The Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid
40 miles on electricity, then a petrol engine. From £35,490
On the outside
The '2' runs 16-inch alloys and halogen headlights. The '4' moves to 18s on 225/45 tyres, LED headlights, a gloss black grille with a chrome surround, privacy glass and a tilt-and-slide sunroof. The charging flap sits on the front wing. Premium paint is £620 on either trim, and the '4' can be ordered with a Midnight Black C-pillar.
A petrol engine you can plug in
Both trims are the same car underneath: a 1,580cc 1.6 GDi petrol engine, an 11.1 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery and a six-speed double-clutch automatic. Kia calls the layout TMED — a transmission-mounted electric device — and quotes 168bhp at 5,700rpm and 265Nm at 4,000rpm. Nought to 60mph takes 9.6 seconds in the '2' and 9.8 in the '4'.
Kia rates the '2' at 40 miles of electric-only running and the '4' at 37. A full charge takes 2 hours 55 minutes on a 7.2kW home wallbox, and the same on an 11kW three-phase supply. There is no DC rapid charging on this car — it charges on AC only, so it is built around a driveway or a workplace socket rather than a motorway services stop.
The battery sits under the boot floor and weighs 111kg. For a company driver the benefit-in-kind rate is 9 per cent on the '2' and 13 per cent on the '4', against P11D prices of £35,320 and £40,320.
Battery range figures are official EU test figures for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are tested using WLTP. Only compare fuel consumption, CO2 and electric range figures with other cars tested to the same technical procedures. Kia's own weighted combined CO2 for this car is 18 g/km on the '2' and 22 g/km on the '4'.
Inside
Speed on the windscreen
A head-up display puts your speed, the speed limit and the driver-assist read-out on the glass, in your eyeline. It is standard on the '4'.
Two screens under one housing
The driver's display is 4.2 inches on the '2' and 10.25 inches on the '4', sat alongside the touchscreen and angled towards the driver. The '4' adds paddle shifters behind the wheel.
Climate keeps its own buttons
Temperature, fan and demist keep physical controls below the screen. USB, USB-C and a wireless charging pad sit at the base of the console; the pad is standard on the '4'.
The boot holds 348 litres with the rear seats up and 1,342 with them folded. Because the battery sits under the boot floor, there is no storage compartment under the bonnet. Braked towing is 1,300kg with a 100kg noseweight. The fuel tank holds 37 litres, the turning circle is 10.6 metres, and a service is due every year or 10,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Pick your Niro
Two trims, one powertrain. Both use the 1.6 GDi plug-in hybrid with the six-speed automatic. Prices are on-the-road from the official Kia UK price guide.
'2'
'4'
Premium paint is £620 on either trim. Weighted combined CO2 is 18 g/km on the '2' and 22 g/km on the '4' — a plug-in hybrid's official CO2 is a weighted figure, so what you actually see depends on how often you charge it. The '4' has a P11D price of £40,320, and Kia applies the Expensive Car Supplement on road tax above £40,000. Kia publishes a third grade with no price attached to it, so it is not listed here — ring us and we will quote it.
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