Kia Niro EV (2023) Review: A Class Leader With Electric Ambitions
The Niro EV is almost a home-run, but has been trimmed back a little to fit into Cat A.
It’s no secret that the Kia Niro Hybrid won our Hybrid Car of the Year in 2022. It’s just a stupendously good car that you’d find a challenge to leave you disappointed. So it is with great anticipation that we now get to try the electric version of the Niro.
It’s mostly good news - the qualities that made the Niro Hybrid a winner is repeated here again. The striking exterior design is virtually unchanged, and in fact you may be hard pressed to differentiate it from the hybrid variant. The logically laid out interior that’s also pleasingly modern remains the same as well.
It’s the drive where the EV is obviously set apart from the hybrid. Overall, there are lower noise levels and despite the EV being also in Cat A, it feels quicker of the two with its instantaneous torque. It’s not like the sprinter that the last generation Cat B Niro EV was, but it’s quick enough for Singapore.
Despite having a 64.8 kWh battery on-board, the EV’s dynamics run the Niro Hybrid very close. It’s a calm place to conduct one’s daily errands, feeling comfortable and giving great visibility of its surroundings all round. Ride is perhaps a bit better on the Niro Hybrid as it does not have to cope with as much weight as in the EV, but I’d be splitting hairs.
One may want to take note about the Niro EV’s range. While the hybrid version would easily accomplish a hop to KL with lots of fuel to spare, I think the EV might have to make a stop along the way, with an official range of 400 km. This is a little below average these days, and while it isn’t bad, I had expected a higher figure - that said, one has to bear in mind that the car meets Cat A requirements.
The Kia Niro is clearly a class leader, and now brings that excellence in an EV form.
Photos by New Gen Marketing
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