2018 Kia Niro PHEV Test Drive - 50 MPG Never Looked So Good

Earlier hybrid cars have conditioned us to believe that cars can only achieve stellar MPG if they look ugly and drive terribly. The Kia Niro proves that hybrids don't have to ruin our eyeballs or crush our souls. Other hybrids better watch out because the Niro is here to stay and it now has a nifty plug-in version. The plug-in Niro adds a useful 26-mile electric range, which can even run at highway speeds. The Niro is our new favorite hybrid in the segment.
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[@PamenterDoug]

I have a 2021 model and love it for all the reasons you mentioned. So totally cool, but looks understated.

[@nebbyking7187]

Great review - thanks. I got one recently. I learnd more about my car from your video. I'm also in Florida. With a 3 mi commute to work and under 10 mi for most errands, I've gone 1000 miles without using fuel. Loving that!

[@kenspeicher2767]

I purchased a Niro PHEV Premium 2/28/18 after viewing this video and doing other research. It is the dark blue with gray interior. We absolutely love it! It is primarily for my wife but I drive it whenever she isn't using it. We live in the Cincinnati area so the weather is not too extreme so we do often run it on a 40 degree day with the heat off and the seats and steering wheel warmed to keep the engine from running. There was only 1PHEV available in Cincinnati out of around 6 dealers and the dealer with it only offered about $1k off. I found Napleton Kia in Indy had 3 - one of each configuration and we went with the top end and they knocked off close to $3k. With the $4,500 tax rebate it becomes a pretty good deal. The first tank went 500 miles with 350 miles of that being highway and we still averaged 49 mpg. We currently have 250 miles on the 2nd tank and the gas gauge still says 451 miles to empty! I am giddy, feeling like I'm getting away with something. We are mostly retired and so the 26 mile range works well for errands. It has been flawless so far and I find nothing obtrusive with the way the mechanicals work. I'm an old farm boy and listen closely to what noises a machine makes. I had several sports cars in my young days and until recently rode motorcycles but this car so far brings as much joy as any of those.

[@JaredRosenholtz]

Glad you are loving the car! I couldn't beat the MPG out of it.

[@kenspeicher2767]

Here is an update at nearly 3 months and 3,300 miles: 1,468 miles & 137 mpg on tank #2 & 1,263 miles & 123.5 on tank #3. The total average is 104.76 mpg. I have gone as far as 33 miles on a charge several times in town and a full charge from empty is around 7 hours. One day I did 60 miles all electric with 30 in the morning and the other 30 in the evening. It continues to perform flawlessly.

[@garattyfisher]

I have the standard niro non plug in and I love it. I drive over 100 miles a day and I get an average of 53 mpg after five months of driving. Gotta love it.

[@CupidinColorado]

Hands down the best review of this car on youtube, thanks!

[@carbuzzcom]

Wow, thank you!

[@charleneroot635]

Thank you so much for an absolutely excellent review of the Niro PHEV. You're right up their with "Alex on Autos" for useful analysis of ALL the design elements of a vehicle, instead of a bunch of superfluous nonsense as offered in most reviews sites. This Niro PHEV is the vehicle I've been patiently awaiting but unfortunately, I'm going to have to wait until Fall, 2018 to get one in Canada. It will replace a 10 year old Hyundai Sonata, which to this point in time, has been the best vehicle I've ever owned including GM's, Fords, Chrysler's, Hondas,Toyotas, and Nissans. I'm hoping that the Kia will be equally as enjoyable and dependable. Another unfortunate issue with Kia in Canada is that they seem to be stuck on Black Interiors only. Come on Kia Canada! All it requires is another sku number for your inventory. If the dealers all want to stock Black Interiors for their inventory, God bless them but at least give me to opportunity to CHOOSE something which Kia is obviously already building if I'm willing to wait for one. I want the lighter/airier gray interior like in your test car. Yours is also the 1st review that I've seen which mentions charging the battery by using the engine in Sport Mode. Neat! I'm going to have to do a financial analysis on the cost of charging this way, ie with the obvious mpg hit, versus paying for electricity a home. I would also assume it is recharging the battery ANY time regenerative braking is taking place. I can't wait to try some "hypermiling" in the Niro PHEV when I get mine.

[@JaredRosenholtz]

To be honest, I'd go for the black interior. The light interior is nice, but I bet it won't hold up as well to abuse.

