2024 Kia Niro EV GT-Line review

The Kia Niro is ready to get severely upstaged.

Digital camera Icon2024 Kia Niro EV GT-Series Credit score: CarExpert

The unused Kia EV5 is about to romp into the Niro’s turf with a bolder design and far more potent provide out of China.

In reality, Kia expects to be in a position in order in as much as 850 EV5s every hour, which might see it promote 10,200 examples once a year. The corporate offered simply 1000 Niro EVs in 2023.

We haven’t pushed the EV5 but, so we will be able to’t say needless to say if it’s the simpler automobile. We additionally don’t but know the way a lot it is going to value.

Not Supplied — Digital camera Icon2024 Kia Niro EV GT-Series Credit score: CarExpert

Nonetheless, the Niro is at risk of changing into much more lost sight of than it already is.

Must this electrical wallflower be to your shortlist?

How a lot does the Kia Niro value?

We’ve put the Niro EV GT-Series to the check, which is the priciest member of the Niro dimension at nearly $10,000 greater than the bigger Tesla Fashion Y RWD and round $4000 greater than the matching Hyundai Kona Electrical Top rate Prolonged Field.

In keeping with a Sydney postcode, you’re shopping at a drive-away price ticket of $78,282. Upload every other $520 for top rate paint.

The Niro EV GT-Series’s price ticket makes it ineligible for Queensland EV incentives.

2024 Kia Niro pricing

2024 Kia Niro EV S: $66,5902024 Kia Niro EV GT-Series: $72,360

All costs exclude on-road prices.

To look how the Kia Niro strains up towards its competitors, take a look at our comparability instrument.

What’s the Kia Niro like at the inside of?

The angular strains of the Niro’s external proceed throughout the cabin, maximum particularly at the door panels.

There’s additionally a neat alcove within the dashboard with ambient brightness components.

Kia has sacrificed capability reasonably for the sake of fashion. The dramatically angled entrance door trims have gigantic slabs of gloss cloudy scale down, age their ledges are too slender to with ease left-overs your arm.

The plethora of gloss cloudy scale down carries via to the centre console, which is sort of fully completed within the smudge-, dust- and scratch-prone subject material.

Alternative subject material possible choices are higher. The sprint summit is completed in a slightly soft-touch subject material with a textured end, as an example.

The ten.25-inch infotainment touchscreen has the fashionable graphics and logical interface anticipated of a Kia display in 2024, however the display itself is extensive but snip in stature.

Oddly, Android Auto doesn’t take in the total display. It, together with Apple CarPlay, additionally nonetheless calls for a twine to tie. It’s a USB-A outlet too, even though there’s a distant USB-C outlet for charging gadgets up entrance.

There’s a at hand EV menu, which additionally features a graphical illustration of your residue dimension – each with and with out air-conditioning on – plus your later fee prohibit.

The virtual software pile has horny graphics too, even though there’s incorrect map view to be had as you’ll in finding in some rival manufacturers.

The Harman Kardon pitch gadget is skillful, however there are some bizarre trait omissions for a top-spec Kia at this value level. You get the emblem’s at hand Far flung Subtle Soil Lend a hand, however there’s incorrect surround-view digital camera like you’ll be able to in finding on cars costing hundreds much less.

The Far flung Subtle Soil Lend a hand, for those who’re unfamiliar with the trait, permits you to advance the automobile ahead and again from outdoor – at hand if some impolite person has parked too intently on your door, or you probably have a decent storage. It seems like a gimmick, however it got here in at hand for me on a minimum of a few events. It’s additionally a amusing birthday party trick.

The rotary dial for tools variety is tactile, and the touch-capacitive situation/media keep an eye on panel – as detectable in alternative Kias just like the Sportage – is modest to importance and includes a pair of knobs.

A wi-fi charging dwelling sits on the bottom at the centre stack, age at the centre console there’s an revealed attic section with retractable cupholders. The enclosed centre console bin, on the other hand, is at the little aspect.

