2019 Kia Niro EV First Drive - The Better Bolt 

Sorry for the correction folks: Teslas do not use heat pumps. My bad. I was mixing up cars in my head. Teslas use resistive heat and can use the battery cooling loop to heat the cabin as well.

Got a Niro 2020 EV and love it. I consistently get between 260 to 280 miles on a charge, that's between 4 to 4.5 miles per kW. More comfortable and quieter than other EVs in that price range I tried and an upgraded interior. Interior has some similarity to BMW X1 which we have experience with. Apparently Kia has an ex BMW or Audi designer who restyled the interior.

Checking in. It's been 5 years and I still love my Niro EV. Zero issues with it; I can take long trips with it with no problems. Even EVgo's plug-and-charge works with the Niro EV! What's not to love?

I don't know how Alex doesn't have 1 million subscribers by now.

As an oversea viewer I appreciate the very good quality of your elocution : all your words are separated one for the other , and so , well , it looks like I understand you very easily . Thanks a lot ! .

This is the right step for "normal" car manufacturers; to take a good package, with real buttons and real world usability, and turn it into a highly efficient EV. Kudos to KIA for pulling this off, and kudos to Alex from always bringing us those excellent reviews. Keep up the good work.

Alex, your level of information is amazing . Well done

Niro looks like a hero. Useful comparisons with the Kia Soul, better packaging efficiency there if you like the Nissan Cube type looks.

Damn Alex, you work fast my man!

*_I have never seen a car review that gave this much information so smartly supported by graphics and multiple cameras. Nice job. I got a Bolt in May of 2017 after watching many positive video reviews of the car on RU-vid. I leased knowing in three years I might have some interesting choices. My only deal breaker is real one-pedal driving like the low gear in the Bolt that will bring you to a dead stop When you get on to that you can drive all month and never touch the brake. You just learn when to take your foot of the go pedal for stop signs._* *_I have seen a few EVs that have a one-pedal switch. I wish they all did as I can't imagine driving any other way. Again, great job on the car review. You take this to a whole new level!_*

11:20 "Electric Avenue" LMAO nice touch.

Great EV review. Glad you are ahead of the curve when it comes to EV knowledge and it shows when compared to other channels who try to review EVs. I look forward to the day when the majority of your reviews are pure EVs.

I own a Model 3. This car looks great and I would like one to have as the other car. More usable space, less expensive but still has lots of nice features and comfort, just really practical without looking frumpy or being slow. Nice car, nice review.

I'm buying this in Canada if I win the lottery Friday. Nice to dream.

Much BETTER review than other reviewers

Finally we start seeing popular crossovers with EV drive train. Really like the Niro dimensions, practically and upright seating. And with typical high KIA quality this can be a great car to own.

His reviews are very comprehensive. Like an Encyclopedia.

