2018 Kia Niro Plug In Hybrid Review / Comparison - In 4K 

I feel this channel is grossly under appreciated. You can get all the important information without having to leave your house and when you narrow it down you can go test drive them with a great knowledge base. I don’t understand how each of your videos don’t have millions of views, this is incredibly valuable information for anyone looking to buy a car.

Just got the regular niro and have been blown away. This car doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Unreal how good of a car they were able to make at that price.

This Review is perhaps the most thorough review I have ever watched on YT...Thanks

Picked up a Snow White Pearl EX Premium PHEV a week ago and in my limited experience so far this review is spot on. We decided on the Niro based on the hatchback / CUV body style vs the Prius et al. In a week of commuting (80 mile round trip) I've averaged 69mg combined charging at home at night. That's comparable to my 2001 VW Golf TDI with far better creature comforts. The interior is excellent and the tech is very well though out. Kia has definitely hit a home run with the Niro PHEV.

This video was so useful in my search for a"new to me" car. I was looking for a plug in hybrid that would work for my 6'3" frame and be able to climb the daily commute to my home in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This review was perfect (even filmed close to my home), gave me all the info I needed and I purchased a 2019 Kia Niro Plug In Hybrid last week. Thanks!

Alex is simply the best here. He does his homework better than anyone else. And is extremely detailed and gives numbers

Brilliant analysis and presentation. One additional piece of information that I'd like to see you include for PHEVs is fuel tank volume and resultant combined range. Thank you.

Alex does a great job explaining the different types of plug-in hybrids. I'll throw in my two cents as a Chevy Volt owner. After living with a plug-in hybrid for a year, I have to say that I have grown really fond of the smoothness and quietness of EV mode, plus the ability to charge at home. But, when the gasoline engine switches on, I feel like I'm being rudely thrust back into the 20th century. Even though I love my Volt, and more than 96% of my miles have been in EV mode, if I were looking for a new car today I think I would restrict my choices to battery only, betting that charging infrastructure will improve within a year or two. Right now, the only affordable 200+ mile EV that's readily available in the US is the Chevy Bolt. In a year or so, the choices will expand to include Tesla Model 3, Nissan Leaf, and Hyundai Kona EV. If you still want the security of a gasoline engine, then there are lots of good plug-in hybrids to pick from, including the Niro. But, once you drive electric, it's hard to go back to a gasoline engine again. Electric drive is just way more civilized.

My favorite channel for car reviews. Thank you Alex, you cover all the bases and appreciate your work.

Most complete and detailed reviewer out there. Thanks Alex.

I came across your channel when I was looking for a new car a while ago. The clear, informative and factual unemotional presentation is excellent. I keep watching the videos even though I'm happy with what I bought because they are so well made.

The regular Niro is awesome, these are not high end vehicles, but the gas savings is so massive you cannot overlook them. We love it. 12 gallon fill up and over 600 miles per tank, soooo much better than regular cars.

