Used 2021 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid Consumer Reviews
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2021 Niro Plug-In Hybrid, so we've included reviews for other years of the Niro Plug-In Hybrid since its last redesign.
The Right Vehicle for my needs.
Jerry, 12/28/2018
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
48 of 48 people found this review helpful
Very pleased with the NIRO PHEV. Have been driving it for six months, with one long trip. The long trip was just over 2000 miles which was broken up to four 500 mile legs. Mileage for this legs where 49, 52, 50 and 53 in the hybrid mode. Granted I drove somewhat conservative staying at the posted speed limit, which was 70 most of the way on interstate five. The remaining miles, which is also about 2000 miles, was mostly in EV mode. Depending the amount of braking and traffic situations I generally was going between 26 and 32 miles in EV mode. Also found many public charging stations that do not charge a fee, both in my home town and at my trip destination. Even though the NIRO looks small it has amble head and leg rooms for even talls drivers or passengers. I choose the EX as suggested by Edmunds which is well appointed with safety features and other nice features.
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Compromise Can Be Good Updated Review 6/10/25
Doug, 05/06/2019
updated 06/11/2025
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
45 of 45 people found this review helpful
Update 6/10/25 65k+- Finally had to change out the original tires. And I could have waited a few thousand more, but we were going on a road trip and I didn’t want to risk it. Needless to say, very pleased with them. Michelin Energy Savers. Other than the intermittent rattle which we believe is coming from the rear spoiler, the car is running fine. Update 12/9/24 Almost at 60k miles. The 12 volt battery failed. One morning it wouldn’t start. I learned that it’s somewhat difficult to source. AAA doesn’t stock it. Pep Boys has to order it. So I opted to bring the car to Kia dealer for repair. The “service consultants”… I mean salespeople are something else. They tried to charge me more than their own parts department was quoting. I know that they ripped me off on the labor charge. What a racket!! Ive just passed the 5 year warranty threshold so this will be the last visit to Kia. The tires are still ok. I have another 5 k tread left on them. And even that measure is right at the beginning of the recommended safety threshold for tire depth. Brakes are still ok. Other issues- the rear spoiler is rattling again. Had to have it tightened. Battery level basically unchanged. Interior is still in good shape with a few signs of wear and tear- nothing major. Update 5/31/24 51k on car. We’ve lost about 4 percent on the battery capacity, which isn’t terribly alarming since we charge it every night. Tires need to be replaced (first set). Had some minor trim issues, the real spoiler over the back window was rattling and needed to be tightened, and the drivers side visor anchor broke off. Both were repaired under warranty. Brakes are still good. Seems like there is a yearly recall which is an inconvenience (we live 20 miles from the dealership). Car is pretty much what we expected: reliable, utilitarian, decent comfort. It’s not exciting, just practical. Wish it had more power especially at lower speeds. We find it ironic that the 100% ev version (at least model years 19-22) is pretty zippy. We are a two car family. We own a 100% EV (Nissan Leaf) and were looking to replace our 2008 CRV. It's important to us to reduce our carbon footprint, so we agreed that we would move to a "greener" car. However, we weren't ready to purchase another 100% EV due to range and charging infrastructure concerns. The Niro PHEV is a good, but not a perfect compromise. The size of the car is great for the city and it's hard to believe that the interior is so spacious, given its outside dimensions. Back seat is particularly comfortable with nice support and generous legroom. Headroom is excellent, even for those with long torsos. Safety features are really good. We chose the EX trim and it really has everything you need. The EX trim (not the premium) has HID headlamps, which have longer range than the LED's on the premium trim (check out the insurance institute's safety ratings). Love the adjustable cruise control, though I understand that some other makes (Tesla??) will take you down to a full stop without disconnecting. Performance is OK. We thought that it would supply more of the EV Torque, which we so love about our Leaf. If you floor the pedal it shifts into ICE mode, makes a lot of noise, but really doesn't get up and go. In regular Hybrid mode there is little regeneration to the battery. I understand that shifting into sport mode will regenerate the battery, however the MPG goes down, so isn't this defeating the purpose? Don't have anything to say about reliability (only had the car for a couple of weeks) but Consumer reports and other publications give it high ratings. In another couple of years maybe the battery technology will be better and charging infrastructure improved so that we could