As always Alex, simply amazing review with details about features we NEVER hear about anywhere else. One area that surprised me though was trunk space. All other reviews I've seen show the EV version of the Niro to have a slightly larger capacity with the rear seats upright than in the Hybrid version. Whatever, the difference is not enormous. We currently lease a fully loaded Kia Niro Hybrid Touring and love it, due to ease of entry/exit, exceptional feature content for this class of vehicle, and of course it's fuel economy. So I did some math on the "Cost Effectiveness" of the Niro EV for comparison as far as fuel cost goes. This has nothing to do with the environmental impacts of full EV's versus hybrids, nor it's performance advantages, but is simply a matter of economics. Since we don't have exact pricing for the Niro EV yet this is only a calculation of the fuel cost savings. I WILL try to make this the MOST favorable to the E-Niro as possible, ie cheapest electricity rates for off peak charging at home versus highest current gasoline prices for the Hybrid Niro. I live in Canada so I'm working from metric figures but will convert to U.S. mpg. I log ALL fuel receipts into a spreadsheet so I know exactly what our Niro Hybrid delivers, not what the "Guess-O-Meter" in the dashboard displays, as they are ALWAYS optimistic and the Niro is no exception. Since picking up the Niro just under 10,000 kilometers (6,250 miles) ago, we have averaged 5.348 liters/100 kilometers. That translates to 44.23 U.S. mpg and includes a mix of city/highway and summer/winter driving with snow tires and extreme cold. So we drive about 12,500 miles per year and would use 12,500 / 44.23 = 282.613 gallons of gasoline. The highest current price in the U.S. appears to be in California so I'm using approximate GasBuddy average prices for Los Angeles at $3.50 per gallon. Therefore annual fuel cost with my Hybrid Niro in LA would be $989. Unlike in Ontario Canada where I live, I found it virtually impossible to determine the exact price per kilowatt hour during off peak usage in Los Angeles for comparison purposes. Apparently they offer a 2.5 cent reduction for charging electric vehicles if you have a separate meter at home, (additional cost) specifically for that purpose. So I'll use their 18.4 cent average minus the 2.5 cent EV charging reduction and assume a 50% reduction for off peak overnight and weekend usage at home. Alex determined that the Niro EV can travel 3.4 miles on a Kilowatt of electricity. So in 12,500 miles, it would use about 3,675 kilowatt hours worth of juice. Using the logic above, with that separate meter, I'm using a price per off peak kilowatt hours of 6.9 cents (which I suspect is more than generous and probably doesn't include delivery charges, taxes, etc). At that rate, the cost for electricity would be 3,675 x 6.9 / 100 = $253.60 per year or a saving of $735 for fuel costs. I see that as an ABSOLUTE best case scenario using NO public hi-speed charging stations and NEVER searching out less expensive gasoline refueling stops. Obviously, California has some of the highest gasoline prices in the United States so elsewhere, the economic annual advantage would be even worse. IF you use Public Charging stations, the costs per kilowatt hour become ridiculous and throw the whole economic argument for EV's fuel savings right out the window. It is my belief that full EV's make zero economic sense for any apartment dweller without access to their own plug and metering system. The cost of oil changes and other routine maintenance throughout the life of an ICE vehicle is easily offset by the greatly reduced up front purchase prices. This is especially true if you lease your vehicles, which with a Kia, will be warrantied for the full extent of a 4 year lease. In my mind, the best ECONOMIC option is to lease a fully warrantied Plug-In Hybrid (if rebates on those vehicles are still available where you live) which can be charged overnight on ANY 110-120 Volt outlet and can cover 90% of MOST users daily needs in their electric mode with 30 miles of range. Lower up front cost, absolutely no "Range Anxiety" and if you happen to miss a charging session, no big deal.

I’ve had my 2022 Niro EV for almost 2 years now and 12k miles and when I charge it to 100% (whenever I go on long trips), I’m getting over 300 miles of range…it’ll show between 310-315…if AC gets turned on, it’ll drop to just below 300. And, it’s been very accurate. I get very close to 4 miles per KW and sometimes as high as 4.8!

That was fast! Normally your teasers are a few day away from the video. Another great review!

Alex the Tesla model 3 uses resistive heating and is very power hungry in cold weather !

Alex is like a Doug Demuro that doesn't somehow both irritate the piss out of me & put me to sleep.

I have nothing but a passing interest in electric cars, so me watching this should tell you how good a job you do on reviews. Oh, and thank you for not having a 5 minute intro.

I was seriously looking at the Bolt but the cheap seats and white dash pretty much killed it. I think this is a much better option.

It's a station wagon, plain and simple. That whole "cross-over" term is just a marketing term coined to avoid tagging smaller suvs as, well, suvs, and it's just plain stupid. I am a big fan of KIA and would definitely love to buy either this one or the new Soul EV! Great review, as usual!

Surprisingly Tesla's do not have heat pumps. They do have coolant systems that can harvest heat from the motor and power electroncs. So somewhat more efficient than purely resistance heat.