In relation to alternative attic, there’s a decently sized glove compartment plus bottle holders within the doorways.

The whole lot feels screwed in combination smartly, even though the doorways don’t alike with as forged a thunk as I’d be expecting.

Step into the again and there’s a comfy rear bench and enough of headroom and legroom. At 180cm imposing, I may just sit down within the fairly upper, more impregnable centre seat and my head nonetheless didn’t contact the roof.

We’ve prior to now are compatible 3 grownup men abreast in a Niro Hybrid for a travel to the airport with minimum grumbling, so the cabin is decently extensive, too. Toe room, on the other hand, is a little bit tight within the Niro EV, even though the ground is flat which is bizarre for an EV on a combustion-engine platform.

There’s a USB-C outlet in every entrance seatback, plus a vehicle-to-load (V2L) outlet on the rear of the centre console.

The closing permits you to energy exterior home equipment with a standard three-prong plug at as much as 3.6kW; there’s additionally an exterior V2L outlet which you’ll be able to plug home equipment into with an adaptor. There also are 3 top-tether and two ISOFIX anchor issues for kid seats.

Visibility out the again is reasonable because of a corpulent C/D-pillar and a thin rear window. The Niro additionally has moderately a majestic belt sequence, so the cabin isn’t as ethereal because it might be.

Noticeable the powered tailgate and there’s a reliable 475L of shipment range, increasing to 1392L with the rear seats folded. There’s additionally a little hollow space beneath the bonnet for remaining attic.

What’s beneath the bonnet?

There’s only one powertrain to be had within the Niro EV dimension. In case you don’t need natural electrical energy, Kia additionally trade in the Niro with a hybrid powertrain in Australia.

To look how the Niro strains up towards the contest, take a look at our comparability instrument.

How does the Kia Niro force?

The Niro is extensively competent with out being exceptionally memorable to force.

Let’s get the not-so-nice stuff out of the way in which. The guidance is oddly weighty, with out being in particular communicative.

It doesn’t loosen up a lot at low speeds, with an bizarre quantity of resistance, which makes the Niro much less manageable in a parking quantity than, say, the bigger EV6. We additionally noticed an stressful extend with the reversing digital camera.

The journey can get a slight bit unsettled on in particular patchy avenue surfaces, with the load of the 443kg battery discoverable. For essentially the most section on the other hand, the Niro rides with ease, soaking up affects adeptly.

The Niro is fast off the sequence with out feeling overwhelming, with slight in the way in which of torque steer. Game form makes it really feel a little bit extra sprightly, however you’re by no means truly left in need of in relation to efficiency.

The weighty battery positioned beneath the cabin ends up in a low centre of gravity, and the Niro feels forged and planted. Dealing with is safeguard and predictable.

The cabin is calmness, even on coarse-chip roads or at freeway speeds. Negligible in the way in which of breeze and tyre noise will get into the cabin.

There’s a one-pedal force form, however you’ll want to turn on this every moment you get started the automobile through pulling one of the most paddles. The auto will, on the other hand, be mindful your auto-hold surroundings.

In case you’re unused to the sector of EVs, you could in finding the one-pedal force form daunting in the beginning however you briefly get old to it. Differently, you’ll be able to toggle it to have as slight regenerative braking as imaginable, making this really feel extra like an excessively calmness Seltos.

In relation to charging, there’s battery pre-conditioning. As anticipated, you’ll be able to additionally prepared AC and DC fee limits.

With 460km of WLTP dimension, it’s necessarily lineball with the bottom Tesla Fashion Y RWD which has 455km… however prices round $10,000 much less.

The Niro’s suite of lively protection and motive force help options paintings with out drama. We in particular like how the blind-spot trait will actively intrude in lieu of merely sounding a chime when it detects threat; it is going to additionally vibrate the guidance wheel.

The pink brightness/velocity digital camera alert trait proved stressful, on the other hand.

What do you get?

The GT-Series sits above the bottom S within the two-model Niro EV dimension.

