Model reviewed:
Score: 9 / 10
“Efficient, practical and boasting excellent onboard technology, the Kia Niro is a family SUV that offers great value for money.”
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Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol/electric hybrid
Score: 8 / 10
“Some might expect that a dual-purpose EV and combustion-engined platform would compromise the new Kia Niro, but it’s worked wonders for the hybrid version. Featuring the same mature drive, versatility and excellent interior tech as the pricier pure-electric version, it’s great value. It’s efficiency is also a plus, but we’d appreciate a quieter and more effortless powertrain.”
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Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol/electric plug-in hybrid 4
Score: 8 / 10
“The new Kia Niro works best as an EV, but the plug-in hybrid version offers a taste of electric car ownership in a comfortable, tech-laden package. It’s a shame that the car’s battery eats into boot space, but the Niro PHEV’s civilised dynamics and spacious cabin make it a front-running family crossover.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 10 / 10
“Thanks to its bold styling this Niro stands out from both its predecessor and immediate rivals, reflecting Kia’s growing confidence and status.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“It’s slightly frustrating that Kia wasn’t able to make the Niro hybrid handle as well as the EV and inject a touch more refinement. However, it improves on the old one in the ways that matter and secures Kia’s place at the top of a segment that’s only going to get more important.”
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Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol/electric plug-in hybrid
Score: 8 / 10
“The Kia Niro remains at its best in EV form – which Kia expects to account for well over 50% of sales – whereas the PHEV may be as little as 5%. Even so, as compact SUV plug-in hybrids go, this one remains one of the best on balance of comfort, tech, cost and efficiency.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
“Its steering is well-balanced, the ride is smooth – even with 18in alloys fitted – and it feels nimble enough on twisty country roads. Calm and collected is not necessarily a bad thing for a family SUV.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“This is a really difficult car to love. The PHEV is more relaxed than the HEV but neither have the sort of effortless, easy driving manners that we’d like from a modern hybrid. It’s nowhere near as bad as the worst – the dreadful Renault Arkana or woeful Suzuki Vitara Hybrid share that crown, and are orders of magnitude less appealing than the Niro.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“The latest Kia Niro arrived with a lot of expectations on its shoulders. After all, this is a car that acts as a replacement for a model that was hugely popular, both with buyers who were focused on an electrified vehicle as well as those who simply wanted an affordable yet practical hatchback.” (Ted Welford)
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8.6 / 10
“Kia has improved the successful Niro, adding more space, tech and performance. But the price has also gone up.” (Andy Goodwin)
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Kia Niro is a sensible and practical family car in either hybrid or plug-in hybrid form, but its new higher quality is accompanied by a higher price.”
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Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol/electric hybrid
Score: 8 / 10
“The latest Kia Niro’s technology, styling and practicality set it apart from the rest of the hybrid family cars on the market.” (Ellis Hyde)
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Model reviewed: petrol/electric plug-in hybrid
Score: 8 / 10
“We are always going to champion the full electric version of the Kia Niro, especially as it is now better to drive and more practical. But the plug-in hybrid gets many of the same improvements and the tax is usefully low.” (Ginny Buckley)
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Kia Niro’s cabin bears more than a passing resemblance to the electric Kia EV6, which is a good thing. A very good thing. It feels fairly upmarket and infinitely more interesting than before.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The new Kia Niro manages to be both rational and likeable. The looks may divide opinion but it’s certainly more characterful than the old one, while it’s decent (if unexciting) to drive, offers very low running costs and a spacious and high-tech cabin.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7.4 / 10
“The new Kia Niro is striking to look at and practical but if you’re a keen driver we think there are better options available. The Niro falls down as soon as you start moving, with a raucous engine note and poor on-road dynamics compared with the best compact SUVs.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“No, the Kia Niro isn’t going to challenge the Ford Puma for get up and go and can’t rival the Renault Arkana’s 480-litre load space, or the sheer technical efficiency of the Honda HR-V, but if you try to keep a lid on the spending it provides safe, economical transport for a family of four.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7 / 10
“Underneath the Niro is as strong as ever in this second-generation. It’s still not the most exciting thing in the world and the EV is the better car to drive thanks to its super smooth power delivery and pleasant silence inside.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“It’s competitively priced, generously equipped, spacious inside and economical on fuel. The PHEV model rides a little firmer, but its reduced running costs and ability to run for longer on electric power mean it makes the most sense for many buyers.”
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Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol/electric plug-in hybrid
“The Kia Niro’s simple charms have always been easy to warm to, and this new model shares that appeal. It now has a high-tech cabin, more space, a refined ride and a thrifty plug-in hybrid motor. This is a wonderfully pleasing (if unexciting) family car, but you need to check the numbers carefully; plug-in hybrid ownership could save you a lot of money but get it wrong and you’ll pay dearly.”
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Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol/electric hybrid
“The charms of the Niro EV and Niro Plug-In Hybrids are mostly transferred to the entry-level Kia Niro Hybrid, but the loss of the PHEV version’s significant electrically assisted power may dampen enthusiasm for what is otherwise a comfortable and spacious family car. Without the benefits of a long electric driving range, it falls into competition with countless other similar models and doesn’t stand out from any of them.”
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