order the car outside California and a small number
of other states?
We don’t know if Kia makes money on each Niro
EV it sells, but we doubt it. It uses a large battery in a
small car priced below $40,000, and that’s not a prof-
itable combination in 2019. But the Niro EV suggests
good things for future Kia electric cars.
Meanwhile, if you’re in a state where they’re sold -
California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York,
Oregon, Texas, and Washington - we have to suggest
taking a test drive in a Niro EV if you’re in the market
for a non-Tesla electric car.
We liked it a lot. In fact, if we had to buy a compact
EV today, this might well be our choice.
The specs
The motor driving the front wheels of the Niro EV
produces 150 kW (201 hp) at peak power. Despite the
vaguely crossover-utility looks, all-wheel drive is not
available. The electric Niro can fast-charge at “up to 100
kW,” though few CCS stations capable of delivering that
rate exist in the US today.
At 112 MPGe, the Niro EV is marginally less effi-
cient than the Kona Electric (120 MPGe) and the Bolt
(119 MPGe), but better than the LEAF Plus (104 or 108
MPGe).
Over our 385 miles, about two-thirds of it highway
travel and one-third city and suburban lower-speed use,
we logged 3.6 miles per kWh. That’s slightly better than
the LEAF Plus we tested a few weeks later over roughly
the same routes.
The 2019 Kia Niro EV starts at $39,495 in the EX
THE VEHICLES
62
trim, including a mandatory delivery fee of $995, and
at $44,495 in the EX Premium trim. It is eligible for a
$7,500 federal income-tax credit, a $2,500 California
purchase rebate, and various other state, local and cor-
porate incentives.
The EX trim level includes a full suite of active safety
systems, including adaptive cruise control, active lane
control, blind-spot monitoring, and automatic emergen-
cy braking. There’s also driver monitoring, which flags
you if your attention wanders or your inputs are late and
sudden.
For the extra $5,000, the EX Premium trims adds
navigation to an upgraded 8-inch touchscreen display,
heated and cooled leather front seats with driver’s side
power adjustment, a moonroof, wireless mobile-phone
charging, and a premium Harman Kardon audio sys-
tem.
Our test car had the Premium Launch Edition pack-
age, a further $1,000 upgrade, which included a heated
steering wheel, front and rear parking sensors, and a
cargo cover, among other features.If you’re in a state where
they’re sold, we have to
suggest taking a test drive in a
Niro EV if you’re in the market
for a non-Tesla electric car.
We liked it a lot.
Images courtesy of KIA