2021 Kia Niro price and specs

The Kia Niro has arrived – somewhat belatedly – in Australia, offering prospective buyers the choice of three forms of vehicle electrification.

This small crossover SUV comes with regular hybrid, plug-in hybrid (PHEV), or battery-electric (EV) drivetrains, much like the Hyundai Ioniq.

It marks Kia Australia’s first foray into the green vehicle market.

The Niro range sold here now is an updated version of a model that at its core dates back to 2016, but which has been kept flush with the latest infotainment and active safety features.

Reflecting Australia’s EV uptake more broadly, Kia expects the electric model to account for about 20 per cent of overall Niro sales, with the regular hybrid to account for 70 per cent, and the PHEV for 10 per cent.

It should also find a broad array of competitors.

The Niro hybrid lines up against the Toyota C-HR and Subaru XV hybrids, the Niro PHEV will soon line up against the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV, and the Niro EV lines up nicely against the Hyundai Kona Electric and new extended-range Nissan Leaf e+.

Pricing

2021 Kia Niro Hybrid S: $39,990
2021 Kia Niro Hybrid Sport: $43,890
2021 Kia Niro PHEV S: $46,590
2021 Kia Niro PHEV Sport: $50,490
2021 Kia Niro EV S: $62,590
2021 Kia Niro EV Sport: $65,990

All prices exclude on-road costs.

Engines

Hybrid

The Niro Hybrid uses a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making 77kW and 147Nm, paired to a 32kW and 170Nm electric motor, for a combined system output of 104kW and 265Nm.

The powertrain drives the front wheels through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

PHEV

The Niro PHEV pairs the same engine and DCT as the normal hybrid but adds to the mix a more powerful 44.5kW motor and a larger-capacity 8.9kWh battery pack (the hybrid’s stores 1.56kWh).

The EV runs a large-capacity 64kWh battery that’s equal to the Kona’s, powering a 150kW/395Nm motor driving the front wheels through a single-speed transmission.

Fuel economy

Hybrid

Fuel consumption is a meagre 3.8 litres per 100km for the Niro S on eco tyres and 4.4L/100km for the Niro Sport which uses performance tyres, using 91 RON fuel.

The 45L tank therefore allows a theoretical range in excess of 1000km.

PHEV

The PHEV’s bigger battery allows an all-electric driving range on the generous NEDC cycle of 58km, though this in reality should equate to a figure around 45-50km.

Combined-cycle fuel consumption is rated at 1.3L/100km, but this shows the flaws of measuring conventional fuel economy in any PHEV.

Basically, once the battery is empty your economy will be much higher than this claim, and when running in EV mode will use no fuel at all.

Kia claims a driving range on the fairer WLTP standard of 455km, given consumption of 15.9kWh per 100km.

The best ways to charge are through an AC single-phase 7.2kW wall box (empty to full in about 9.5 hours), or at a DC fast charger that’ll zap you from empty to 80 per cent in between 54 minutes (100kW station) or 75 minutes (50kW station).

Dimensions

The Niro Hybrid and PHEV are 4355mm long, and the EV 4375mm. That’s about part-way between a Kona and a Leaf.

The Hybrid and PHEV are 1545mm tall and the EV 1570mm. All are 1805mm wide, and sit on a 2700mm wheelbase.

The Hybrid offers 410L of boot space despite having a space-saver spare tyre. The PHEV’s boot space is cut to 324L (the dual drivetrain takes up space) while the EV’s luggage space is an impressive 451L.

Both the latter pair have a tyre-repair kit instead of a spare.

In terms of kerb weight the Hybrid is 1444kg, the PHEV is 1564kg, and the EV 1791kg. The bigger the battery storage, the heavier the car…

Servicing and warranty

Kia provides a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, with seven-year capped-price servicing (annual or 15,000km intervals) that you can pre-pay or pay as you go. There’s also seven years of roadside assist.

Exceptions to the warranty term are the high voltage battery and electric motors which are covered by a seven year or 150,000km warranty.

You’re entitled to a warranty claim if the battery loses more than 25 per cent of capacity within the seven-year period.

Safety

All Kia Niro models come with:

Seven airbags
ISOFIX and top tethers
Reverse camera
AEB with cyclist and pedestrian detection
Lane-keep assist
Lane following assist
Active cruise control

The Niro Sport spec grades add:

Blind-spot monitoring
Rear cross-traffic alert

While the Niro Hybrid and PHEV have five-star ANCAP crash scores with a 2016 date stamp, the EV remains unrated. With a brand new Niro on the way in 2022, this generation will not be re-tested.