The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Efficient across the lineup
- Electrified powertrain options
- Standard safety tech
- Spacious cabin
- Practical size
Dislikes
- No all-wheel drive
- Underpowered hybrid
- Pricey EV
- Incomplete crash evaluations
- Polarizing D-pillar styling
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2025 Kia Niro makes a name for itself with its modest size and variety of electrified powertrains.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Kia Niro? What does it compare to?
The Kia Niro is a small crossover with hatchback styling. The Niro is available with efficient engines and seats five, but it’ll be a snug fit. Competitors include Hyundai’s related Kona, Ford’s Escape, and Toyota’s RAV4.
Is the 2025 Kia Niro a good SUV?
The Niro is a good crossover, with sharp styling, a spacious cabin, and efficient powertrains. This Kia earns a TCC Rating of 6.8 on our 10-point scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Kia Niro?
For 2025, Kia adds standard rear seat belt pre-tensioners across the lineup. The Niro PHEV SX Touring now features heated rear seats and a battery heater to help optimize range, courtesy of a standard Cold Weather package.
Information on the 2025 Niro EV lineup will be available later in 2024.
Unlike some rivals, all three Niro versions—hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and EV—are sold in every state.
The Kia Niro combines a hatchback body and a crossover stance. Exterior styling is dominated by a boomerang-like body panel along the rear pillar, cutting a swath of contrasting color from the roofline to the rear wheels on some versions. Inside, big touchscreens sit on an arched dashboard, with a touch too much gloss-black trim throughout.
The Niro has three available powertrains for all states of electrification. In Niro Hybrid form, the 1.6-liter inline-4 engine pairs with a 32-kw motor, good for a combined 139 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, with an EPA rating of 53 mpg combined.
The Niro PHEV combines the same gas engine with a bigger 62-kw motor and an 11.1-kWh lithium-ion battery. That yields a combined output of 180 hp and 195 lb-ft, and an electric range of 33 miles for base versions with 16-inch wheels. Both gas models use a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The 2024 Kia Niro EV has a 201-hp motor and a 64.8-kwh battery pack good for an estimated 253 miles of range, according to the EPA. It’s generous in terms of cargo and passenger space, too, perfect for city dwellers and college students. Expect no changes for 2025.
There’s partial crash test data from the 2024 Niro, with a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA. Kia supplies automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitors, and active lane control.
How much does the 2025 Kia Niro cost?
The 2025 Niro starts at $28,365, including the $1,325 destination charge. That’s for the Niro Hybrid in base LX trim, which includes an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a pair of USB ports, cloth upholstery, keyless entry, and 16-inch alloy wheels. Prices for the hybrid lineup run $31,165 for the EX, $33,465 for the EX Touring, $34,365 for the SX, and $36,765 for the SX Touring.
Jumping to the Niro Plug-in Hybrid, it starts at $35,865 for the EX and $42,165 for the SX Touring, without much in between to fill that big gap in pricing. For 2025, the PHEV SX Touring comes standard with the Cold Weather package, which includes heated rear seats and a battery conditioning system.
Pricing is not yet available for the 2025 Niro EV lineup, though the 2024 model starts at $40,975.
Where is the 2025 Kia Niro made?
Kia builds the Niro in Hwaseong, South Korea.
2025 Kia Niro Styling
Kia goes bold with the Niro’s styling, for better or for worse.
Is the Kia Niro a good-looking SUV?
The 2025 Niro’s exterior earns a point for its confidence, though we’re not crazy about some of its design decisions. The cabin has a sophisticated design, but doesn’t earn a point because of its low-rent materials. The Niro is a 6 here.
Where most small crossovers lean rather tame, the Kia Niro stands out. That’s due largely to an aerodynamic boomerang-like panel that swoops along the rear pillar and quarter panel. Whether it’s body color or contrasting, this air blade creates distracting lines.
A slim upper and broad lower front grille are flanked by distinctive LED lights and running lights. Gloss-black trim adorns the wheel arches, rocker panels, and bumpers, giving a hint of what’s to come inside.
Any potential for the cabin to look and feel upscale is squandered by that shiny black plastic, which is nearly everywhere. It’s the fastest way to make a new car feel old, collecting fingerprints and debris like a crime scene. However, we appreciate the graceful arch of the dashboard, the spacious layout, and the pair of sharp digital displays framed behind a single sheet of glass.
2025 Kia Niro Performance
The Niro moves smoothly and serenely, though its emphasis is on efficiency rather than speed.
The 2025 Kia Niro is offered in a full range of electrified powertrains, from hybrid to plug-in hybrid to fully electric. Though the Niro EV is the most efficient of the group, the Niro Hybrid is the most popular, and the basis of our score of 5. It’s calm, smooth, and, yes, slow.
Is the Kia Niro 4WD?
No. It’s only offered with front-wheel drive across the lineup.
How fast is the Kia Niro?
The Niro moves at a leisurely pace, requiring planning for passing and merging. The EV is the quickest, but it’s still sluggish.