Hey Alex, Love your in-depth reviews and your keen insights into so many vehicles which you seem to keep within your noggin in great detail. The value of your reviews is very much heightened by your ability to do comparisons and analyses "on the fly" which is so helpful to us folk who don't get opportunities to have these cars for loan over a week or two as you do. But the real reason I'm writing for the first time after being a fan for so long looking at your videos, is that I just purchased a loaded EX Premium Kia Niro, and have to say this is a well thought out vehicle in so many ways. It feels extremely "planted" while driving so I have to only guess on how much better the "Touring Hybrid" with the wide and taller tires feels in this area. I traded in a 2012 Honda CRV that had 76K mis on the clock, and had to drive about a hundred miles to find a PHEV Niro, so the ride up with the Honda when compared with the ride back in the Niro was very different. The sense of stability and steadiness was significantly better in the Niro than in the CRV, which came as a surprise to me. The sensitivity to input and response in the steering wheel was markedly better in the Niro as well. The techical acoutrements in the Niro were years ahead of the CRV, with the highly functional "Smart" cruise, or adaptive cruise control, which works worlds better than the one in our 2018 Honda Accord Touring 2.0 my wife drives for work, which I've driven many times using that feature. There's no sudden braking or seeming confusion like one feels in the Accord. Also, in the Accord, during slowdown while having the adaptive cruise control working, we've both experienced the very unsettling experience of the system crashing and simply not slowing down anymore with no advance warning, so it becomes a rather hair-raising experience to expect the car to keep slowing and in fact the system has crashed and no longer slows.........leaving you with a kind of exigency bordering on emergency to haul the car's speed down to avoid the rapidly approaching vehicle directly in front of you. We'll see if that happens with the Niro in time I guess, but the greater issue here is that these "safety" adaptations to motoring technology must be cautiously employed and enjoyed, because like anything else high-tech, they can fail completely when you least expect it. I'm pretty sure the "crash avoidance" feature in the Accord was simultaneously dismantled when the adaptive cruise control failed during both my wife's and my shocking experiences, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of the crash avoidance technology, it seems to me. Perhaps there's a glitch or problem with the system, but who can tell?? I do know that once this happens, the system must be shut down by turning off the vehicle, then restarting it, to get these systems working again. You begin to rely on these new technologies, since they make the driving experience much more enjoyable, particularly with the adaptive cruise control. The only thing missing on the Kia that we absolutely love on the new Accord is the Heads-up display which we've both come to really enjoy on the Accord. Speaking of the Accord's problems, we've also had trouble with speed limit visual recognition technology which optically recognizes and displays the speed limit on the dash as well as in the heads-up display in the windscreen. Frequently it has nothing to show, as I believe it defaults to "nothing" after so many minutes pass, since that's what appears to happen when speed limit signs fail to appear for lengthly periods of time,........and also we've seen speed limit signs of 90 and 100 mph on rare occasions which shows that the recognition tecnology is far from perfect, and clearly isn't linked with GPS navigation data which is inherent in all modern navigation systems. If that were the case there would never be a weird readout like 100 mph for example, and there would also never be a 'blank' screen when there's no frequent posted speed limit signs. These are very technical details but they're from experience so I think they're worth noting. BTW, I was hoping for a review of the new Accord Hybrid since it incorporates all of that Honda Sensing technology now and makes the car different and better in my opinion than the '17 model which you reviewed in great detail. I know they're similar in technology re: the drivetrain, but the car is so new it makes for a new experience and is worth a critical look at once again. It would have been appreciated since I was considering one of those and the Niro for this purchase. In the end, I found the pure electric mode really appealing, especially since we don't expect to use the car very much after we both officially retire at the end of this year, so if we keep it charged up daily, it should seldom require petrol in our driving styles. The Niro is a very interesting niche in hybrid technology it seems, having a really nice blend of usable storage space, easily accessible and roomy rear seating, economical running costs, and a nice sporty feel to the handling and driving experience. So far, I'm really pleased with our decision, and I guess time will tell if that satisfaction is durable, right?! So, thanks again for your excellent quality reviews, and I'll continue to visit your page to keep up with the never-dull world of automotive evolution. One final note, though I know I'm long-winded here. I discovered that CO2 exhausted by a Honda Accord Hybrid in a 15,000 mile yearly usage emits a whopping 6,192 lbs of the stuff. And that's a hybrid. I really had no mental concept of just how much carbon dioxide each vehicle was dumping into the atmosphere by our prolific use of internal combustion engines. Twice the weight of a car in just one year in the greenhouse gas CO2?? Good grief, man, no wonder we are concerned about our effect on the environment, our global warming activity.

GREAT breakdown at the end of other plug-ins, Alex. You're doing an amazing job on these videos. Keep up the great work

Good Lord, this has to be one of the most satisfying reviews to sit through. Thank you, good sir. Wow.

Alex, your reviews are fantastic. How do you only have 326K subscribers?

OMG Alex, I was waiting for this review with anticipation! Your the best!

I've viewed lots of reviews of this car and this is probably the real-world best.

GREAT explanation of different types of plug-in hybrids!

Alex is the ultimate authority in car reviews. Love this channel.

