Autogefühl Tests Kia Niro EV: Finds Lots Of Pros, Few Cons

There are pros (+) and cons (-), but definitely more (+)

The Kia e-Niro was recently well received by Autogefühl after a test drive in France. The latest South Korean EV can be boldly considered as a family car, with generous space inside and not too big external dimensions to easily find parking spaces.

The overview of the exterior and interior, as well as driving experience, reveals that e-Niro is a rather conservative approach. There are not many changes in the design from the conventional version. You can see the more aerodynamic wheels, closed front instead of a grill or some accents here and there.

Inside, the big positives are the front seats, which are fully adjustable with heating and ventilation. Although that contrasts with the middle seat in the rear, where the passenger will need to accept hard back support that folds with cup holders. Among not many drawbacks, Autogefühl notes also the disappointing audio and navigation (too slow of a response and not that intuitive).

One of the cool things on the road could be the automatic mode of the regenerative braking, which adapts the power of braking to the situation on the road – it will be stronger when the preceding car slows down, for example, or lighter when on the highway.

While the overall package of the Kia e-Niro is pretty good, the price from around €40,000 before any incentives for the 64 kWh version could be lower. Kia/Hyundai probably will take advantage for some time in Europe until competitors introduce other affordable long-range EVs. The big plus is the 7-year (150,000 km) warranty on the entire car, including the battery and electric motor.

New WLTP range is:

  • 485 kilometers (301 miles) for the long-range 64 kWh battery pack
  • 312 kilometers (193 miles) for the standard (39.2 kWh) battery pack

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