The Most Fuel Efficient Hatch In America | 2023 Kia Niro Full Review 

Alex on Autos previous '23 Niro videos convinced me to buy a Niro HEV in California. This is a near perfect city car, the 500 miles from 10 gallons of fuel is amazing. But this review had a few misses. 1) space under the trunk floor is large, there is a two-level luggage board that can go in high or low position. 2) no other car has memory seats and folding mirrors at this price point, super helpful for multiple drivers and city parking 3) digital key in your iPhone and not carrying a key fob is handy 4) the lane following assist and smart cruise control tech is impressive near self-driving game changer at reducing fatigue 5) Toyota styling of an iPad strapped to the dash is not 'leading edge design' it’s lazy - Kia styling is a cleaner user experience 6) non-touring trims in US have even better fuel economy because of the lighter 16” wheels 7) you talk about AWD as if it’s a must have feature, maybe in a snowy climates, but lack of it is not a universal negative….

Today I went car driving with a 73 yr old single lady. We drove Elantra Hybrid, Corolla LE hybrid, and Niro EX hybrid in that order. After driving the Niro she said "this is the one I want!" It definitely felt more substantial/solid, quieter, & smoother than the other two.

These videos are so well done, they can be in an archive.

I chose the Elantra Hybrid, for an unusual reason: my elderly Mother couldn't get into the Niro passenger seat, it was too high. The Elantra was a great choice, and the MPG is exceptional. 0-60 is around 8.4 seconds, and the independent rear suspension provides exceptional handling. Alex on Autos never did a dedicated review of the Elantra Hybrid. I hope you change that!

Thank you for lowering your driving camera. When you post it high on the window, the angle always looks off. This angle looks awesome. Great review Brian.

Fantastic video, Brian!

Quite surprised that the new Niro is bigger than the Seltos. Thought that the progression of Kia's subcompact crossover line-up was Soul-Niro-Seltos.

We have a 2022 RAV 4 Prime model SE (base model) we purchased new in March 2022. All RAV 4 Primes are AWD. Our current all electric range is 35-50+ miles depending on weather etc. living here in North West Oregon on the coast. When operating on gasoline (regular 87 octane unleaded w/ 10% ethanol), with a depleted battery MPG range from winter conditions from low 40 MPG to mid 40's MPG, and in summer on rural roads, highway 101 being one of them, MPG runs from 45- 50+ MPG. With electric rates here running about 12 cents per KWH with all cost included its less expensive than regular gas which is running $4.00 per gallon and up currently. No complaints from our RAV 4 Prime which also includes a spare tire and not many plug in hybrids, or hybrids for that matter have.

Great job!!

Hope they eventually make a hatch tonneau for this. Its about the only gripe i have with owning this car

If I owned a Hyundai/Kia vehicle and get bumped in the corner of the bumper in a parking lot, now it’s the bumper AND a turn signal that needs to be replaced. They shouldn’t be that low down. Considering the fact that most people are driving from an elevated position these days w/ CUV/SUV’s, the turn signals should be higher up. They’re not at normal eye level when following in normal traffic. The incandescent bumper signals I’ve seen on some Kia’s on the road are a joke - they don’t stand out as much as a normal signal that’s near the rest of the tail lights. I’m glad they offer LED signals on this Nero, even if they’re low down, that are Amber - I’m with Alex that amber signals should be on every car. Rant over. Great review as always!!

Good review. Where was your test drive?

Love seeing these on the road. Thought about getting one but there’s so many options now

Thank you very much for reviewing the Niro HEV . We have a 19 Niro HEV , great car . It seems with thatvwith the proliferation of EV cars and PHEV,S that the hybrids are being ignored . One benefit of the older midel , is ou car came with a mini spare . There's no way that I'd drive without a spare . One of the best thing about Niros is headroom , rear legroom and just general space . I love having a shifter , buttons or rotary not for me . I'm not keen on removing physical buttons for heat etc otherwise the new car looks fine .

The Canandian 🇨🇦 model has the EV gage and speed screen on the SX model as well it has window heads up display as well.