go 100% EV on both vehicles. Until then we will live with the compromises. NOTE: we will be watching the competitors (Tesla Model Y and others) and continue to evaluate the options. Update 11/12/2021 22000 miles on the car...Thank goodness for the factory warranty. The transmission failed at around 15 K miles. Yes, on long trips we would occasionally shift into sport mode to get through the mountains and regenerate the battery, but still, isn't that normal usage? I thank myself for purchasing the mid level trim that had blind spot, rear cross traffic detection, and great headlights. The car runs well, and the seats are pretty comfortable ( drivers side has power with lumbar support).Interior is wearing well. Access is good, and there is plenty of head room. We mainly run the car on electric, I wish that the range on battery was about 60 miles, instead of 26. The car really doesn't have a heck of a lot of pickup, which is really the main fault I have with it. Aside from the tranny failing, I am satisfied. Update 5/19/22 Just came back from a 2k road trip. Odometer is at 28K. I noticed that the cruise control doesn't work well when going up steep grades through mountains. I will bring it in for service. The annoying sound coming from the steering wheel has come back. This was subject of a service bulletin. Dealership "fixed" it, but now it has come back. We have had a couple of instances where the 12 volt battery has died and had to be charged by AAA. Fortunately it occurred at home and we weren't terribly inconvenienced. We've been told by dealer that the battery is at end of life and this is normal wear and tear, and it's time to replace it. Ok, if you say so... Overall it's been a pretty good car for us. The car will be paid off in April 2023 and then we will look to retire the Leaf and purchase another fully electric vehicle. Would I buy the 100% Niro EV? I like the size and utility of the Niro. It suits our needs, but I feel that there are better options now. Early favorites: Ioniq 5 and Nissan Ariya. 11/23/22 Chugging along just fine. No rattles or strange noises. Safety systems are working well. Excellent daily driver. Gonna hold on to the car for a while, especially given the cost to purchase a new vehicle. 5/30/23 39000 miles. Issues with retractable drivers side mirror and rear liftgate struts were repaired under warranty. Drivers side sun visor clip pulled out and may require some super glue. All minor repairs, but never the less are nuisances which require multiple trips to the dealership. Comparing to my other car, a Nissan Leaf which has over double the miles and none of these issues. We were rear ended and one of the replacement moldings finally arrived after 3 months on back order. By and large it's been a good car, the size, safety features and utility work well for us.
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2021 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid for sale near you
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Great car! except for...
Former Subaru driver, 10/25/2020
2020 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
27 of 27 people found this review helpful
Bought this car about 2 months ago and love it! Except for the Very Loud backup alarm. I understand that this is required to warn pedestrians and cyclists as the engine in electric mode is very quiet. Warning sound is required to be between 56 and 75 dBA - mine measures at 73 which is LOUD. Leaving our garage early in the morning is excruciating; trying to back out quickly enough to be able to shift out of reverse and silence the alarm seems to counter the intent of safety. Would be nice to be able to turn it down to the 56 level. Otherwise, mileage is fantastic at an average so far of 89 mpg, with a good mix of highway/city driving. Zippy acceleration with no hesitation. Comfortable interior (not plush on the middle of the road model) nice features and easy to navigate touch screen and controls. Except for the back up warning system, very glad we bought this car!
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Big Bucks for top of the line but I want it all!
Robert Brayley, 11/23/2018
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
35 of 36 people found this review helpful
This car is not perfect in every way, no car is. But in 1999 (the last time I bought a new car), most of the features on this car were not available at any price. I live in South Central Texas where slippery roads and traction is never a challenge, so four wheel drive is not really an issue. Edmunds and other reviewers like to characterize a zero to sixty time of 9 to ten seconds as mediocre --- how stupid is that? I remind them that in 1953 & 1954 the zero to sixty time of a Corvette was ten and a half seconds, and the VW beetle that I drove for eight great years could do zero to sixty in about thirty seconds. Did anyone complain about that, or did they drive them by the millions? I have one complaint---- Kia puts a power tailgate hatch on nearly every model EXCEPT the KIA Niro. Surely their top of the line model EX Premium should have a power rear door? I think both the car and the warranty are better than most without costing more than most!
