Those looking for an electric family car with a length of up to 4.5 meters will soon find that the choice is not endless. Sooner or later, his eyes will rest on the Kia stalwart, who recently arrived in a much more attractive coat than the one he’s worn so far. In his case, proven technology met the new digital age, to which he succumbed without any sign of resistance.
Its roots go back to the time when most automakers mainly talked about electric cars. The first generation Niro arrived in 2016 as a hybrid, a year later a plug-in hybrid was added, and finally a pure electric version in 2018. The Czechs left only the design of the Niro, the sister Hyundai Ioniq, with which the Niro shares common technology, took over much more in local areas.
The Niro presented this year is therefore already the second generation, even if there are also those who speak of a profound restyling. This is because the technical basis of the Niro has remained the same, even if everything else has undergone a radical transformation. The time of the car’s creation is strangely only known in a single parameter, but it’s quite important, especially on long journeys: the Niro doesn’t recharge as fast as its bigger and more modern sibling, the EV6. With the declared 86 kW it goes about three times slower, moreover, this value can be defined as initial when the battery is completely discharged. In the test week, during which the car covered almost two thousand kilometers, the average recharging rate was about 50 kW. Up to half of its capacity, the battery can enjoy around 65 kW, after which the values decrease continuously. A few years ago this would have been a great achievement, but unfortunately for Niro, electric cars have recently made considerable progress on this point.
In practice, this means that every two hours of driving it is necessary to schedule a break of about three quarters of an hour. Anyone who sets off with a full battery will travel less than 300 kilometers without recharging at outside temperatures around zero. The car is heated by a heat pump, thanks to which the heated passenger compartment costs only one percent of the total energy consumption.
However, natural elements have a big influence on the appetite for electric cars, Niro is no exception in this respect. While in good weather and a long journey along the Adriatic coast it consumed 15 kWh/100 km, on the return journey, when there was a strong headwind and pouring rain, the consumption rose to 25 kWh. Planned charging stops in such a situation will quickly take over, but Niro will let the driver know that he won’t reach his planned destination without replenishing energy.
This is just one of the countless functions offered by the Nira infotainment system: from the useful setting of the charging intensity from the household socket to the soothing sounds of nature or the crackling of burning wood, which is a Kia favorite.
However, it cannot be said that the car’s controls could not have been better designed: physical buttons have practically disappeared from the current Niro, and there is not even one that the passenger can use to quickly mute the radio. And speaking of radio, its icon can only be found after scrolling through the main menu on the touch screen.
The charging station guide, which by default is offline, is equally astounding. However, if you dig a little, you’ll also find an online version in the deep menu, which is incomparably more useful. It will show if the selected charger is free or running.
However, there’s also a lot the competitors won’t like about the Niro: the car is extremely roomy for its size, offering a large trunk and a cable box under the front hood. The comfortable seats support the body well, and nothing is missing in the equipment that a good electric car should have: heated steering wheel and seats, and in the case of the tested car, even the rear ones.
And then there are extras in the form of USB sockets on the side of the front seat backrests or the possibility of powering other electrical appliances with an input of up to three kilowatts. In theory, the Niro could thus light up the entire house in the event of a power outage or, in an emergency, recharge another electric car en route.
It’s also worth noting that the Niro drives very well. The automaker gave the car great acoustic comfort, the howling of the wind or the noise of tires here do not bother the crew. Even with the chassis tuning it did its job: it filters out road irregularities above average, the car leans only decently when cornering. The ride is electrically agile but feels smooth.
Kia Niro EV
Motor: permanent magnet synchronous
Power: 150kW / 204hp
Torque: 255Nm
Battery: Li-Ion, 64.8 kWh (usable capacity)
Maximum speed: 167km/h
Acceleration 0-100km/h: 7.8s
Combined consumption: 16.2 kWh/100 km (WLTP)
Boot volume: 475 l + 20 l in front
Load capacity (standby / usable): 1739 kg / 461 kg
Price: from 1,249,980 CZK
Although the Niro is studded with modern driver assistants that have to constantly communicate something to the driver, it offers the driver enough freedom in driving behavior. ESP interventions are not rigid. In fact, the driver hardly notices them, even though he wants to drive briskly.
When it comes to driving style, how quickly the energy from the 65kWh battery will decrease is very important. When driven very defensively, the Niro requires around 14kWh/100km, while the 100km highway car consumes twice as much. The average is about twenty.