Learn all about the Kia Niro EV

[@VaultPete]

Best Niro EV video I've seen yet. Thanks 🎉

[@CarsWithSteve]

Appreciate that and you're welcome!

[@EnmandsBand1]

Back to learn everything as I will be picking up my shiny blue new Niro EV next week, great tutorial thank you

[@CarsWithSteve]

That's exciting! Hope you have a blast with the new ride

[@Duncaniowa17]

I’m buying my second NIRO EV this week ( I’ve had the 2019 model). This video is very helpful. A note on range: Though rated at 239 miles range, I never had less than 270 in most driving conditions. It’s the regenerative braking, driving in Eco or Normal, and coasting when appropriate. I watched a few dozen You Tube videos to learn how to most efficiently drive this car. We have solar panels, so charging at home costs nothing ( except for the cost of installing solar).

[@CarsWithSteve]

Great to hear from a current owner! I figured that they were downplaying range a bit.. I've always found that numbers are a bit higher in Kia/Hyundai EVs when I actually drive them. Great idea on figuring out the best ways to maximize range too.. that would be a neat video to shoot. Was the Niro your first EV?

[@Duncaniowa17]

I just purchased my second EV Niro. The drive was more enjoyable, though the set up with so many choices was a bit daunting. Your videos have been extremely helpful. I wish Kia had consulted people who actually drive these cars as to the order of the control panel settings. I would have liked a “New Driver “ set : Radio/Media/ Drive Modes/ Regen/ and all safety settings first. We do like groups of settings for each driver. My wife and I prefer different settings/ Sirius channels. She likes one look, I like another. My advice to any new drivers : Download the on line manual to your phone. Study it, then with your videos at hand decide on your settings before you get in the car. I did that before I bought the car, so before it left the dealer I was all set up. Many features I left until “Later” as they are “Nice to have” vs “Essential”. The steering wheel settings are the exact opposite of my prior car ( Niro EV 2019) so I’ll have to relearn a few things.

[@gregmcneill5148]

This is a great video - very detailed. I wish someone could do a detailed video on all the available voice commands. We can't find a detailed list anywhere for our 2024 Niro Wind+. Even a KIA Canada rep didn't know there were several commands for climate control!

[@CarsWithSteve]

Thanks Greg! I’ll add that video to the list to shoot.. there are so many possible commands

[@Ian-xq4rt]

Press the voice command button, and when it appears on screen, there is a menu in the box, press that and you see a full list of supported commands.

[@OnesieTV]

Wow, thank you for all your time and effort in putting this together. Yes i hate instruction manuals, so having a professor to explain is really helpful. We pick our car up next week and hopefully I'll pass the exam having watched this video. Cheers, Rob from the UK.

[@CarsWithSteve]

You're welcome! Exciting about the new ride.. is it going to be the first time you'll own an EV?

[@mila3432]

Best car review ever, New Sub 😊

[@CarsWithSteve]

Thanks Mila, appreciate the support 😁

[@padrepod1]

Hi, great video, does the car hook up to wifi or how does it get traffic info? I just picked up a 2020 Niro EV, I plan on installing 240, can I buy any Level 2 charger, I live in CA? Thanks Patrick

[@CarsWithSteve]

Thanks! I believe that Kia traffic is pulled in from SiriusXM, so without an active subscription you won't get that info. As for the charger, you're ok to pick up pretty much an level 2! Your car won't draw in more power than it's capable of when you charge

[@Duncaniowa17]

Make sure you put in a 50 amp breaker. I bought my charger from Amazon. California has an $800 rebate from your energy company which is enough to install a 220 outlet and buy the charger. If your dealer can’t provide you with how to get that, a call to your Assembly or State Senator’s office will be more helpful than calling the utility companies. They do have a special rate for EV’s. It’s California law. The significant price break is 12am to 3pm.

[@EnmandsBand1]

great video, I really want the Niro as my next EV. It's interesting to see how much Hyundai and Kia is reusing older user interface stuff, my Ioniq EV has about 75% of the settings available in the new Kia.

[@CarsWithSteve]

Thank you! I haven't heard many negative things from owners of the Niro so far.. Outside of some of the settings your Ioniq doesn't have.. how are you enjoying the EV world?

[@EnmandsBand1]

@@CarsWithSteve It's been 1½ years with the Ioniq and I am still loving it and the incredible economy while driving in silence and luxury! It is a true gamechanger, I don't think anyone returns to ICE cars after driving an EV

[@CarsWithSteve]

Always good to hear when people are loving their rides. Have you run into any issues with range? I'm always road tripping and that's the main reason why I haven't looked at an EV as my next ride

[@EnmandsBand1]

@@CarsWithSteve yeah, that is an issue! I did a number of road trips last year - on my motorbike! Next year I am planning several trips (Germany/Sweden) and I will have to decide between using the Ioniq with 200 km range OR getting a newer EV with more range OR rent a van

[@CarsWithSteve]

Yeah that makes sense. My trips are usually 1,000km + so the idea of having to stop for an hour at a time to recharge sounds daunting. The EU trip on the bike must have been a blast. Any autobahn driving?

[@zlatonicbuzz]

Thinking of getting one

[@CarsWithSteve]

Have you had a chance to take one for a spin?

[@zlatonicbuzz]

@@CarsWithSteve not yet but hopefully soon

[@johnpoldo8817]

I recently rented a Niro and was extremely disappointed that it couldn’t AC charge at 11.5 kW from my commercial Juicebox. Niro has two lower settings at 90% & 60%. To achieve overnight charging, I needed to attenuate power to 60% or 6kW. Did I have a defective EV or is this typical of most Niro’s?