Odd that the DCT recall applies to every Kia/Hyundai except the Hybrid Kona. (Only the high HP Kona N) Will the problem eventually hit the lower HP power trains?

Love the look and the space just worried about the dependability

Really good review. I’ve had Prius and Niros I prefer the the Niro for comfort, better stereo, and easier to get in and out of. I hope it holds up like a Toyota. And I’m a real Prius fan because they started it way way before everybody else caught on. BTW in only around town driving no highway. I’m getting 60 miles to the gallon no joke. my highway trips. Take the mileage down to the low 50s. Neat cars.

I don’t need 4WD and I don’t care about 0-60 time so this sounds like the perfect small SUV

Can't even think what the corolls cross interior looks like....they haven't done a good interior since...? Thanks KIA!

I cant decide between Niro, Prius, or model 3 (after credit +rebate). All about same price. I really want the leather seat, cameras, digital keys, walk away locking, lane keep assist, and dashcam. These all come with Model 3! If I want these features on Niro and Prius I'd have to go highest trim! Which will be more expensive than Tesla Model 3. However, Tesla Model 3 is full EV and lack hatchback. I go on long road trips to ski a lot, so I trust hybrid more tbh. No electricity anxiety in long trips. Super charging on the way to ski resort end up costing a tiny bit more than Prius, AND take extra 2 hours on my road trip to destination. (I tested this between my friends Prius and Tesla Model 3). Prius give best MPG and is the most reliable hybrid out there, and new one looks SO beautiful. However, Niro has more space, and perfect for spring ski and car camping. All 3 car has its benefits and its cons. I just can't pick!! ahhhh

As a Niro Hybrid driver, I only use sport mode when I need to accelerate quickly, like going onto the highway from a stop sign, and getting up to the normal speed of traffic. This car is all about efficiency, and is not really a fast car.

Brian, The space efficiency of this Nero is very impressive compared to the Toyota competition but no other brand has the proven Hybrid track record of Toyota/Lexus.

That pixelated Honeycrisp apple got me.

Trying to decide between this or a 2024 Kona Limited non-hybrid with 190 hp. My biggest concern is will this vehicle deliver enough punch/acceleration? And on the highway at 75 mph what kind of mpg can I expect? Thank you!

10:58 Excatly. I can’t wait for this awful piano gloss black trend to end.

How fuel efficient are the Honda CRV’s hybrid and 1.5l turbo engines

Any of these latest versions are actually very very nice in person, ESPECIALLY in bright white.O...M..........G! SWEET........outstanding gas mileage and rear seat big enough to qualify as a LIMO:).

I was really disappointed to hear that 2023 was the final year for the Crosstrek PHEV. I was extremely lucky to have found and purchased my 2023 Crosstrek PHEV and I absolutely love it! I really hope that they consider PHEVs again in the future, but it seems that they are opting more towards pure Hybrids and full BEVs for now. I live in Quebec and I cannot tell you how nice it was to be able to run in full EV while in the city, but also always have the piece of mind in extreme cold due to my petrol Boxer since I drive over 500 km a week specifically on highways.

I love the new Prius and would likely choose that over the other options for the day to day and use my PHEV Trek for the heavy lifting each week.

the scratches and fingerprints are nowhere near as bad as the glare from that gloss. wish they did that in mat instead

So that's 9.5 seconds in Eco or Sport mode?

I don't understand. Does Niro has an elevated seating just like Sportage & Rav4 or does it feel like you are sitting in a sedan??

When comparing the niro to the cross in your summary you missed MPG. While the cross in your review is less expensive it doesn't get anywhere near the MPG of the niro. Cross 45/38 v. niro 53/45. Over the course of a couple of years you will have passed up the amount of extra money you paid for the niro and over the course of several years you will have blown it out of the water. Even more so if you were to purchase the SX non-touring model which gets 53/54! It should also be noted that the SX non touring is only missing a couple things on it compared to the touring model. So if you purchase just the SX it is now less then the cross. And of course there is the Kia warranty which is much better than the Toyota. Now a word about horsepower, these cars are grocery getters nothing more. Try driving a 400+ vintage mustang or my buddies 800+ late model mustang. That's horsepower!