Of all the hybrid and electric vehicles I've seen, this one is definitely at the top for me. Every car is a set of compromises, but this combination of cost, utility, efficiency, and looks speaks to me. I hope that it will only get better in the future as the selection of 'green' cars increases. Also, this might be tangential, but I think Korean companies, in particular, will learn a lot about the rapidly developing EV industry in China given their large presence there and their need to compete.

This was, hands down, the best presentation I have watched about Niro. Thank you.

We r starting a family and want to make sure we got honest feedback/review of this hybrid before purchasing thank you sir!

Thank you! Really excellent review. I especially appreciate you getting into detailed comparisons with like vehicles including the differences in how they operate, efficiency, and cost--so useful! I just subscribed:)

Alex is THE best auto reviewer on youtube. keep it up bud!

Wow....never seen a better, more thorough review of any product. Nice job!!

I love the thought of the Nero PHEV. But really wanting a great hybrid that is substantially larger, more along the size of the Sportage or Sorrento.

Well put review, Alex. I've had this car since January and it has been a pretty good experience after they fixed a broken onboard charger. The sport mode as well as the adaptive cruise control make commutes much easier to handle. Over the last 1,000 miles we averaged about 100MPG. The only downside to the car is the sound that Kias make when they turn on and off. Wish there was a way to disable that.

Best PHEV over all and comprehensive video, TY!

I disagree that it's a "pity" the Niro has to turn on it's gas engine to heat the cabin. Rather, it was a smart design choice by the Kia engineers. When all you need is heat (as opposed to mechanical work) burning local hydrocarbon fuel beats draining a charged electric battery by orders of magnitude.

Great Review! I have been been looking to go green for my next car, but have been on the fence of going full EV. I got a lot of information from this review and I think that a plug in hybrid would be a good way to transition to a full EV in the future. Keep posting the great content!

Hi Alex, thannk you for all the work you do putting all of this information together for your viewers. One thing I am really curious about is,..how does it handle in the snow?

You do the Best Car Reviews ! You know all the infos, you explain and compare ! Can not ask for more !

Hi Alex. Nice detail review as usual. They can call it what they want, it is a very practical design. it is selling 3 to 1 compare to the Ionic here in Canada. Unfortunately, where I live, near Ottawa Canada, the plug in part will be useless for 6 months of the year as it start the engine as soon as you need heat. That is why I order a Honda Clarity PHEV which comes with a battery heater in Canada, climate control remote start when plug in or not, and it also drive in EV mode in the cold. It is also a much bigger car that I actually fit in. Can't wait to see your review on it.

I've owned the Niro PHEV since 2/28/18 and really like it. As a former Volt owner (2 of them in 6 years) the Niro has some shortfalls, running A/C or heat means your engine is on and you're not getting your EV efficiency when you have battery power and in Florida I need to run the A/C in the summer, that kind of bums me out. The size is so much more practical than the Volt (having a real back seat that real people can use) and the actual gas mileage is higher than the Volt which is more practical when you take longer trips. I've had a couple of long trips and have gotten 45-46 mpg at 75 mph. You do have to be light on the gas pedal to NOT engage the gas engine when you're running on in all electric mode though. I think that for the price and the features it is a great first entry by Kia into the PHEV world. It can only get better in the next version I hope. Thanks for a great review.

Excellent review. Both the regular Niro and this PHEV version seem to be great cars with tons of features for a fair price.

Nice car. KIA really produces some winners lately and is becoming one of my favorite brands.

Great Review! Purchased a 2019 Niro phev based mainly on this review. Your analysis at the end was fantastic. Well the 2019, at least in my ex prem does not have the teal vent accents or the teal stitching on the leather. No case for the charging cord but came with a cargo cover. So far so good. Thanks Alex.

I live in Connecticut and I am strongly considering getting a PHEV Niro, but wonder how will perform in the winter both in terms of battery life and use of the heating system and its impact on the battery. I’m assuming that it uses the engine to generate heat but wasn’t sure. Any thoughts?

Hi Alex, it would be super awesome if you could also include a review section on the performance of active safety features such as lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control for new vehicles. More and more people are looking for such features in new cars.

