2021 Kia Niro Electric

"The Kia e-Niro offers car buyers a pure electric vehicle that we’re sure can cover 300 miles on one charge in the real-world if it’s not driven constantly at motorway speeds. It also has a practical body style, and at just under £33,000 after the recently revised (ie. reduced) UK government plug-in car grant, it’s relatively affordable. We’ve already rated the Hyundai Kona Electric very highly; whether you prefer the design of the Kona or the Niro is a subjective thing, but the e-Niro offers similar benefits to the Kona, but with more space. Therefore, for addressing many of the common objections to EVs (such as insufficient driving range, high price, impractical body styles etc), and for leap-frogging past the likes of the Nissan LEAF in terms of driving range, the Kia e-Niro gains a Green Car Guide rating of 10 out of 10. Car buyers typically say they would want an EV with a driving range of at least 300 miles before they would buy one, so now there’s no excuse. Is there any way to improve the e-Niro? We’d repeat the same suggestion that we made for the Kona Electric – an all-wheel drive option would deliver all that torque to wet roads more effectively than front-wheel drive. But in the meantime, with our government encouraging motorists to buy cars that help with the two major challenges of climate change and local air quality, then the Kia e-Niro is a solution with very few downsides."

"There’s no gear selector for the automatic transmission – just buttons for Drive, Reverse and Park. But you can adjust the level of brake regeneration using steering-wheel mounted paddles – which is a helpful substitute for the ability to change gear, especially on twisty, hilly roads. Although the e-Niro is a relatively high vehicle, because the (457kg) battery is located under the floor, there’s a low centre of gravity, which assists the handling. The e-Niro weighs 1,812 kg in total, but it still has a comfortable ride. Another benefit of the e-Niro is that the steering wheel has adjustment for height and reach, unlike the Nissan LEAF, so most people should be able to get a comfortable driving position. The Kia e-Niro has zero tailpipe emissions and a combined electric driving range of 282 miles based on the new, more realistic, WLTP test. This was initially reported as 301 miles, but a correction was made, and the figure was subsequently revised to 282 miles. The city element of the WLTP test produces an impressive range figure of 382 miles. The Hyundai Kona Electric combined WLTP range has now been revised to 279 miles – so the e-Niro has the edge by three miles."

"So what about the e-Niro’s real-world range? On the launch event in Korea we weren’t able to carry out any form of 100% scientific test, but we drove 108.5 miles, at an average of around 50mph, at the end of which we still had two-thirds of battery charge left. This approximates to a projected range of 325.5 miles – beating the (revised) official WLTP combined figure. We’ll have to wait until we can have an e-Niro for a week in the UK before confirming our real-life range findings. The e-Niro has a battery heating system which is designed to insulate and warm up the battery while the vehicle is plugged in, minimising the adverse effects of cold temperatures. And the e-Niro has a lower drag co-efficient (0.29 Cd) than the Niro Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid models (0.30 Cd). Charging the e-Niro from 0-100% using a 7kW home charge point will take just under 10 hours (so this can be done overnight). A charge from 0% – 80% using a rapid (50kW) DC public charge point takes 1 hour 15 minutes. This could be done in 54 minutes using a 100kW charger. Our Kia e-Niro 64 kWh ‘First Edition’ test car – the only spec of e-Niro available – is priced at £32,995 after deduction of the (recently reduced) £3,500 UK government plug-in car grant. In comparison, the Hyundai Kona Electric Premium SE spec, available just with the 64kWh battery, costs £32,795, after the £3,500 grant. So the e-Niro costs just £200 more than the Kona."