Agree all around. I bought 24 niro lowest trim and own a 16 Prius. I like the Kia very much and I think the safety package is better than Toyota. Now they don’t offer rear vent for back on lowest trim and it is a dual clutch transmission so I’m a test dummy for the family. no shifters is okay w me. I prefer this dash to the separate elevated displays like Rav 4. In fact the new Camry won’t have it any longer and the Crown doesn’t either. I live in a snowy place and have driven front wheel drive over snow covered roads wo problem. It’s tires and drive style more than anything isn’t it? Prius dash is AWFUL.

Would have just preferred that to the new Prius . This kia box houses more. What is this obsession with Awd , I am in canada and never needed this.

15:35 a six-speed dual clutch TRANSmiSSION!

Not sure it's a Corolla Cross competitor more like a Prius competitor.

Wireless Carplay?

i think you need a better decibel meter. all the cars you guys test are between 70-72. that does not make much sense.

Don't care for the headrest design with the hook behind it. Also, I think the taillights should be mounted higher on the body as you pointed out.

Brian you really need to get the noise number aligned with what Alex is measuring. This seems consistently confusing viewers i.e. there’s no way to compare different models objectively.

I don’t understand why car manufacturers on hybrids give small gas tanks! I wanna go to the gas station as less as possible. I understand cost is same but still less trip to gas station.

Cross shop niro vs civic hatch and prius not corolla cross... more aligns with those competitors

That is so true!! I didn’t watch the clip!! But that is so true!!

Belle Isle

Tight ahhh shirt

Is no one else concerned with Hyundai/Kia dual clutch transmission longevity? If they don't last much past wty, then any savings in fuel cost will be just a drop in the bucket if you con$ider your bottom line in financial liability with the car. I'm surprised that you just don't find much feedback from real world users who have done 300k mi on these transmissions, but you will read about them failing well south of just 150k. Even if your plan is to lease and never own out of wty, there's no free ride or magical calculation that $ave$ you. You do pay for this type of tech that satisfies only the EPA and other associated fossil fuel condemners. Perhaps if Aisin made the trannys there'd be a bit less risk, but... I'm skeptical. I'm open to learning more about some trouble free high milers though.

This is…. Wow…. It’s something Also no the signals in the bumper on a low car are a dumb design period 😊

Hatch is a stretch.

The sea of gloss black in the interior is horrendous. Car manufacturers need to stop with this gloss black cancer.

A lot of Tester Complaining about Hard Plastic. Must be young I remember dashboards were Mental. I don't understand what the problem with hard plastics ??? Cost savings & Economy Affordable vehicles. Not every needs & can afford $40,000.00 ++++ Vehicle

The Kia looks cooler outside and inside than the corolla cross. The niro is far more interesting than the corolla and it has much better quality than the corolla cross

The Mitsubishi Mirage has left the chat. The Mirage does (in my hands) ON AVERAGE 53 mpg, not "up to" 50 mpg. Measured over 80.000 miles.

Has Kia solved their ignition key problems? Or will future car thieves also be able to enjoy the gas savings?

New Prius is much more attractive than this

bye bye GDI

Great job lying for Kia !! this car gets no where to mpg ratings unless you drive like grandpa 55mph. Best i got in sx touring is 37.8 combined and 42 hwy going 75-80 mph. This car was driven mild compared to my Cmax thats gets same mpg. This car is worse than my escape hybrid i own which is bigger and has bigger engine. Awesome car in tech and space but going for sale!

I wouldn't trust Kia After 2 optimas blowing up. how are the confident making hybrids? 💀

Hyundai and Kia needs a new design team. They are getting as bad as Honda was for the past 10 years. Every small hatchback they make is ugly.

Kia Niro Hybrid passed 82km/h in moose test. Search KM77. So, It has good handling and dynamics.

I just got out of work today and I’m following a fairly new Kia …. Burning oil! Now that could be from neglect but I’m not interested in spending thousands for a vehicle and have it junk in 3 years time.