Nice review as always Alex. We would have strongly considered the Ioniq PHEV or the Niro PHEV had they been available before the end of 2017 for the tax credit that we were concerned about it going away with the new federal budget. However when we discovered the Honda Clarity there was no turning back. I think you short changed the Clarity just a bit when you mentioned the ICE would start up if you push down on the accelerator all the way. While that is true there is a strong detent in the accelerator so that is easy to avoid. Also in Sport mode with Econ switched on the Clarity has more than ample power to accelerate without bringing the ICE on line. I consider the Niro to be a cross-over based on shape alone. I don't think all wheel drive helps define whether a car is a hatch back or cross over. Another thing about the Clarity (we drive for months on EV only) is the 47 mile EV EPA range. What most car companies, like Toyota in the Prime, don't talk about is loss of range in cold weather. The 25-30 mile EV range of many of these PHEV cars is said to be adequate for some percentage of drivers. But when the winter comes that range is dramatically reduced. The Clarity can dip from the high 40s to the mid 30s in cold climates. I'm so glad we have the Clarity rather than one of the 25-30 EV range cars because we'd be using gas a lot more often. All in all though we would have been happy to have the Niro especially for the cargo space and proper 60/40 fold down rear seats. I think the Niro is not only a good looking vehicle it is also an overall winner.

Great lecture on plug-in and hybrid/plug-in cars. I think Kia Niro definitely looks like a mini-SUV and prefer it over a Prius Prime

great video, professional all inclusive and full of relevant info with lots of visual coverage

Great review again Alex. You're the best! One small point, the battery in the Niro PHEV is about 6 times larger than that in the regular Niro rather than the 8 times larger mentioned in the review but who's counting. One other question? Does the top end Niro PHEV have heated rear seats as in the top end hybrid Niro? That is a feature my rear seat passengers have greatly appreciated in our Dodge Grand Caravan. These heated seats can significantly reduce the need for cabin heating when combined with the heating steering wheel. This of course would benefit fuel economy in this Niro PHEV.

Yet another very comprehensive video! Great information Alex!... I'm shopping later this year (waiting for the Honda Insight)...

Having 2018 niro lx, it's more of a station wagon/hatchback. It looks bigger in pictures. I believe it's marketed as an SUV to upcharge the base price of the vehicle, and to make it more appealing to buyers

Great vid! Very helpful, and I personally love the level of detail.

So excited to see this review. Went to the atl car show to view! Thank Alex!!! Btw love your new truck.

We love this PHEV...use mostly Electric in City and NO range anxiety/looking for charging station on long trips

I don't know if it's standard in 2020 but I got mine second hand with Michelin tyres, ride is super smooth. I love it, wish it went slightly further on pure EV but it's pretty good anyway.

Crossover, hatchback, doesn't matter, as long as it gives me the headroom my 6'6" frame needs I'm definitely interested! Finally a PHEV that can replace my Matrix

Thanks for the great review. 1. I like that you informed us about the Tax breaks/credits, and could soon disappear. 2. Here is my suggestion for the question of what to call this 'type' vehicle, catagorize the Nero as a 'CUV' [Compact Utility Vehicle, or Crossover Utility Vehicle]!

I don´t get why peoble complain about the car need the enginge to produce heat. This is NOT an EV car, but an Ice with EV as a bonus. If it was equipped with at heater, the range would drop drastic in the cold, and the EV range would be really low. And if you can live with a low range, get a regular EV instead. Interessting also, that there are differences in cargo area in the US vs. Europe version, since the PHEV loses 25% cargo space compared the the regular HEV. But thats all under the bootfloor. Great review anyway, even if I think the EV range was abit on the low side. I get around 32-35 miles on pure EV driving i mine. Maybe 28-30 in freezing temperature :)

Great job as usual can't wait for Clarity review!

The thing with a pure BEV and a PHEV is that in a BEV, you will not use the entire capacity of the battery. You never go to empty. If you have a 100 mile range, you would use 80 is at most, before you go recharge. In a PHEV, you'll use the entire battery and then recharge. So far, this is what I've notices among PHEV owners: 20 mile battery = getting gas once a month, 30 mile = every 2 months, 40 miles = every 4 months. I don’t have data for the BMW i3 Rex (70 or 100 EV miles) - I suspect you would get gas once or twice a year.