Great video as always, Alex. I love seeing you cover more all-electric vehicles! That said, I'm not sure Tesla vehicles have heat pumps in the traditional sense. They do use waste heat from the motor and inverter to heat the battery, but I think the cabin is heated by a resistive heating element. I've attempted researching this, but the answer is unclear. If you have any sources for this info, I'd appreciate you sharing it, as I'm curious to get a concrete answer myself.

I have watched numerous reviews on EV’s and this one describing the Kia Niro electric is one of the most comprehensive of them all. Good job.

E-NIRO in Texas...what !!!did I hear that right? I'm getting one. It's way better than the bolt. Great review.

I'm surprised the rear head/leg room numbers didn't include the Leaf. Also, we may be getting to a point where you mention how the self-driving (adaptive cruise + land keep assist) aspects compare to other cars. It is becoming standard on more and more vehicles so it is another relevant point of comparison that could steer someone towards a particular vehicle.

Did Kia do the press event at your house? Amazed to see it on home ground this soon.

I'd be very interested in how this EV would work and it's range on this balmy -37 degree day here in the Midwest.

This car will charge at 200 amps ,74 kw , really good speed. Not quite 100 kw but that is still 3 times faster than Chevy Bolt, 150 amps 55 kw. This car is high on my list of next EV to buy.

How did you get your hands on the eNiro? Nice. I would take one of these over a Model 3.

Great review Alex! 64 kWh battery pack was the Tesla Model S base size just a few years ago. Whoever invented the term Crossover SUV should be awarded a lifetime supply of Gold coffee mugs from the rest of the Auto industry. Turned the 5 door hatchback into marketing magic!

Excellent detailed review. Also easy to understand explanation of EV charging and how EV range is affected by ALL Wheel Drive. Please cover cargo space and compare the EVs, especially luggage- carry on and the largest suitcases (example 34x22x12.5 in)

Once again, a stellar job Alex! Some people will probably complain that your reviews are too long BUT if you are in the market to purchase a vehicle, doesn't investing a little time in the process make sense? If this was just your "1st drive review", I can't imagine the upcoming full review but await it's arrival. We own a Kia Niro Hybrid and love it so I can't imagine why the Niro EV will not be high on our list when our lease expires on the current vehicle; that is IF the charging infrastructure improves SIGNIFICANTLY in the next couple years. Where I live in Canada, EV charging station availability is abysmal and normally occupied by an ICE vehicle anyway. Arghh!

I think the interior of this car looks way better than the hybrid version, the center console in particular looks really nice.

Like the Niro and like Alex - one of the best reviewers in the game. Videos got the right length and all the info you need 😊

This car has the potential to be really really good for its market, I'll wait a few years before considering it.

Great detailed review as expected, thanks. Two things- I also wonder why Kia is putting out a Niro ev around the same time as a new Soul ev with such similarities? Or am I missing something? Why didn’t they offer one with awd to set them farther apart? And second- I read that the Niro has different cell supplier than the Kona, but you said it’s the same! Do you know for sure?

Really nice catch on having room for a spare tire. Having blown a tire on my e-Golf in the middle of nowhere, this is something that's definitely on my mind for its replacement

The extended range of pure EV's to 225+ miles in vehicles with decent performance and a purchase price in the mid-$30K neighborhood is a potential game changer, I think. Here in the Puget Sound region commutes of 30-40 miles each way are fairly common. An EV with a range of 100-120 miles has to be recharged every day. Adding more than a hundred miles to that range transforms a daily driver (only) to one that can be driven for a longer distance without worry. Even a weekend trip to the shore isn't out of the question. And for someone who just needs an urban runabout, recharging once or twice a week can be sufficient. Challenges remain, of course. The price of adding a recharging station at home has to be figured into the budget. And electricity isn't free. States that finance highways primarily with taxes on fuel need to come up with alternate ways of paying for construction and maintenance. (An issue that is already a significant issue with hybrids and plug in hybrids.) Not everyone who'd like to own an EV lives where they can add a recharging station. The entire world isn't populated by suburbanites in single family homes. Apartment dwellers and renters drive, too. And even places like Silicon Valley and Redmond, Washington where employers have added EV recharge stations to ease the range problem find that employees have to arrive early to get a spot. Proliferation of EV's aggravates each of those issues. All in all, the extended range of affordable pure EV's is good news. It's not surprising to see KIA and Hyundai leading the way.