"2021 Kia Niro EV Premium -- Owner's review 6 months after This won't be just be a review of the car but inf for electric cars in general because as you'll see, there is more you have to worry about than just the car. One additional piece of information is that I live in Texas. That'll be important later. So. 2021 Kia Niro EV premium. I had a 2018 Mazda 6 signature and got 20k for trade in with 70k miles. The total cost of the Kia was about 46k. TTL and extended warranty brought the financed amount to about 28k. One of the reasons I was looking to give up a perfectly good, reasonably new car is because my commute (about 80-100 miles daily) just wasn't working with my gas consumption which was easily $200-300/month. Almost the monthly cost of a new car. I've had the Niro for about 6 months and have accrued about 8700 miles. I was very excited when I first bought it. It's a bit faster than my mazda was (it was a turbo engine), a bit more space, and more importantly I didn't have to pay for gas anymore. Now, I know what you're thinking: the additional cost of electricity to recharge will offset what I would pay for gas. For those than don't or haven't lived in Texas, let me give you some inside info that I'm positive you won't know. As I'm sure you've heard from the freeze last year, the Texas power grid is weird. I can shop around from different companies to provide me electricity. One of the incentives through the company I have is that they offer free electricity on weekends with a bit higher rate during the week. So I can charge my car on weekends for no cost. This translates to a very minimal uptick on my electricity bill because I still have to recharge during the week. The Wallbox comes with an app that you can track electricity use and map that to a dollar figure so you know what you actually pay towards charing. Which I'll pick up in just a bit. #Pros - No gas - Better infotainment that the mazda. - More space than Mazda 6 - ELECTRIC POWAAAAAH - Adaptive cruise control works better than Mazda. Lane keeping is ok but needs some work. It takes some getting used to to know what conditions the car will disengage lane keep. And it doesn't always keep you center, sometimes it will bias to one side then bumps you back into center. There's also no audible notification that lane keep disengages. It's only a small light that turns from green (engaged) to white (disengaged). If you're not actively paying attention, it WILL disengage and veer you into the next lane or barrier. - Nice ride. Can't complain. - Very few maintenance requirements. #Cons - It makes this really obnoxious reverse sound. This is not an EV feature either. It is also present on their gas models as well (from what I understand). - No power liftback. Very disappointed in this on a top trim. You have to open and close"

"I must add that all the suspension has been checked by me (former mechanic) ,my local garage and three different Kia branches. Therefore I'm content it's not a ball joint, wishbone, strut, lose wheel, insecure Bonnet etc. #108· Jan 28, 2025 My 2022 Nero is in for a complete rebuild of the front suspension. This seems to be a common problem and you should not be fobbed off. Had a Mazda before the Niro and build quality so much better on Mazda. Kia are no help they don't care about the customer. #5· Dec 22, 2023 Just another update for mine. That's the car been left with the dealer for a week. Apparently they can hear the noise but can't find the faulty item. All steering, suspension and motor parts in order and not failing. Been told to take it away for another month or so and see if it gets worse. Ultimately I will be going back to the dealer in January for another attempt at identifying the problem"

"#4· Nov 23, 2023 Hi everyone. I have a sept 2022 niro ev3 which I am the only owner. It's had covered 10'000 miles mainly on the motorway / a roads. I developed an intermittent front suspension knock 8 months ago which I hear going over speed bumps or uneven ground, but as I say intermittently. It appears to happen shortly after turning a corner and then going straight again or going up/down hill, then as you proceed straight it won't happen again. Anyway the car has been into Kia 3 times for a single day each time and they have not been able to find or cure the knock. First time I was fobbed off as it was a lose trim underneath, second time a lose door panel and 3rd time they couldn't hear it. On the last occasion I refused to take the car back, describing the fault to the service manager who kept the car a few hours longer and heard the noise. The service manager things that it's something lose but doesn't know what and will require it for a week to investigate. Its booked in for 10th December so I will let everyone know after that."

"- AC Level 2 charging that starts and then stops after 5–30 minutes, sometimes showing “charging complete” even when the battery isn’t full. - DC fast-charging sessions that repeatedly abort or won’t go above relatively low power levels on certain stations. - Charge limits (like 50% or 80%) that reset after software updates or get changed accidentally in the menus. - Infotainment bugs: black screens, lag, random reboots, or Bluetooth/dropouts with some phones. - Occasional water leaks or wind noise from doors and liftgate if seals aren’t adjusted well. - Normal but noticeable range loss in cold weather or at high highway speeds, which some owners interpret as a problem. If you read owner forums for more than five minutes, you’ll see that **charging problems are the number‑one Kia Niro EV complaint**, especially on newer 2023+ cars. The good news: in most cases, there is a clear root cause, and many fixes are straightforward once you know where to look. The car starts charging on Level 1 or Level 2, then stops after 5–30 minutes and reports **“charging complete”** or shows a red light at the charge port. Plugged into a DC fast charger, the car may stall at low power (e.g., ~30 kW) or repeatedly start and stop the session. The same Niro EV may charge fine at home but fail at some public stations, or vice versa, hinting at compatibility or connector issues."

"I have a 2019 Kia Niro EV and I updated the Navigation software via SD card. Since the update, even when my iphone is connected via USB Carplay, when I single press the voice recognition button it launches the Kia voice recognition instead of Siri. Now the only way to get siri is to press and... 41Kdlevens replied Feb 19, 2025 Kia EV3 Forum TheOldDuffer Apr 8, 2025 Software update/Kia Connect I've just had an automatic software update, but now, every tinme I turn the car on, it asks to validate with my Kia Connect app. I have this installed on my iPhone and it says it is connected, but the car says it is sending a code to my Kia Connect app but this is never received. It's a bit of... 62.2KJag P replied Apr 23, 2025"