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In love
Erin T, 09/13/2019
updated 03/15/2021
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
28 of 29 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. -- Coming up on my 2-year anniversary of ownership, I don't have any significant updates to this review. I enjoy this car. The only thing it lacks is the ability to open the trunk from inside, which turns out to be a feature that would've been handy for a lot of pandemic curbside pickup experiences. I am now certain my next car will be 100% plug-in, gas-free electric (although as of yet there is still now fast-charging access in my town, though I think it will happen soon). I continue to regularly achieve ~100MPGe in this car--better in summer, worse in winter. In the winter it uses the gas engine more often to heat the passenger compartment which is logical, but does dent the gas mileage. My largest annoyance continues to be its unreliable measure of gas mileage when running on actual gas.
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Good MPG, would not buy again
Cindy RR, 03/02/2019
updated 11/15/2023
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
50 of 54 people found this review helpful
UPDATE I have had my car almost 5 years and hate it more every day. Service at all dealerships is bad! Battery die and need to change it- you are screwed!!! I just had AAA come out. Apparently this car has some unicorn batter, no auto parts store had it, no KIA dealership within 30 miles had it. AAA spent over hour here, can't change it out. They can't cross reference to any battery they have. Can't find it online. MUST buy from kia IF they have in stock. My local dealership said they have one on order that has been on order for a while. I have 66k miles, had to have both power mirror motors replaced. There is a recall for part that will cause fire. I drove from CA to TN, got only 36 mpg. Will never ever buy a KIA again. In fact bought a 2024 Lexus UX250h that is my main driver and this is now my dog transport car. ps you can't take the charger out unless car is unlocked. I have had my car for about 12 weeks now, over 3500 miles. I have the premium EX. It says top range to pay for this car is $35k but most dealers are asking over $37,000 & have very few in stock & sell immediately so they have the advantage & don't bargain. (but am in communist green obsessed California) I paid $1750 for a 10 yr 150000 extended warranty and $800 for tire, wheel, dent protection when I bought the two together so bargain with them. Wheel protection is HORRIBLE. I have spent 3 hours & still trying to get curb rash fixed on tire & they keep telling me to go back to the dealer!? 8 emails/calls now. I have dealt with local socal KIA district office who was extremely helpful!!! Exterior paint chips VERY easily- not good. Good back up camera. Turns music down while backing up. Can fold mirrors. I think it is important to know that I went from a Lexus CT200h hybrid sporty hatchback I had for 4 years. In general I like the way it drives, not a sports car but not an SUV. Handles ok on turns like going on & off looping freeway ramps. It is smaller than I thought & looks in pictures and fits nicely in my garage. It rides smooth & the car is pretty well sealed having nice quiet inside. Voice navigation sucks like all cars but can type in easily. Comes with really good tires, I drove 75 in pouring rain. More roomy inside than you would think. Tall people will have no issue. Passenger seat has no power controls. Has lots of features within reach. You can customize your screen to put the things you want to see. you can check mileage and battery level easily. The instrument panel has an advanced display or you can go to a more simple one, which I chose because I couldn't figure out how much gas was in the tank. Back seats fold down for tons of room!!! it has HEATED steering wheel & seats with 3 heat levels & cooling seats which are awesome. Has fogs lights for added lighting low to the ground. GAS mileage is averaging about 65 but a lot of my trips are local so I am on electric charge a lot. You only get 26 miles on a charge. On a trickle charge it takes 6 hours, on a 240 charges in 2 1/2 hours. It will use EV automatically. You can set the charging on a timer. I set mine to charge between midnight and 6 am. If you want to charge now, you have to go into the touch screen, select phev, & tell it to CHARGE NOW....like if you were at a charger out in public. downside is, you can't get the charger out of car if it isn't fully charged, you have to go back in the car, reset the charging setting to CHARGE ON SCHEDULE to