Love the new sportmode dash display (ala Hyundai Ioniq). Hopefully the regular hybrid version gets this upgrade for 2018...Knowing your engine RPM is nice when you're descending steep grades (or driving sporty).

I have had my Niro for a year now and absolutely love it. I found it interesting that the plug in version has a 12 volt battery in addition to the hybrid batteries. Mine does not have a 12 volt battery.

Outstanding review! As a potential Niro PHEV buyer still doing their homework, I wanted to mention that the Niro PHEV is NOT eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit because its battery pack is less than 16 kWh in capacity. The Niro has a 8.9 kWh battery so the federal tax credit is reduced to $4,543 (fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml). That makes the after-tax-credit price of the base model closer to $23.5k rather than the "under $21k" as stated in the video. This still seems like a great price in the market.

Fantastic review. I just subscribed.

Great video. Helped us tremendously with our car buying. Thanks!

Definitely a crossover BTW. Semantics aside, it simply LOOKS more like a crossover than a hatch. It has the quintessential SUV/crossover profile.

thanks for the review. Maybe the Niro for Canada will have additional heating tech like the honda clarity phev. I hope you review the Clarity PHEV soon

Great Job! Thanks for the detailed information, we already own a Bolt and looking for something more efficient and practical to replace our Minivan.

IMO, a crossover is determined by body style and height not if it offers AWD. The Nissan Kicks doesn't offer AWD but its clearly a small SUV. Then there's the fact that not everyone even takes/purchases AWD in CUVs or SUVs. Are those (Tuscon/Rogue Sport, etc) not an SUVs since they didnt purchase AWD? AWD doesn't make a vehicle a CUV/SUV.

Looks like a perfect upgrade for my C-Max. I just wish it had as much power as the C-Max or was a bit larger. It sure looks larger though, with much better fuel economy either way.

Alex, why didn't you compare even a little bit the Niro PHEV vs. the Outlander PHEV?

Great review if I'm understanding correctly if you want a plug in hybrid that will run on electric straight is the Volt is the option

That's a really good looking interior! Much more expensive looking than I expected.

In your past video "What makes a crossover a crossover", I mentioned that "crossover" has attributes found in various car classes/sizes and function/types. AWD coupes & sedans are not called crossovers because they don't have the higher ride height, nor the interior room & cargo capacity of a hatchback or wagon. And about 1/2 of all crossovers are sold as FWD.

I have a Ford CMax Plugin. Looks like this is the next car if a better PHEV don't come along or if pure EVs don't come down in price.

Wow, such a great and informative video. Thank you! Subscribed!

Excellent video. The best I have seen by far.

I have a Ford C-Max plug in. This car is very similar; a little longer EV range & better mpg but a little slower 0-60 and smaller tires.

As an owner of Kia Rondo, I really wish that Kia expand on Niro and Rondo line up. These vehicles are exactly what I have been looking for. The only issue is that they are a bit small. I think they could make mid-size versions of Niro and/or Rondo. I think it is possible if they stopped focusing sedans. Sedans are dead. In Canada, parking space is much smaller, making sedans very difficult to park.

Hi Alex, I'm curious why you don't include reliability in your vehicle reviews? Quite frankly for me (and many other consumers) reliability is one of the most important factors in my purchase decisions.

While I'm not as keen on the styling of the Hyundai Kona, the Kia Niro looks a lot nicer. I'm anxiously waiting for the Niro Electric however.

AWD and I’d be sold on this.

Excellent review (as usual)

Volt is the sportiest, the best looking, and gets 53 miles on a charge, which is almost double its competitors, and it's all about EV range for most green people. I'm waiting for the EV Niro to kick come ICE butt.

Great video but it’s now 2020 and Kia still only has the 2019 Niro on their website and dealers still have only 2019 models on their lots when most 2020 models hit the pavement months ago. And that’s true for any flavor of Niro. Are Niro sales so poor Kia is holding back the 2020 improved face lifted version? Or is Kia having problems delivering what car buyers expect?

