Used 2018 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid LX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM) Consumer Reviews
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Great car for San Diego; Flawed Heating System;
Lazyj, Spokane, WA, 10/25/2018
updated 04/29/2024
Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid LX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
31 of 31 people found this review helpful
We live in Olympia, Washington. This is a great car for our needs. It's a small city, so 26 miles electric is plenty for our in-town driving. We just passed 3,000 miles, and have used 24 gallons of gasoline. We really like the ease of entry and exit. Upright seats, high enough off the ground so you don't crawl out of it like a Prius, and doors that open super wide. There is one clear bit of lazy engineering: the heating system only works when the engine is running. The Prius Prime (the heads up competitor) has a heat pump system, that runs using electricity. The Niro does not, even though an air conditioner is essentially the same device as a heat pump running in reverse. In Olympia, where we have cool weather and dampness, we do need to run the heat all winter. That forces on the engine (but the car still is propelled as an electric; this big four-cylinder 1600cc engine running just to provide heat and defrost. This is why I say it's a great car for Phoenix or San Diego, where you don't need heat much of the time. Around here, the Prius Prime is probably a better value if it meets your needs. It does not meet our needs. I am a big 300# fella. This car fits me reasonably well. The Prius does not. Update at two years and 23,800 miles: We've had the Kia Niro Plug-in for two years now. We still like it. The E-Niro has become available, with 240 miles of range. If were were buying today, we would probably buy the full-electric. We've carefully tracked how many times we would have needed to charge "on the road." Three trips, for a total of about 10% of our total miles. Each time, we had overnight charging available to us close to where we stayed. Even if we had to pay a premium price for a fast charge, it would still be a great value to be all-electric -- charging at home is the equivalent of $1.20/gallon. No squeaks or rattles at the 2 year mark. Just entering winter, the frustrating season when we cannot run all-electric because of the heating system engineering flaw mentioned in the original review. Update at the 3-year mark: Still happy with the car. Have taken some longer road trips, and learned to use the "sport" mode for steep highway climbs. It drops you a gear lower, and the car zips up the steepest grades (and keeps the engine in the power range, so the "economy" gauge shows green. If buying a new car today, we would buy the E-Niro. Update at the 6 year mark. We still like the car a lot. Very spacious inside, small outside, comfortable, easy to get in and out. We have just had our very first repair, an item on which Kia has a specific service bulletin. The 12V battery was going dead. Very dead. I could charge it with a conventional battery charger, and it ran fine. Turns out the problem was a failed rear door latch, creating a power drain. A $447 repair. Other than that, it's been one oil change a year, and nothing else. We're seriously considering leasing a new E-Niro (lease is a way around the tax credit limitation we would face as a buyer). But we definitely urge Niro PHEV owners to learn where their 12V battery is in the rear cargo area, and also where the "jumper points" are under the hood.
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Love this little hatch... er... SUV
Jim_NJ, White Hall, AR, 11/16/2018
updated 11/24/2021
Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid LX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
This is a great little hatchback... or if you prefer, small SUV. I love the practicality small hatches/wagons so I don't see a problem with calling it a hatchback or wagon, which is what it truly is (the cars in my life have included an Opel wagon, Civic wagon, Corolla wagon, Mercury Tracer wagon, Pontiac Vibe, Chevy Volt, Kia Soul). I have an absolutely base LX (except for the floor mats - LOL), and am super-impressed with the standard features, which include Adaptive Cruise Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Lane Keeping Assist. I think the LX is a real bargain, considering the $4500 tax credit. And buying at the end of the 2018 model year, I was able to get $2500 off the sticker. I am averaging 110 mpg because a lot of my driving is local. I also regularly drive 90 miles, and get over 70 mpg on that trip (combined gas/electric). I also tested a non-plug-in version and can tell that the plug-in definitely is quicker, especially accelerating in the 10-50 mph range. However, Niro plug-ins may be hard to find, since not all dealers carry them. I purchased my Kia Niro PHEV while on vacation on Cape Cod, even though there's a high-volume Kia dealer not far from me in New Jersey. My local New Jersey dealer is not going to carry the Plug-In version of the Niro. 35,000 mile update: My Plug-in Niro continues to plug away. Other than standard maintenance this car has had zero problems. The tires still even have a decent amount of tread on them, so I don't need to replace them yet. During the first few months of the pandemic lockdown I only drove about 300 miles a month, but I didn't need any gas for four months from March-April because most of my driving was local. Of course that meant that I missed out on $1.79/gallon gasoline at that time. Oh darn. :) 45,000 Mile update: My Kia Niro PHEV has been totally reliable. I have only done standard maintenance since I bought it, and just recently replaced the original tires. I did have at least 10,000 miles worth of tread on the the OEM Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires, but the Michelins are terrible in the snow and also have pretty bad grip on wet roads, so I didn't want to go through another winter with them. I replaced the Michelins with a set of Continental PureContact LS, which so far are much better in the rain, and I haven't noticed a reduction in my electric range nor MPG when running on gas.
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Cool Fun car Unbelievable Gas mileage..
Jeff Courtney, Los Angeles, CA, 10/16/2018
Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid LX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
If you want a Plug-in, it a good choice
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Amazing fuel economy
Brett, Portland, OR, 05/06/2024
Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid LX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Driving style and distance matters for a plug in hybrid so your experience could be more or less impressive. We typically averaged about 75 mpg but on multi day road trips without charging fuel economy would drop to 45 to 50 mpg. In 5.5 years I had no maintenance issues over the 51k miles. Tires are finally ready for replacement. Oil change every 7500 miles or 12 months, better than most gas cars. Warranty also top tier, 10 year/100k. Reason for selling is all about the incentives on electric cars and wanting to make an even bigger difference in protecting the environment. I will miss the Niro, especially on long trips but also not needing gas for 700+ miles on most tanks and the occasional 1200 mile tank.
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