Fantastic review. A little longer than I prefer to watch but you crammed a lot of valuable information into what turned out to be a reasonable amount of time. One suggestion that I’d like to make is to show how a typical set of golf clubs plus a walking cart would fit in the back - or would part (or all) of the back seats need to be folded down. Before I purchase a vehicle I always bring my golf gear. If it doesn’t fit I move on. The Niro appears preferable over the Hyundai Kona with the exception of the reduced range. If the clubs, etc. fit, this looks like a reasonable choice. Thanks.

I noticed that the Bolt EV is a much smaller car, but actually has more leg and head room. . Kinda surprising considering the much smaller the Bolt is. I'm sure the Niro is wider across the rear seat. Also kinda prefer the gauges and infotainment on the Bolt.

Kia has a winner with this Niro EV. If I had to choose an EV I'd pick this Niro over the Kona, Bolt and yes, the Model 3. As usual, Alex provides the best and most detailed videos, looking forward to the full review.

I think Kia was being pretty conservative with that 239 mile range estimate. I own an EX Premium and I usually have 245 miles on my range estimator, and that's when I charge to 90%. The GOM (Guess-a-meter) isn't being optimistic either, I've been watching it to see if it's accurate. I'm not a driver that drives like a little old lady either, but I will admit that I am trying to let the cruise control handle acceleration and braking as much as possible.

Another great and thorough insight Alex. Both the Niro and Kona can certainly help propel EV adoption but only if you can actually buy one. Presently you can buy the "worse Bolt" in every state in the U.S. but GM definitely needs to make more of them as well.

Thank god it has yellow turns.

Great overview, as always! Your 0-60 estimate is much quicker than the 7.8 seconds I've been reading elsewhere. I like your number better.

Great video. I'd like to see more of the infotainment options, specifically EV related options. For example charging schedule, preheating, and drive mode settings. I drive an Ioniq and there's no way to set start up regen level to to 0 (lowest you can default to is 1). Also I'd love to see a demonstration of the full regen to stop at different speeds by holding down the left paddle. (Again, a feature not in Ioniq that I'd really like)

My prediction is that within two to three years almost any new model EV to hit the market will have graphene batteries, that the average range of those models will be above three hundred miles and and an 80% charge will be done in fifteen minutes and a full charge will be completed in an hour. Graphene is going to be the game changer.

Fantastic car, it checks all the boxes I have with the exception of price which is understandable since battery costs are still fairly high. Can't wait until the tech improves and we get cheaper batteries that have longer ranges, hopefully we can see these changes five years from now.

The Niro is likely to be in short supply and high demand for the first year, so expect dealer markups and certainly not below MSRP for the first year. Meanwhile, you can get heavy discounts on the Bolt EV. So, while the Niro May have more to offer, I suspect the real world cost of the Bolt to be lower.

EV and Kia - terrific combo....

That charge port on the bumper looks pretty vulnerable.

I need a head to head 2019 Soul vs Niro comparison!! EV model and top gas trims please!

I hope they get rid of MPGe or at least add Miles per KW as well.

Wish that auto manufacturers could make an electric car that could accept a trailer with a generator on it. The trailer/generator could be connected for long range trips. Trailer could even have additional storage space for long trips. Trailer could be sold or rented by dealers as customers needed. What are your thoughts on this?

MPGe is important when trying to decide whether to pay the premium for a goofy looking car over a traditional, less clowny gas car. We know MPGs so it gives us something to compare, especially to something we already own. However, I do agree we need m/kw information on the Monroney as well so we can calculate the cost of operation for ourselves.

I'm not sure, but you may have a full stop option if you pull both paddles.