Kia Niro Hybrid
Kia powers the Niro Hybrid with a 1.6-liter inline-4 gas engine paired with a 32-kw motor, good for a combined 139 hp and 195 lb-ft of twist. The Niro Hybrid features selectable Eco and Sport driving modes, though Sport doesn’t deliver on its promise. Despite the lack of urgency, the ride is calm and pleasant, thanks to even power delivery and even-keeled driving dynamics. Eco mode offers a choice of regenerative braking settings, and one-pedal driving is available, but it has a learning curve.
Kia Niro PHEV
The plug-in hybrid version of the Niro swaps out the Hybrid model’s motor for a 62-kw unit, and adds an 11.1-kwh battery pack. That’s good for a combined 180 hp, but it still takes nearly 10 seconds to reach 62 mph. In EV mode, the Niro PHEV is rated for 33 miles of range. The Niro Hybrid and Niro PHEV use the same suspension, with front struts and a multi-link rear, though it’s tuned for smoothness rather than sportiness.
Kia Niro EV
Kia hasn’t yet shared powertrain details or specs for the 2025 Niro EV, though we expect the same 201-hp electric motor with smooth acceleration and a quiet ride. That said, if pricing stays consistent or goes up, you’ll likely find better power in more affordable rival EVs.
2025 Kia Niro Comfort & Quality
Though the 2025 Kia Niro has a compact footprint, it yields a big, comfortable cabin.
The Niro is billed as a crossover, slotted between Kia’s Seltos and Sportage, despite its hatchback-like size and proportions. It's a 7, with points for rear passenger space and generous cargo capacity.
The base Niro LX covers the essentials, but beyond that, higher trims feature a combination of cloth and leather-trimmed upholstery, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, and heated front seats. The Niro ups its eco-friendly appeal with sustainable materials like eucalyptus leaf fiber fabric and recycled wallpaper, though those materials unfortunately just call attention to the excessive shiny black plastic trim.
Headroom is decent in every Niro model. The rear row in hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions offers 39.8 inches of legroom, which is well above average, and the EV measures a still good 36.9 inches.
A 60:40-split rear bench offers flexibility with cargo storage, and a wide opening makes for easy loading and unloading. The Niro Hybrid and Niro EV can both hold 22.8 cubic feet of gear in the cargo area, and a maximum of 63.7 cubes with the rear row folded. However, the plug-in hybrid model shrinks to 19.4 and 54.6 cubic feet, respectively.
2025 Kia Niro Safety
Kia provides plenty of driver-assistance tech, though crash testing is incomplete.
How safe is the Kia Niro?
In 2024 testing, the Niro earned a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA, with four-star ratings for frontal crash and rollover tests, but it has no IIHS scores. A good set of safety features nudges the Niro to a 7.
The Niro comes standard with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, a safe exit monitor, and a rear-occupant reminder system. For 2025, all Niro versions also get standard rear seat belt pre-tensioners. The Niro Hybrid and PHEV are available with a system that melds adaptive cruise control with active lane control for short stretches of hands-off driving on the highway. In 2024, this was standard on the base Niro EV and an upgraded version was available, though this hasn’t yet been confirmed for 2025.
2025 Kia Niro Features
The 2025 Kia Niro starts out as a competitive value but can get expensive.
The Niro is a perfect 10 for features, thanks to its generous standard fare, long list of options, affordable base price, user-friendly infotainment, and good warranty.
As of this writing, Kia has released pricing for the 2025 Niro Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid, with Niro EV pricing to come. The two hybrids present the best values, anticipating that the Niro EV will carry over as the most expensive of the bunch. The entry-level Hybrid LX is a smart pick, starting at $28,365, including a $1,375 destination fee. That brings an 8.0-inch touchscreen display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless entry, cloth upholstery, and 16-inch alloy wheels. The 2025 Niro boasts a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty, and 10-year/100,000-mile coverage for hybrid and EV powertrain components.
Which Kia Niro should I buy?
The Niro Hybrid EX is a great mid-range pick at $31,165. It adds leather upholstery, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, wireless charging, and a bigger 10.3-inch touchscreen. The EX Touring model, at $33,465, adds 18-inch wheels, a sunroof, and upgraded cabin materials.
How much is a fully loaded Kia Niro?
The Niro Plug-in Hybrid SX Touring, at $42,165, features about 33 miles of all-electric range and the best of the aforementioned features. For 2025, it now includes the Cold Weather package, with heated rear seats and a battery heating system. Expect the Niro EV to start around $41,000 and extend to about $46,000.
2025 Kia Niro Fuel Economy
Every 2025 Kia Niro is efficient.
Is the Kia Niro good on gas?
Yes. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the Niro sip gas slowly. Base hybrids rate at 53 mpg city, 54 mpg highway, and 53 mpg combined, according to the EPA. That’s a 6 on our scale, although optional 18-inch wheels drop ratings to 53/45/49 mpg.
The Niro PHEV and EV would rate at an 8 and a 10, respectively, if they were evaluated separately, based on the PHEV’s 31-mile range and the EV’s 253-mile range and 3.4 miles per kwh.
The Kia Niro EV features an 11-kw onboard charger capable of a full charge in just over six hours, or approximately nine hours using a home charger. A DC fast-charger will take about 45 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%.