[@CarsWithSteve]

I believe that the Niro is 11 kW max with AC charging so you should be ok with the 90%. It can go 50, 100 and 250 using DC charging. It's an issue with a few different manufacturers but it has to do with the station you're charging from

[@johnpoldo8817]

@@CarsWithSteve Oh, so Niro is not compatible Enel-X Juicebox. It failed at 90% for 10.3kW, but worked at 60% for 6kW. That’s awful because my Juicebox works at full power on all Tesla models, Mercedes, Chevy Bolt, Ioniq 5, Polestar 2, and others.

[@CarsWithSteve]

Sounds like that's the case.. I think the Niro is the only Kia EV that has that lower AC charge limit

[@Duncaniowa17]

I have the Enel Juicebox. I can charge to 100% on my Level 2 Charger. Set the charging in the car vs the useless app. Also Enel is going out of the charger business in California. My charger was installed in 2019. An electrician checked it ( I was considering a new one with the utility rebate ). My Juicebox is in good shape. I’m waiting to the adapter from Kia for NACS. They say they will ship for free for 2022-25 purchases. Probably January. They are available from Amazon now. ( Not Kia).

[@johnpoldo8817]

@@Duncaniowa17 Assuming yours is a residential Juicebox, it may continue to work fine because cloud server is not required. BUT, commercial Juiceboxes require a server for credit card and RFID transactions. Another company will manage the server after Oct 29th auction.

[@RoCa72]

Well the Kia Niro is a good option😂😂😂👍👍👍

[@CarsWithSteve]

Haha yes it is ;)

[@RoCa72]

Thanks👍👍👍

[@CarsWithSteve]

No problem 👍

[@RoCa72]

@@CarsWithSteve I just bought one👍👍👍 your vid was very informative.

[@CarsWithSteve]

Congrats! What build did you end up going for?

[@RoCa72]

@@CarsWithSteve I am from Sweden so the builds name perhaps may be other than in Canada..I got the Advance one is the middle option. So next monday is the delivery day of the car🥳

[@CarsWithSteve]

Ah the different naming conventions across the world always get me. is it going to be the first time you'll own an EV?

[@Steve_in_NJ]

Probably going with the PHEV version, but wish the SX Touring also included Head-up Display like the U.S. Wave trim. Everything else in the Wave is the same with the SX Touring PHEV Niro. Now, if I can get a better Lease Deal with full EV over PHEV, then I would get the EV instead. Either way, I will have to get an electrician to install a Level 2 charger (57 hours to charge with a Level 1!?!?). By leasing again, I'll get the U.S. federal tax credit off the MSRP and my local utility will reimburse me for getting a Level 2 charger installed. Best part? If I set up the charging to occur between 6 am to 10 am (give or take), I'll be charging up with 100% green energy from my solar roof panels. Assuming it's a sunny or cloudy bright day. 🙂

[@CarsWithSteve]

It's odd how Kia doesn't have the same spec models across North America like other brands. That's something I'd like to see in future models for sure. The home charging station is a great idea, especially if you drive often. I had the Genesis GV70 EV for a week and found I had some range anxiety travelling 40-50km/day until I found a charging station by my gym. Level 1 can be brutal but useful if you won't drive often. Exciting about the home solar setup. What brand did you go with for yours for panels/storage?

[@Steve_in_NJ]

@@CarsWithSteve My solar is leased so it cost me nothing for the Trina panels. No batteries. Not with a leasing, but I have a net metering setup with local utility.

[@CarsWithSteve]

Smart! Solar is top of the list for me to add in my next house move

[@Steve_in_NJ]

@@CarsWithSteve We should have done it years ago, but never knew about the benefits of leasing solar. NJ is pushing "green" so there's benefits to getting them now. Haven't paid for electricity (except for January) since they were activated.

[@CarsWithSteve]

No electricity payments must be a good feeling! Curious, what's the cost of leasing for you and how much power is your setup producing?

[@rayprod8571]

KILOMETERS????? NO MILES DISPLAY?

[@CarsWithSteve]

I'm in Canada but if you're in one of the few countries that uses imperial it would default to miles

[@jdavison8551]

Really clear and helpful explanation. ( and much easier than wading through the manual!) many thanks, hope to get one this year.

[@CarsWithSteve]

You're welcome @jdavison! That's the reason why I put these videos together.. the manuals are brutal

[@jsanf44373]

love this review so thorough

[@amar2262]

One of the worst EV vehicle, it is having compatibility issues while charging, I have tried at least 10 different places like EVgo, Electrify America, Chargepoint and other companies from 9.30 am to 2.30 pm, finally I was able to use Shell EV charging station to charge this vehicle. Kia Niro EV made the Charging machine to go into rebooting mode and finally it says, the charger machine is unavailable. Because of this we lost our flight. Never ever buy Kia Niro EV vehicle.

[@CarsWithSteve]

Have you tried changing the rate of charge to something lower in your EV settings? I've been in different EVs the last few weeks and have found issues with a bunch of public charging stations including wires cut, no power draw, no clip to complete the connection and some just straight up didn't work. It's been like that with different manufacturers.. tough to blame the car when it could be the charging network in your area

[@amar2262]

@@CarsWithSteve Thanks for replying, that is what happened when I finally used Shell charging station, which is 35 kw, where as Electrify America is 350 kw and 150 kw, and EVgo don't know because the charging station displayed some information which we cannot understand like internal error messages. Either way Kia has to manufacture keeping all the Charging machines in the mind, where as all other EV cars like Hyundai, 2023 Kia Niro, Tesla are able charge at Electrify America, except 2024 KIA Niro.

[@CarsWithSteve]

EVs should have the flexibility to charge anywhere but blame does fall on the charge stations as well.. Inside of the infotainment system there's a setting to lower the rate of charge. The option is there for owners in situations exactly like this where there's an issue with charging currents...