239 mile range is a conservative estimate. I'm seeing ~260 miles when I'm driving like a lunatic, and much more than that if I'm driving for range and economy.

Great job as usual! The Niro EV to be sold in Georgia is surprising--hope it sells well.

Thanks Alex. By any chance you recall seeing the power liftgate button option on your fully loaded eNiro? Keep up the good work:)

Here's what I want for my FIRST Electric Car: BASIC Car ( K. I. S.S.) ~ Charge on 110vac~ No Computers ~ Digital Read outs ~ 100

The two cars that are almost always mentioned together are not the eNiro and the Soul EV, but the eNiro and the Kona. So those two are “competitors” - well, Hyundai owns Kia, so they are somehow two flavors of the same drivetrain from kind of the same company. If you are interested in real world tests and drives, have a look at the YT channel of Teslabjorn , he even sleeps in his test cars (eNiro, Kona and others). He also has tested the Audi E-Tron, the i-Pace and others already. The “official” 0-100km/h (62 m/h) is 7,5s.

Eddy Grant .... Electric Avenue! Great entertainer, even if a bit, eighties.

Crazy efficiency measurement standard. It should be km/kWh, or more simply, m/Wh (which turns out to be a fairly intuitive number).

Alex, please compare it to 2018/2019 Nissan leaf. Make one more video. You are the best car reviewer I find in RU-vid. Thank you!

Alex, great job! Covered all the details I wanted to hear.

Side by side comparison between the 3 Hyundai/Kia EVs please. Kona, Niro & Soul.

Im liking the Soul EV with wide screen touch yass

This looks like the best EV that I would want

I’m interested in this EV but worry about the compromise for family life. I live in Mississippi where there are very few charging stations. I’m a mom of two preschool aged kids and do a lot of in town driving but actually live 16 miles from work and take a highway where the limit is 55 but I honestly drive more like 60. We will probably end up in the HEV instead because we wouldn’t be able to go to any bigger cities in the EV.

This car is a winner

Some great information in here. You could make an entire video on regen braking. You seem to be the only one who gets the fact that 'max regen' and the pedal PROVIDE THE SAME EFFICIENCY. Almost all folks I talk to do not get that and assume because they are pressing on the pedal, it is engaging the friction brakes every time. One inaccuracy here, no Tesla offers a heat pump. I expect this and the upcoming Soul EV to kill a Tesla in efficiency in temps between 25-50 F. I have both a Model 3 and a Soul EV. At temps around 40F, the Soul EV crushes the model 3 miles driven per Kilowatt.

Great review. Looking forward to all the EVs in the near future.

I wish you'd shown us the rear seats folded down. Having the rear seat fold flat is important to me.

Thank you for having technical explanations

Thank you for your video updates as always

I totally agree with you about coasting. This is how all EV's should work - or at least have as an option. Does the Niro EV have all the seats heated standard, or as an option? How about a heated steering wheel. The e-Golf seems to be the only EV with a direct heating defroster - which saves a lot of energy in the winter, in many situations.

One thing I keep noticing and all of these electric vehicles that are larger than the Chevy Bolt EV in every direction.. except interior space. They have less legroom and headroom.. I understand that the front seat in the bolt EV are not as comfortable although when I sat in the car it didn't bother me in the least. But I keep going back to the interior space you generally don't need three people across the back and so to me more legroom and more headroom is a larger advantage than more width. The only slight issue with the bolt EV I can see is the cargo space is smaller. the and that the charging speed on the bolt EV is only 55 kilowatts max. However after watching many videos of people fast charging the Bolt EV, it does stay at that 50 kilowatts up to about 55% of the battery, and it will ramp up to that speed even from very low battery charge. So you're 1% to 55% gets done pretty fast, then drops down a bit and then again rather dramatically as the battery goes past 80% I've seen people do road trips in both the Kia and the Chevrolet and the difference in charging speed when you're actually out doing a road trip is negligible. Due to the Kia and Hyundai ramping down that charge speed rather quickly.. Great review as always Alex you deserve to have 2 million subscribers you are the best car reviewer on the web.

