s a little too firm around town, and we tried running different tyre pressures between 32-35 PSI with the same result. It feels like the dampers hold some responsibility, though the low-rolling-resistance Michelin Primacy 3 tyres may play a part as well. This isn’t unique to the Niro EV, and is something we’ve found with the last Hyundai Kona EV and Nissan Leaf models we’ve driven.

With all that torque going through the front wheels, the Niro EV finds it difficult to conjure up traction under a heavy right foot, even in dry conditions. The traction control does its job, keeping the driver on course, but it can be a little frustrating if you’re targeting a small gap coming out of an intersection. On the plus side, there’s very little pull or torque steer under acceleration, and the Niro EV pulls quickly and comfortably to highway speeds.

Comfort, Sport, Eco and Eco + driving modes are selectable by the driver and balance efficiency and performance depending on your preference. I was actually happy running around in Eco mode; a good balance between performance and efficiency.

Servicing and Running Costs

Oil and oil filter changes are a thing of the past with EVs. Instead, you’re looking at replacing battery coolant, wiper blades, cabin air filters and tyres as needed. Kia Australia offers three, five and seven-year servicing packages, averaging $400 per year.

There’s an outstanding seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with roadside assistance included (two years longer than Hyundai’s offering), and a seven-year/150,000km battery warranty. Kia will replace the battery pack for you if the capacity falls below 75 percent.

Conclusion

If you have $65-70,000 to spend and are sworn off polluting diesel SUVs, The Niro EV is a fine vehicle. Offering plenty of space and performance, it actually stands alone in the Australian EV market by offering more practicality than its mechanically identical Hyundai Kona Electric cousin, yet excellent value (and of course range) against the big Euro electric SUVs from Audi, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz.

Yes, the Kia Niro EV is nearing the end of its life, but this is a car that is no less competitive for that fact. Aesthetically it’s a little plain, but it does what it says on the tin, and represents a commitment from Kia Australia that electrification will continue to drive the brand.

2021 Kia Niro EV Sport Review