[@kenspeicher2767]

We love the light grey leather interior. Looks great and we don't abuse our interiors. Our last car had a black interior so we were ready for a change.

[@centauri0]

Looks like a great upgrade for my Ford C-max Energi, its been the best PHEV ever, but its getting outdated. I wish the Niro had more horsepower but the fuel economy and build quality look excellent.

[@tonys9413]

Thanks for a great review. I’ve been considering the Niro PHEV for a while now to replace my Golf TDI that’s going back to VW soon. My Kia dealer does not have the PHEV in stock but has the regular Niro; will test drive the regular Niro tomorrow and based on that I’ll make up my mind. This will be a city driver; my daily drive will probably allow me to be on EV for over 80%.of the time. I’ll probably order the EX Premium in Snow White and light gray leather interior (best suited for hot sunny Florida). Your review helped move the process forward, thanks!

[@JaredRosenholtz]

The ventilated seats are a must for Florida! Let us know if you buy it!

[@ehrendog]

We just bought the EX premium PHEV. Traded our C-Max in for this Fantastic car...well done Kia!

[@HKuhtz]

Delivery time in Germany 12 months. Ordered in June, expected in July 2020. :-(

[@Piznick64]

Man with an aftermarket radio and speaker, and this car would be perfect

[@13hooke]

Enjoyed the video and especially the tip on sport fast charging!

[@JaredRosenholtz]

Jim Benko thanks! Stay subscribed for more videos!

[@23dekka]

I've just ordered one can't wait for it to be built and delivered by by Audi metallic black and it's the model 3 version

[@gregbarnett7428]

Nice review. Going to wait for awhile on buying the Niro but is my favorite so far of the breed. May wait until the EV comes to my area in a couple years. The plug-in makes most since for me at this time if buying now (around a 15 mile round trip to work) but as many things happen in life, that number could change. Plus I like a sunroof. This is one of those things that should be automatically installed on the highest end models no matter the version. Maybe Kia will change that policy by then regardless

[@garrysutcliffe6254]

Fantastic review from a uk possible buyer

[@GGVicV]

Great video, i do want to get this car. I am only sad theres no sun roof on the phev

[@disaacman]

There is a sunroof option on all phev's

[@tonybkent]

I'm picking up my PHEV Niro 3 this week and am really looking forward to zero fossil fuel emissions from the tailpipe on my daily 22 mile commute. It was really interesting to see your tip about recharging the battery in sport-mode. Perhaps someone can "do the math" on how much that might cost compared to plugging in at home. Clearly that will depend on terrain and driving style, but assuming a flat road and constant speed and factoring in cost of electricity per kWh, I wonder what the difference would be... My guess is that at 13.4p per kWh and £1.27 per litre of petrol in the UK, it's still going to be cheaper charging at home, but - who knows? (Someone that can do maths obviously!) When I get the opportunity, I'll do say, 10 miles on electric, stick it in sports mode and do another 10 miles on a flat open road to see how much it goes up.

[@klsyoutube007]

Great Video! Question: Based on the your secret charging method... should we put the car in sport mode on the freeway, as it can better charge the battery while at higher speeds? You can be in full electric mode (EV mode) while having the car in Sport, correct?

[@RigiLiquid945]

We should just call it what it is - a station wagon. There's nothing wrong with that. It's better than calling it a tall, long, fwd car-like crossover hatchback. I had the pleasure of driving the non-PHEV in a KIA dealership parking lot. Very nice car, but I couldn't get it to drift in such tight spaces. Anyway, I'd rather not pay more for the plug in, which weighs more and probably has less highway range, I'm guessing, but not sure. I'd love to see that comparison.

[@benhager2559]

i appreciate your review, just a heads up. the transmission in ths car, is set up so that even in pure ev mode, the electric motor puts its power through the transmission still. u can even shift the gears , while in pure ev mode. u made a comment, " im not actually using the 6 speed dual clutch at the moment " -- lol yes you are. u can look it up. its a very good system tho. the parasitic losses are somewhere around 5% , very impressive and efficient drive train. its just like the hyundai ionic, pretty much the same drivetrain, if not identical . good review tho /ty

[@JaredRosenholtz]

ben hager very interesting. I never tried EV mode and sport mode at the same time. I didn't think it would work because sport normally kicked the engine on right away. If the transmission was shifting in EV mode, then it was definitely imperceptible. But good to know.