OK, this time the intro jingle was significantly quieter than the body of the video. Something suspicious is afoot, Alex!

Excellent review so informnative

Outstanding Review. Thank you.

I no longer want the full EV now that i've seen this a couple of times...

Why cant we just call it what it is. A STATION WAGON. I have no problem calling it that. I bought a fully loaded one Touring Edition of the Non plug in and I think this is a fantastic car.

It is a Small Station Wagon according to my window sticker and the EPA.

good info & professionally explained👍

I honestly don't understand why no one ever puts the total miles that can be achieved with plugin cars. So the tank size for this car is 11.9 gallon. The battery has around 26mpge. So in total, you are getting really close to 600 miles of range.

Aww man the a.c. and heater work on battery alone? 15:45 a.c. yes hear on high no. Thanks for the video

Alex, on your size comparison graph you could show actual inches. It is hard to know "how much"... 1 in? 2 inches?

how could this compare to the outlander phev?

Alex would you buy a plug in or non plug in?

i'm very interested in this car, but if i understand correctly, the drivign distance on battery only is 26 miles...so about 42 km? that's it?

How do the combination of; only 6.5” ground clearance, 205 tires, and extra battery weight effect snow traction/driving? I live in a hilly area of upstate NY where I’ve found AWD is necessity for about 10 days a year. The other 356 days a year I’m just hauling around extra AWD hardware, but for those 10 days/year, I’ve found out the hard way that I’ve really needed that AWD. Thinking/hoping I could try to find a way to get by without the AWD

Another nice review. And no suitcase score. But you still didn't put down the rear seats and show us a) the entire cargo area b) if they fold flat and c) the liftover height (bad backs want to know). These are, after all, utility vehicles, so let's see how that utility looks. And +1 on blitzbbffl's request for range.

There should also be a KIA Pacino. And the top of the line vehicle, the godfather - KIA Brando.

Another great video, thank you.

Thanks Alex for another great review and love how you added the analysis on at the end!!! I think you said enough for me to go out and get one. The Prius is a great car too and very efficient but the look..... I can’t quite digest. I love your new Durango but do you still have your Kia Soul Ev?

NOT A CROSSOVER! I put that as an exclamation b/c people will be disappointed expecting this to act as an SUV/ crossover like the Ford Edge, Chevy Equinox, etc. I've owned a Jeep Liberty, Ford Escape, & Chrysler Pacifica Crossover Wagon. The Chrysler was a crossover being a Wagon/ Minivan for space & cargo area while it was as capable as my Jeep for heavy rains, light flooding, and driving in snow. I will NEVER drive this Kia Niro in heavy rains/ light flooding or heavy snow. If I hit the mountains in winter I will REQUIRE snow chains. This is a small wagon or hatchback. Seriously a Ford Fusion Energi is 20.3 inches longer than this wagon. Kia Niro specs are similar to Toyota Matrix which no one called a SUV even though it had an AWD option. Statements that a Nissan Kick is an SUV are incorrect since it too is a wagon albeit a sporty version. God forbid anyone say they drive a wagon .I really miss the Volvo V70 when it was still an independent Swiss car company. Volvo created that 3rd row seat that folds down and faces back, which Telsa HAS & it is all the rage. A city driver in an area with mild weather will get the best fuel economy with the KIA Niro or Niro PHEV. See The Kia Niro forums - gas mileage is frustrating people in very cold/ very hot climates driving highways primarily. I like but DON'T love it which is why I did a lease. The tech is so new & I waited until the clutch jerk issue was resolved before signing anything. The issue became a recall. If you need a cargo area that will handle a serious Costco trip, you need a car for a 70+ pound dog, you have 4 or less in your family, &/or you have tall friends & family members you regularly drive in the back seat then this is your plug-in. If you have more than 3 car seats, you have a family of 5 or more, or you have more than 2 large 70+ pound dogs then save up for the new Chrysler Pacifica Mini-Van PHEV. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is only an option if you live less than 20-30 minutes from a Mitsubishi dealership & you have AAA for towing.

makes you really question wtf the point of the bmw i3 is when compared to this