extract the charger from your car. There is a button to switch to hybrid while driving. I do that when I am going up hills in Souther Cali. It is a DOG on hills, you have to take it out of electric. Nice feature is manual shifting/sport mode for really big hills and going down steep hills. When you drive with no electric you can expect about 45 mpg, less if heavy person load in car. PLUS; takes 87 octane. If you want to switch to a 240 volt charger to fit a plug in garage, you can do that for $200. Nice features are touch screen, you can customize your screen, you can customize all the safety features like side and front safety notifications, beeping when you go outside the lines, etc. All that stuff is easily changed through instrument panel and steering wheel controls. Like I had mine changed so that when you unlock your driver door, it unlocks all doors instead of having to press twice. Strangely, if you open your trunk, it does not unlock your car. There is no auto up and down hatch which I was surprised. The other thing I was shocked it did not have was any link to garage door opener. cruise control has a feature you can't turn off where it detects cars in front of you and slows the car down accordingly. You can adjust the distance it monitors but is very frustrating on long trips, I just end up turning it off so I can control how much distance I want between my car and car infront of me Nice feature is when you turn signal on, it will beep if someone is in your blind spot. The worst feature of the car is the android app. It takes over your phone and does not interface well. I don't even use it. My husband plugged in his apple and it worked great. There are two usb ports one in front and one in center console. I use the one in center console between seats because when you hook your cord up to the one in the front center console, it will automatically try to engage android app so I use that one to play my usb. The problem is your phone will ask you to start android play so you do on your screen then everytime to try to switch into a different app, the screen goes dark, asks me to swipe to start android app, then if I go to another app on my phone ,your screen does not pop up on vehicle screen, only a couple apps will but it is supposed mirror your phone. I have not used the navigation much, I use my phone.
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I would keep looking...
Very Unhappy with Kia, 08/20/2020
2020 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
25 of 27 people found this review helpful
I purchased my Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid 5/24/19. It's been in the shop twice for warranty issues. 1st time it was the water pump. It was in the shop for almost 2 months waiting on parts. The next time was a charging issue. The car stopped charging. I was 350 miles from home on a 3 day get away. They would have towed it to the nearest Kia Dealer which was in Reno Nevada which is 450 miles from my home. Then I would have to find a way to get back up there to pick it up. I chose to rent a car dolly & tow it home. Because I chose that option, I'm having to jump through hoops to get my $300.00 in dolly rental back. They won't do anything by Email, it all has to be done by Snail Mail. Very Unhappy with Kia & their product.
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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.
1500 miles on the first tank
MW, 05/25/2021
2020 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid LXS 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
We enjoy all aspects of this car so far. Fun to drive. Regenerative braking is a marvelous feature that should be present in every car. Spent more time in line for gas for the first fill up than in messing with the electric plug for a couple months. Leaving house with full battery every morning is liberating.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
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Perfect Fit For Me
Tiggie, 05/07/2021
2021 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
12 of 16 people found this review helpful
This is a great vehicle with loads of interior room, compact, very quiet on the road, and very comfortable to drive.
Great SUV
Nio PHEV owner, 08/29/2020
2020 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid LXS 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
7 of 9 people found this review helpful
Kia Niro is getting great mileage and have it setup to tow. Like the standard safety feachers. Great improvement over my old Jeep SUV. It does everything expected and better. Can't go wrong for under $22k after rebates.