Do you like the Niro more than the Kona?

20:02 - Teslas do NOT HAVE heatpumps. Please fix that.

Has a owner of a SoulEv 2016 I wait to have more info on the next gen Soul and this NiroEV For full review, would like to know: UVO available, for USA and Canada, different colors for interior, demo of auto steering, demonstrate the quality of the charge door ( look cheap). Great reviews, as usual.

Alex do you have any ideas when its going to be available in Minnesota? And how it will handle our winter temps ( today - 28 F ) . Thanks

I gotta say, the Niro is a weird vehicle. It certainly looks like a crossover and it sits a little higher to make you feel like it is in that category while driving. And it feels pretty spacious inside. The backseat is comparable to a 2018 RAV4, and the cargo bay is a bit smaller but still usable. But it's shorter in length, about the same height, and has an almost negligible half inch more in ground clearance than most mainstream compact hatchbacks, and is MUCH smaller than most compact sedans. Kia seems to be taking lessons from Honda on maximizing interior space when compared to exterior dimensions. Very practical, efficient vehicle with room for most 4 person families regardless of kids' age. Very few compromises. It's surprising that there aren't more cars in this mold.

Are you sure normal braking pedal has regen? If so, I find no reason to use wheel pedals for regen. Only reason would be one-pedal driving which is practically less easier than normal driving. Especially when smart cruise is on.

Great review Alex, it was your review of the Soul EV that convinced me to get one! I love that car and won’t go back to ICE. At the Detroit show I was shocked how cheap the Niro felt , smaller cheaper interior compared to Soul hate the cheap feeling charging ports actually changed my mind and now have more interest in new design Soul. Go figure.

Only second to the Model X. Love it and need one in my life

You have a bit of misinformation in here regarding charging rates and heat pumps. The charging rates (and in particular, the step downs in charging rates) are based on the battery chemistry and energy density. Unlike some of the higher power, lower energy density batteries used in small battery EVs (which can be charged at near their full rate until 80-85%), the batteries in vehicles like the Bolt EV, Kona Electric, and Niro EV require a more aggressive taper. This is also true for Tesla vehicles. For instance, the Model 3 has a higher C rate for charging, but its charge taper runs parallel to the step downs in charge rates of the EVs using LG Chem battery cells. In addition, the "100 kW" chargers are typically 200 A, while the "50 kW" chargers can be either 100 A or 125 A (the most common). The Niro EV accepts a maximum of 200 A, which is not double the 125 A, 50 kW chargers, and that is why the Niro EV's charging rates on a 100 kW charger are not double the charging rates on most 50 kW chargers. Also, your point about heat pumps implies something that is not true. Even the modern EVs that are equipped with heat pumps use a hybrid system (which includes a resistive heater) because heat pumps lose efficiency as the temperature goes down. At 0 F, a resistive heater is far more effective than a heat pump. So really, heat pumps are most effective for vehicles in mild climates that rarely see temperatures below 20 F.

22:55 the Hyundai Ioniq has the greatest loading capacities .

Interesting omission by not putting the model 3 in the length comparison chart.

I reallllyyy wish you would show the driver headroom and leg room chart on your reviews. so I can see how the driver seat stacks up vs others.

Another great video Alex..thanks man!

awd extra cost, yeah.... Subaru when they had front wheel drive cars, calculated that adding the extra axle and driveshaft cost them $200 per car and 100lbs in weight. Nothing really when you consider that awd vehicles are 20x safer in terms of emergency handling not to mention awd turns your car from a paved road only to ALL road vehicle.

The Niro uses a permanent magnet motor versus an induction motor like Tesla. With Perm Mag the acceleration is delayed because of design.

Why isn't this sold in 38 States?

I’m sorry, did I hear you correctly when you said that you can’t buy this car in most states?

I went to my local kia showroom last Friday, they warned me that they're taking orders now for May... 2020! It seems that there's an issue getting the batteries from their supplier.