Niro EV S highlights:

Computerized headlightsAutomatic high-beamHalogen headlightsLED entrance fog lightsKeyless access and startRain-sensing wipers6-speaker pitch system10.25-inch virtual software cluster10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment systemDAB virtual radioWired Apple CarPlay, Android AutoDual-zone situation controlLeatherette-wrapped guidance wheelTilt and telescopic guidance column adjustmentCloth/synthetic leather-based upholsteryEight-way energy motive force’s seatRear centre armrestKia Fix hooked up services and products

Niro EV GT-Series provides:

LED headlightsRear privateness glassRemote Subtle Soil AssistSingle-pane sunroofHands-free energy tailgate8-speaker Harman Kardon pitch system10-inch head-up displayHeated guidance wheelLeatherette upholstery8-way energy passenger seatHeated and ventilated entrance seatsAlloy pedalsLED internal lighting64-colour ambient lightingWireless telephone charger

Is the Kia Niro safeguard?

The Kia Niro EV has a five-star protection score from ANCAP, according to trying out carried out in 2022.

It won an grownup occupant coverage score of 88 consistent with cent, a kid occupant coverage score of 84 consistent with cent, a prone avenue person coverage score of 76 consistent with cent, and a security help score of 87 consistent with cent.

Usual protection apparatus at the Niro EV S contains:

Independent disaster braking (AEB)Fickle-spot assistDriver consideration alert with chief automobile resignation alertLane-keep assistLane Following Lend a hand (lane centring)Rear cross-traffic assistSafe advance warningRear occupant alertRear parking sensorsReversing cameraFront, front-side, centre-side, motive force’s knee and curtain airbags

Niro GT-Series provides:

Parking Accident Avoidance Lend a hand – ReverseSafe Journey AssistFront parking sensors

How a lot does the Kia Niro value to run?

The Kia Niro EV is subsidized through a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre automobile guaranty and a seven-year, 150,000km battery guaranty.

Kia trade in three-, five- and seven-year pre-paid carrier plans, priced at $706, $1351 and $1997, respectively. Generation that’s on par with the likes of the BYD Atto 3, it’s a extra typical, ICE-like method to repairs than Tesla.

The American emblem doesn’t specify servicing durations for its Fashion Y and simplest specifies some pieces that want to get replaced each 2-4 years like cabin breeze filters.

CarExpert’s Snatch at the Kia Niro

The Kia Niro is a kind of cars that leaves slight lasting affect.

That’s now not essentially a sinister factor. In reality, its majestic stage of all-round competence way there are few flaws that linger in a single’s reminiscence.

Nevertheless it’s additionally now not extraordinarily thrilling, and at over $70,000 and dealing with some difficult festival, it should have a slight bit extra pizazz. It doesn’t really feel affordable, however it doesn’t really feel like a $70,000 automobile, both.

It’s dried to place one’s finger on simply what’s lacking right here. It’s fast plethora, handles and rides smartly plethora, and has a reliable quantity of internal room.

It’s additionally extra fascinating to take a look at than the latter Niro, which was once exceedingly conservative. There are unique angular lighting fixtures components, plus the bizarre colour-contrast C-pillar scale down is like not anything else in the market.

And but it doesn’t have moderately the ocular have an effect on total of the after EV5. With probably clever pricing for that mannequin plus more potent provide, the Niro is prone to recede even additional into the background.

It’s additionally dried to forget about the elephant within the room: the in lieu elephantine-looking Tesla Fashion Y, which isn’t simplest Australia’s best-selling EV, however one of the most marketplace’s excellent dealers, length.

It might probably’t fit one of the most luxurious pieces of the Niro, however it trade in extra range and slick generation of its personal. The Niro’s majestic price ticket additionally pushes it up alike to competitors from luxurious manufacturers just like the BMW iX1.

It’s now not a sinister automobile through any stretch, however it’s in an uncomfortable, precarious place that may simplest be remedied with some value cuts.