Kia’s triple-choice Niro
CHOICeS, choices. there’s not one smart new second-generation Kia niro — but three. the line-up comprises a trio of: a petrolelectric hybrid; a pure electric niro EV, and a useful plug-in hybrid (PHEV) which I’ve just been driving. There are three model grades: 2, 3, and 4. the new version has also grown and is 65mm longer, 20mm wider and 10mm taller, with a 20mm longer wheelbase.
■ THE PHEV model combines a 1.6-litre GDI petrol engine with a 62kW (83bhp) electric motor to give a total output of 180bhp. It does rest to 62 mph in 9.6 seconds up to a top speed of 104 mph, with CO2 emissions as low as 18g/km and average fuel efficiency of 285.5 mpg to 351 mpg provided you charge it.
The electric-only driving range is up to 40 miles and the car is priced between £ 33,525 and £39,025 for the top- end ‘4’ version which I drove.
■ THE self-charging niro Hybrid has a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a 32kW (43bhp) electric motor to create 139bhp of power which propels it from rest to 62mph in 10.4 seconds up to a top speed of 102mph, with CO2 emissions of 100g/km, and up to 64.2mpg. It costs between £ 27,745 and £33,245. Both hybrids have a six-speed automatic gearbox.
■ COSTING between £36,245 and £41,745, the zero-emissions Niro EV is powered by a 201bhp electric motor and a long-range 64.8kWh battery pack, allowing it to accelerate from rest to 62 mph in 7.8 seconds up to a top speed of 104 mph and with a claimed range of 285 miles. It can be recharged to 80 per cent in 43 minutes using a DC rapid charger, or 45 minutes with a 100kW rapid charger.
The niro is Kia’s secondbiggest UK seller, with 23,800 sold in 2021 of which more than half were pure electric and 10 per cent plug-in hybrid.
Overall, more than 70,000 niros have been sold in the UK in the six years since the range was first launched in 2016.
During 2021 and the first half of 2022, the all-electric niro was the second best-selling pure electric vehicle in the UK.