Great so far, some concern about long term issues
DAH, 01/11/2020
updated 02/14/2023
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
After about 6 months of agonizing over getting a vehicle that would allow me to go mostly electric I purchased the Niro PHEV with all options to replace my 2017 Golf Wolfsburg. The Golf had been a great car, meeting our city car needs quite nicely, but we decided we needed something a bit larger and I wanted to reduce our gas usage. For this 69 year old couple, the Niro ticked off all boxes in terms of size, comfort, safety features better than the any of the competing EVs . All the controls are fairly large, well positioned, and relatively easy to understand. Entrance and egress are quite easy due to the height and wide door openings. Other than a few unusual instrument features, it doesn’t have the weird / oddball “touches” that are found on many EVs. Interior and exterior fit and finish are great and it feels pretty much like your normal car. The 1st time my wife sat in one, she was quiet for about a minute and then marveled at how spacious and luxurious the interior felt. Once As others have stated, the silent almost effortless EV especially in the city, is very pleasant. While it is no hot rod & tall hills can slow it up, the acceleration is adequate 95% of our driving in the Seattle area. If one wants more oomph, the sport mode provides wheel spinning power. Once I settled on the Niro, it came down to a choice between the standard Niro Hybrid, the PHEV, & the all electric model. I didn't want to be totally dependent on charging and with the Fed Tax Credit the PHEV price was within a couple hundred dollars of a similarly equipped Hybrid model. Most days we drive about 15 - 25 miles and on those days use no gas at all. About 15-20% of our miles have been highway and we have averaged about 115 mpg. With temps dropping down below 40F the past month the gas engine is now kicking on to warm the interior -- it is the only heat source besides the comfy heat seats & steering wheel. With heating the interior we are averaging slightly less than 100 mpg. Even so we are getting over 1000 miles per 11 gallon tank. After 3,200 miles, my only reservation is that this model is new enough and few enough (about 10,000 sold in the US) that if or when problems arise, the dealers often seem baffled on what is wrong. Early on we had a "Hybrid System Failure" warning. The car was drive-able but we had it hauled to the dealer anyway. After numerous attempts to determine the problem & several futile attempts to get rid of the warning , it appears that it was actually may have been my fault. I had installed LED back up lights & one was loose in the socket. After the OEM bulbs were reinstalled, there have been no more warnings. But it seems like a loose bulb shouldn't have triggered such a high alert. So for now I am very happy with the Niro PHEV in all respects and hoping that the new tech will not result in issues down the road. I participate in Kia Niro owner’s forum and there have been several others with issues that shut some cars but most are owners are quite pleased. Many have over 40,000 trouble free miles and on got over 150,000 miles on his standard hybrid model before an accident took it out. To be completely transparent, the wife still prefers the comfort and passenger lumbar adjustment of the larger seats in our 2015 Subaru Outback Ltd and I agree that it is a bit more comfortable. But in terms of ride comfort, interior noise at highway speeds, and overall execution, it is a toss up between the Outback and the Niro. Last, but not least, we drove the NIro Touring model with the 18” wheels and wider tires. The ride and interior noise was noticeably worse than in the models with 16” wheels. 1.12.21: Currently 7,850 miles. Car has performed well, no problems. With 85 % city driving it is averaging 112 mpg. It is still a "young" car, but I very happy with it so far and expect to keep it a long time. In fact, like it so much that I'm considering replacing my 2015 Outback with a Kia Sorento or Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid in 2021. UPDATE: Niro still now has 11,500 miles and is running fine, no issues. Current mileage is 124 MPGe. I love it. My wife periodically complains about difficulty getting in and out and the seat comfort. 3.23 UPDATE: Now with just over 18K miles I'm averaging 135 MPGe, no issues.
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We Loved The Kia Niro PHEV Until...
nsoltz, 03/09/2021
2020 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
9 of 13 people found this review helpful
Until we actually needed the dealer network. 2018 Niro PHEV purchased 8/2018. Excellent range and a great car for zipping around town. Oil change in 7/2020. Then in 8/2020 Check Engine light. Took to another dealer who said first dealer over-filled crankcase so I had to pay for yet another oil change. And a week to get part. Feb 2021 check engine light again. Took to a third dealer. Said they could not diagnose because Kia computer system was down and all diagnosis is via link to Kia server. That was over a week. Then they decided to replace a sensor but were also told by Kia to change the oil. So this would be 3 oil changes in several months of limited covid-time driving. The kicker. Dealer said "We'll change the sensor and see if that fixes it. Otherwise we go from there." Ordered sensor which took a week and a half. THen dealer calls and says they ordered the wrong part and would overnight new part. That took 3 days (perhaps he meant overnight on Mars). Starting to install sensor as I write and then will let me know if that fixes it. Since car has been out of service over 3 weeks, eligible under NJ Lemon Law but I will sell it as soon as it comes back from shop. Cute little car while it works. But my wife and I now have no trust in the brand and no trust in the dealer network. I think this is a brand to avoid.
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So far so good!
Gary B, 12/07/2019
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Like everything, especially the lease price tag. I needed to come in under $270/mo and did with the 2019 Niro EX.
