Kia Niro EV
MODEL TESTED: Niro EV 3 PRICE: £39,545 POWERTRAIN: 1x e-motor, 64.8kWh battery, 201bhp
COMPETITIVE pricing means that the top-spec BYD Atto 3 Design undercuts the mid-range Kia Niro 3 by £555, although our test car’s extras of a heat pump (£900) and metallic paint (£595) widen the gap even further.
Tech highlights
WHILE the Atto 3 uses a bespoke electric-car platform, the Niro EV ’s underpinnings are designed to also accommodate hybrid and PHEV running gear. However, this hasn’t compromised the Niro’s packaging when compared with the BYD, because while it’s narrower, lower and shorter overall – but has an identical wheelbase – cabin space is better.
The 64.8kWh battery is nearly five kWh larger than the Atto 3’s, but weight saving in other areas means that the Niro EV is also lighter, by around 11kg. It features a similar MacPherson strut front/multi-link rear suspension set-up to the Atto 3, while its 17-inch alloy wheels are an inch smaller than the BYD’s rims.
In terms of design, the Niro EV is a major departure from the plain e-Niro that it replaced. It’s more like a crossover than the BYD, while the minimalist LED lights front and rear give it a look that’s similar, but not identical, to other models in the Kia range, such as the Soul and Sportage.
One area where the Niro shares similarities with the Sportage is its dashboard, because the twin 10. 25-inch digital displays from that car are carried over wholesale here.
SAFETY: As with the BYD, the Niro EV has a host of electronic safety systems. But as is common with most modern cars, these are on by default every time you turn on the ignition. The assorted bleeps and warnings can be distracting, and you need to navigate through the car’s menus to turn them off.
On road
TWO generations of development have helped the Niro EV to become a decent car to drive, especially when compared with the Atto 3.
AROUND TOWN: As with the BYD, the Niro EV has a sound generator to warn other road users of its presence at low speeds, but the sound it makes is more pleasant than the Atto 3’s. Both cars are quiet and refined at urban speeds, while light steering and good visibility mean manoeuvring the Kia is a breeze.
The Kia also has five levels of energy recovery when slowing down, all of which are easily chosen via the car’s steering wheel-mounted paddles. The strongest offers one-pedal driving and means the Niro EV can come to a halt without the need to touch the brake pedal.
A & B-ROADS: It’s at higher speeds and on twistier roads where the Niro EV shows the Atto 3 a clean pair of heels. Although both cars deliver similar straight-line performance, the Kia’s bettercontrolled suspension means it feels more stable in corners and when using all of its performance.
There are sharper brakes, too, although again, if you adjust the regenerative braking according to your driving, you may not need to touch the brakes very often. There’s still a vagueness to the steering that means the Niro isn’t that much fun to drive, but it just has a sense of stability when cornering that the Atto 3 lacks.
MOTORWAY: Road noise is the biggest bugbear in the Niro EV at higher speeds, although it’s not loud enough to be off-putting. There’s a lot more tyre roar to be heard, which is surprising when the 17-inch wheels are shod in narrower tyres than the BYD’s larger 18-inch rims.
Ownership
THE Kia Niro EV is a lot more restrained than the Atto 3 when it comes to its cabin layout. There’s lots of black plastic, gloss-black trim and a few subtle silver accents, but it’s not particularly interesting to look at. At least it’s well built, although we did find that the speaker grille on top of the dashboard caused some distracting reflections in the windscreen in bright sunlight.
With a larger battery on board than the BYD, but the same power output and less weight to haul around, it’s not much of a surprise that the Niro EV can go further between charges. However, the difference between the two cars was pretty close.
We saw a return of 3.7 miles per kWh for the Kia, compared with 3.5mi/kWh for the BYD, which, thanks to the Atto 3’s smaller battery, meant the Niro EV can travel nearly 30 miles further on a full charge when compared with its rival. That gap tallies with the official range figures for both cars, which quote a difference of 25 miles between the two.
One advantage that the Atto 3 will have up its sleeve as temperatures drop is that it comes with a heat pump as standard. This takes the strain off the battery to heat the cabin, so its energy is saved for driving, and should mean the Atto 3’s range isn’t harmed as badly as the Niro EV ’s when the weather is cooler. Kia does offer a heat pump, but it’s a £900 option, which widens the price gap between these two even further.
CHARGING: There are similar charging speeds for these cars, although the larger 64.8kWh battery in the Kia is marginally quicker to replenish than the BYD’s 60.5kWh pack.
Plug into a 7. 2kW source and it takes more than nine hours, while an 11kW three-phase source takes six and a half hours. It’s worth noting that BYD offers an 11kW charger installation as part of the top-spec Atto 3’s price.
Practicality
TIDIER packaging helps the Niro EV overcome its smaller exterior dimensions and beat the Atto 3 in terms of carrying capacity for passengers and cargo alike.
REAR SPACE: While the Niro EV ’s platform is also designed for combustion engines, it still has a flat floor. The seat bases are short like the BYD’s, but they are set higher, so there’s better under-thigh support. USB-C sockets in the sides of the front seats can be accessed by all passengers, but the door bins are small; the rear ones are only designed to take bottles.
BOOT: There’s a lower load lip here than in the BYD, while the lack of a powered tailgate is no issue; it means it’s faster to open than the Atto 3’s rear door. The location of the drive battery between the axles doesn’t compromise boot space, either, and the Niro EV has a large hidden storage area under the floor.