[@JasonCarmichael]

Sport mode might be different in the Plug-In... But in the hybrid this is how it works: 1st and most notably it drastically modifies the throttle response. Some say the steering becomes stiffer, more sporty, I have never noticed. It makes the electric motor use practically all it has when accelerating. I use it on the on-ramps for the highway, and it is very noticeable. 2nd sports mode keeps the engine from going into EV mode while driving steady. The car will go into EV mode when you coast, and yes the engine turns off. 3rd sports mode will let the battery to charge nearly to 100%, especially since the engine is on nearly 100% now. I use the sport mode often just to make the engine upshift. Sometimes you can hear it and it's buzzy, so that's another tip. By the way, the electric motor in the Plug-In is nearly 50% HP than the hybrid.

[@JaredRosenholtz]

Jason Carmichael the electric motor is more powerful on the plug-in, but for some reason Kia quotes the total horsepower as the same as the hybrid.

[@zapperone7]

You are correct - I own the Niro PHEV and in full EV mode (without engine running) the car does still shift through gears, although it's very very smooth.

[@JasonCarmichael]

Also, in sport mode in the hybrid, the transmission does have auto and manual mode, which is displayed on the display. As soon as you shift manually, the mode will be switched to manual mode and the current gear number is shown, in place of the "D" or "S".

[@npaladin2000]

So far this is the ONLY review of the PHEV version I've found. I think I'm going to go test drive one tomorrow. And now I'm absolutely positive I want to hold out for an EX Premium. Just wondering if you can put a digital speedo top-center of that screen rather than the total range (maybe put that where the temperature is?).

[@JaredRosenholtz]

Bryan Pizzuti you can have the speed in the screen between the dials instead of fuel economy.

[@antuAnoro]

Very good review, thank you!

[@JaredRosenholtz]

Antonio Manteca you're welcome. Glad you enjoyed. Stay subscribed for more reviews like this one.

[@abbaby555]

I love it!

[@pbasswil]

Informative and pleasant review - thanks. You seemed tickled that you could charge the bat. in S mode. But... aren't you wanting that charge so you can drive electric? Where's the advantage of a PHEV if you're burning gas (and flooring it!) to charge it? Even if your interest is saving money (rather than environmental), you're paying gas pump prices to buy electricity, instead of utility prices. :^/

[@scottgruber589]

Great video. So you would prefer this plug in car over the Volt or Honda clarity plugin? If so why. It it true running the AC makes the gas engine run all the time even in EV mode? I am in central Florida and did not think the Plugin was here yet?

[@jamesng8554]

Scott Gruber Regular Niro doesn't require engine for AC so PHEV should be similar. Cheers.

[@kenspeicher2767]

The engine only has to run for heat. It does not run for air conditioning. And amazingly it doesn't seem to affect miles on battery only.

[@LastMumzy]

03:24 A foot brake in this day and age?!?

[@elsapien503]

If I were to buy a plug in hybrid, I would expect it to surpass the 50 MPG mark by a long shot.

[@carbuzzcom]

It can if you drive a lot on electric. This is VERY good for a PHEV crossover.

[@dejgasrat]

What I would love to know is how much gas does car take in the sport mode (while charging battery) and how much within normal mode (without battery). Real values, not the one written in Kia specs... I would buy it at once but 26 miles dosn´t even cover a single way to my work...I find all the mentioned attributes great, I hate Tesla looking interior, can´t imagine to need to "search the web" or to speak to my car to be able to crank a heat up, just too ridiculous, but that really poor battery range there in a total disappointment! I would wait for next model if I just knew that they would at least double it.

[@JaredRosenholtz]

Since it has a gas engine, the 26-mile electric range isn't that bad. If you have further than 26-miles to drive to work, you will still save a very good amount of gas driving 26-miles without using a drop of it, then charge at work, and another 26-miles back. That's a lot of your commute using ZERO gas.

[@Matt-pj3ue]

How well does the cooling on the vented seats work?

[@JaredRosenholtz]

Very well.

[@tjs114]

Actually, if you want to see what the Kia Niro looks like, find an Audi A3 5 door, the 1999-2003 era model specifically is the rather apparent template Kia used.

[@BERNIEO4]

Guys like you scare people away from Hybrids and Ev's !

[@pbasswil]

Not sure what you mean by this. Can anybody guess what he means?