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Newbie Niro Neophyte
Octogen, 12/03/2019
updated 12/13/2021
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
6 of 11 people found this review helpful
Approx $4900 in rebates eases the sticker hit. Remarkably tight turning circle is handy. Amazon was selling the Juice Box 240v charger for $399. Haven’t mastered all the gadgetry as our garage is too damn cold here on the right coast. Read the caution about mounting different size tires as I have mounted 17” snow tires I planned to use!? Was chagrined that we paid too much for the car until the buffoon in the White House cost me mucho more in my RMD’s by his inane comments. Just turned 9K miles. No problems in 2 years approximately 30 miles/charge. No change in home power consumption with JuiceBox charger usage. Previously had 3 Mazda3,s. Niro less fun but it’s growing on us. Car seems well made. Chose it over a Kona EV because of range anxiety, more interior room and solidity. Wife loves heated steering wheel, memory heated leather seats. Bought a mini spare tire for $100 piece of mind. Michelin tires wearing well, ok in light snow. Modern TPMS gives accurate specific Psi by tire.
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Caitlin O'Grady
Caitlin O'Grady, 01/15/2019
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
4 of 9 people found this review helpful
Good economical car that works just fine in town. Sport mode is nice.
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Terrible car, just skip it
Harrison, 05/31/2020
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid LX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
3 of 7 people found this review helpful
Where to start. - lack of power, struggles to make it through the grapevine, you'll be stick at 55 or less - seats are ungodly uncomfortable for more than 30 minutes - maintenance issues at 3k miles (power train) - has no life when you drive it, so it steals yours... Soul-sucking drive -infotainment screen is small and does poorly in sunlight - speakers/audio are worst I've ever heard in a car - blind spots are surprising and numerous - bad turn radius - terrible handling/cornering, if you're driving around a corner you'll need to reduce speed significantly - blinkers are dim and hard to see, people don't see them - loud! The engine is super loud when you're not on ev mode Just stay away, so many better cars
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EV, the way of the future!
Sherman, 01/05/2021
2020 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid LXS 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
2 of 4 people found this review helpful
Great car. Great warranty. Computer controlled propulsion. Poorly written manual.
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Great little gas sipper - also PHEV is AWESOME
LoveMyPHEV, 03/02/2023
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid LX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid 6AM)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I went 6 months without putting a drop of gas in the Niro. Would drive daily on electric charged from 110 outlet.
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Economical and functional but needs pep
Swillifo, 11/28/2022
2021 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Lots of problems with warning lights going off all year and service never has an explanation. Last month in one of the few out of town trips I took it on the car went into “limp mode” with no power and had to pull over three times and pray the car would reset so I could continue.
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Love my Tumbleweed!
BJS , 02/12/2024
2021 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
My Kia tumbles along softly on its electric power for all my grocery and garden center errands; then off to craft group all without gobbling gasoline. It’s 171” length is easy to maneuver and allows easy access in a closed garage. If on a longer journey, sports mode gives it super power and recharges the battery quickly. Quality, features, economy….it has it all!
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A SUBCOMPACT STATION WAGON
Alli, 04/24/2021
2020 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
3 of 12 people found this review helpful
REMOVE SUV FROM THE DESCRIPTION! IT'S A SUBCOMPACT WAGON & NOT A CROSSOVER OF ANY SORT. RUN AWAY if you live outside of a city! Look at the specs- it is the same as a Toyota Corolla wagon 172″ L x 66″ W x 55″ H Hate this car b/c it is LOWER TO GROUND than my spouse's Ford Fusion Energi. Just going down an unpaved country driveway has been a HUGE issue. We have cracked all 4 cheap plastic wheel covers too. You CAN'T fit 5 adults or 5 large male teens. If you put 2 car seats in back then middle space is useless. Yes you can get good gas mileage but my spouse's car is BIGGER overall and gets similar mileage. The only time this car has been truly useful is for trips to Costco.
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My new car
Cheryl Larkin, 10/16/2020
updated 04/24/2025
2019 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium 4dr SUV (1.6L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6AM)
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
I have had my car now 3 days, and am learning something new every day..love the ride..lots of zip..only Thing I miss is the CD player..sorry old school..looking forward to the places we will go.
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