Used 2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid SUV Consumer Reviews
Used Niro Plug-In Hybrid for sale
In love
Erin T, 09/13/2019
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
I love this car so much. I am not an impulse buyer; I started researching cars last summer, got serious in the wall, and starting doing occasional test drives in the winter. My old car is a 3-row SUV with great cargo space, roomy seats, and wretched gas mileage. I really wanted a car of the same size--we haul a lot of bulky stuff for my kids' activities. But I'm also a parent with 2 kids with deep concerns about how we as a society are destroying the planet and harming our kids' futures. What I found out in my winter and spring car shipping is that the state of large hybrid vehicles is PATHETIC. Large EVs are insanely expensive, smaller EVs have shitty ranges, and regular hybrids with more cargo space that a Prius are largely imaginary. (Note the hybrid Toyota RAV4 & Hybrid Hylander, which are charging you $10k more for MPGs that are barely better than their gas-guzzling equivalents. The hybrid Hylander practically rivals my 11-year-old gas vehcile for crappy MPGs.) By May I'd narrowed my choices down to a larger, more expensive plug-in with mediocre quality scores from trusted sources and problematic test drives; and the Kia Niro PHEV, which is somewhat smaller than the car I'm replacing--but still larger than most other hybrid vehicles. I went with the Kira Niro PHEV. My old vehicle had 140k miles on it, so I also purchased the extended warranty (10 years/150k miles) and crossbars for the roof. I wanted to get a rubber mat for the cargo space, but was told I can't, because the batteries vent back there. I have not yet bought a level 2 charger, but expect to spend a few hundred dollars on one pretty soon (I have only a carport at home, so will need to get an outdoor-rated one wired in). Friends, I LOVE this car. Yes, the cargo space could be bigger. But it's not bad. For everyday use, it's just fine. I have the Premium model because it has the most safety features, and I have two tweens who'll be learning to drive pretty soon. Features like adaptive cruise control, the backup camera, and lane monitoring work well. The screen is large and easier to use than many other systems. The seats are comfortable, and the backseat is decently roomy for a car of this size (better than most of the hybrids and small SUVs we looked at). Yes, it could have more power; when I stomp on the gas to merge on the highway, it doesn't has the kick of my old 6-cylinder SUV. But it moves smoothly between EV and hybrid/gas mode, and turns on the engine to give me more power when I need it. I LOVE driving it in EV mode. It's smooth and quiet and it drives well. It slips into gas mode without drama when I'm out of EV charge or need more power. The gas engine is, admittedly, kinda wussy sounding. But I don't have to hear it much. Charging it daily, I went 1200 miles on the first tank of gas with regular about-town driving plus longer forays once or twice a week. I've now gone 5000 miles, and generally get MPGe above 120. About about 2 months, we went on a weekend road trip during which I had no access to charging and got about 60 MPGe over ~700 miles. Aside from that trip, I've only had to visit the gas station 3 times in almost 4 months. My only actual complaint about the car is that while it's really great at estimating its electric range, the hybrid/gas range estimate is somewhat unreliable. When driving in hybrid mode, it uses gas faster than it predicts it will, so when it tells me it has a 200-mile gas range, it doesn't seem to actually go nearly that far. Maybe the actual range is 130-150. Its ability to predict gas driving range would probably be better if I did more city driving, where it can recharge its batteries when I stop, but my hybrid driving is almost entirely highway driving. I'm still giving this car 5 stars because I use EV mode most so often, the gas-only range isn't very important most of the time.
Loved this car until electrical water pump broke
M, 06/13/2019
updated 07/14/2021
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
31 of 37 people found this review helpful
Bought this car 3 months ago. We have just under 2000 miles on it. Until a few days ago, I would tell anyone and everyone to buy this car. Not anymore. First the good: The gas mileage is great and the plug-in hybrid was a great choice for us. The interior is well-designed and looks great. Lots of room in the back seats with a very comfortable high ceiling for tall people. Looks cute from the outside. Nice extras like automatic folding mirrors and keyless everything. Steering wheel controls are intuitive and useful. Touch screen is useful and easy to use. Temperature controls are great. Put it into Sport Mode when you want performance. The bad: The Electric Water Pump failed (after exactly 3 months) and needs to be replaced. It's covered under warranty and the local dealer service department has been great but the part is on back order and they have no idea when it will be available. I called KIA's nationwide customer service and they have no idea when it will be in stock again. They said it could be 3 days to 6 months. WOW. The local dealer did give us a loaner (that smells of stale cigarette smoke) but this is not acceptable. We have never bought a Kia before and we will never buy another one again. I've never experienced this kind of situation where they don't know when a critical part (on a car that's still in production) will be available. We have never experienced anything like this with our previous/other cars (Toyota, Nissan, Audi, Mazda and Fiat). The rest of the negatives on the car: tiny trunk area (the back seats can be turned down for more room if needed). In short: If you don't need a dependable car, this car is great. If you need something reliable, look elsewhere. Update: after the electric water pump was replaced, all 4 spark plugs were replaced. This was all before the car hit 5000 miles. I would only recommend this car to those who do not need a reliable vehicle. Belated update: Kia bought back the car at the end of the first year. I assume it's because they wanted to be able to resell it before it officially became a lemon. We bought a Toyota Prius Prime instead and am very happy to have a reliable car again!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid for sale near you
Showing 3 of 5 listings
- EX Premium 4dr SUVMSRP: $17,497144 mi away
- LX 4dr SUVMSRP: $20,990In-stock online
- LX 4dr SUVMSRP: $22,590In-stock online
See all 5 listings
Cute car with plenty of zip
Linda T, 10/23/2019
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
I got the top trim with a heated steering wheel, upgraded sound system, heated outside mirrors, etc. I've had it about 1 month and have a little over 1000 miles. I've used 3 different public ChargePoint stations, and they have all been completely free. You don't even pay for the electricity. That was a pleasant surprise. When using the all electric engine around town, the pickup is great. When using the hybrid mode, you really need to shift to 'Sports' mode to get any decent pickup, like when merging on highways. Once you are cruising along, hybrid mode is fine.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
What a car--Kia Niro PlugIn!
Mike R., 03/25/2020
updated 03/28/2025
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid LX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
The Kia Niro Plug-In is an amazing car. At 42000 miles no repairs but did replace the tires and have meticulously followed maintenance schedule My commute allows me to drive to work, plug in for free, and drive home daily--sometimes at 100 MPGs. We looked at the Prius, but Niro has much better styling in our view. Just finished two trips at 1100 miles each and averaged 40+ MPG when driving about 85 on highways most of time. Comfort, practical, $4500 federal tax credit, and $1000 back from Southern Cal Edison among other rebates, and I get to drive alone in the HOV lane!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
An absolute disaster
KiaNiroPHEVLemon, 12/17/2019
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
15 of 19 people found this review helpful
The car has been in the shop for service for more than a month in the first 4 months of ownership. The car failed to start multiple times. The driver's seat also broke. Kia's customer service has been nothing but headaches. I was really excited when I bought this Kia Niro PHEV and the first 30 days were great, but the nightmare since then has been horrible. Please don't buy this car model. I waited more than a month to write this review in hopes that Kia would resolve the problems, but Kia customer service hasn't been able to resolve any of the issues so far. Avoid this car and avoid Kia.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value