KIA e-Niro - Testing 450 km Claimed Electric Range (ENG) - Test Drive and Review

KIA e-Niro or Niro EV has a claimed electric range of 450 km. I'm putting this claim to the test and driving it 420 km from Warsaw in central Poland to Zakopane ski resort in the Tatra Mountains. Fingers crossed!
Music: Julian Gilewski
Starting price: 35 000 euro (39 kWh battery)
As tested: ~45 000 euro (64 kWh battery + options)
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#MarekDrives #KIANiro #EV
Thanks for watching Marek Drives reviews. If you liked it, here are several other channels you may enjoy: Autophorie, Autogefühl, Bob Flavin, Carfection, Doug DeMuro, Driven Car Reviews, TheSmokingTire, TheStraightPipes, VINwiki.

[@martinkearns8827]

Very helpful review and a nice travelogue for Poland! Most sensible and honest reviews on the web.

[@emveezee]

That open window on the passenger side is killing your mileage :)

[@MarekDrives]

Filmed with Panasonic Lumix GH4: amzn.to/2WIVgoL DJI Phantom4: amzn.to/2ZqUWaT and Insta360 One X amzn.to/2WI5EwX Edited on MacBook Pro: amzn.to/31zYWrR And my sunglasses, because some of you are asking Ray-Ban Justin: amzn.to/2WrSlvE (The above are affliliate links. If you buy products through them I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!)

[@JB-iz4ju]

Stunning editing. Beautiful video. Great review! I just love the e-Niro.

[@norahmcphee4928]

Thank you Marek for taking me on a trip of your beautiful country from my beautiful country of Scotland. :)

[@topherut]

Thanks. Great video. Particularly like the camera above the car and the drone. Keep the interesting bits about he different nationalities -you hold your thumbs.

[@BoatOfPorn]

What an outstanding video! Thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@papavictorromeo5079]

Nice video and road trip. Good promotion for tourism in Poland.

[@papavictorromeo5079]

@@atoz20001 because there is nothing to say about that car, it's just a battery operated vacuum cleaner.

[@papavictorromeo5079]

@@atoz20001 only the right people need to love me.

[@papavictorromeo5079]

@@atoz20001 This is a car channel, please go BS in your therapy group.

[@yuri886]

Excellent and informative as always, thank you

[@nigelweir3852]

Excellent , nothing more to say , all the best from nireland

[@mishulicius]

Very useful test. Thank you!

[@GrantBuote]

Nice job of the video, Marek. It's obvious you and your partner put a lot of work into it and it turned out very nice and also very informative! Here in Canada, I drive a Kia Sportage - very similar size and style to your Niro and I've been curious as to how the Niro would look and act. It's reassuring to see it can do what Kia says it will do for range. Thanks for all the information and tips and thanks for the travelogue of Poland as well. Beautiful scenery.

[@MarekDrives]

Thanks. We will be driving the e-Soul (very similar car with identical drivetrain) on the same route in late autumn to test it in colder weather. I'm a big fan of Canadian scenery. We drove across the Rockies a few years back. Probably out best road trip ever. It's in Polish with English subtitles if you want to check it out. kzbin.info/aero/PLWPj1I-kKwU5oG1p93j3yf6pu6dtpmR3y

[@bobjackson4720]

Very interesting, very impressive range. Your roads are better than Australia's. I prefer your down to earth style rather than many other You-tubers.

[@timsnyder7844]

Hello Marek, Great video! Thanks for sharing your trip and might I say you live in a beautiful country. I will plan to visit and hope to do so in an EV! - Cheers :) ☮

[@bcm-n7244]

Beautiful country you have Marek !

[@YahiaDrives]

Amazing real life driving experience with marvelous camera shooting

[@20hansdiet]

Not real, if real you drive as you would normally drive.

[@trk958]

An outstanding and entertaining video!

[@be236]

Great video! Nice true range test, going from 100% down to about 40km, so your instrument cluster at the end showed a possible total range of about 460km. Bjorn in Norway did a video on Kia Niro EV in SK doing 500km range when he drove about average of 90km/h speed. I liked how you explained the range and energy consumption when going uphill (incline) and saying it doesnt eat up your range as much, but it's the faster speed that eats up your range. Very informative. I hope to upgrade from my old Nissan LEAF 2017 with about 170km range to Kia Niro EV in the near future.

[@MarekDrives]

Niro EV is a great little car. In response to some comments that I was going too slow, I'm doing a more realistic version of the range test in a couple of weeks in a Kona EV (the same power train, slightly different car).

[@nigelcb1300]

Liking the drone footage, lovely scenery 😍

[@gerardlabrecque6175]

Thank you for testing

[@madswellejus]

Thank you so much for sharing! I am waiting for my E-Niro to arrive. I guess it will take 18 months :-) I will definately visit Poland again. Amazing video shots btw!

[@MarekDrives]

Thanks. The mountain region is picturesque indeed.

[@madswellejus]

Marek Drives I have visited Zarkopane, loved it

[@nealya1291]

Great review !

[@2FTermination]

Great job with this video

[@rolonow12]

Marek, a really excellnt video, well produced and informative. Although I doubt I'll ever buy an EV for long distance travel, I would have one for local use. However, this is because I can charge at home, but not everyone can, and I have solar panels. Poland looks a really lovely country, I plan to vist at some time, driving there of course but in my ICE car.

[@AndrewNC22]

Awesome video/proof. Did not even charge it (and you made 20min bathroom stop), and you even used the AC all the way! I am just impressed. Considering that at least one stop of 20 minutes is made anyway on a 400+ journey, I do not see winter range being an issue here.

[@steveharding8965]

I enjoyed this,electric cars are improving for sure.In Australia we like to go over the speed limit too but you have to be careful now the Government have camera's every where now haha.

[@rolonow12]

Great video production.

[@Neatspejamasis]

As always great review. One lithuanian car journalist managed to to drive over 700 km in capital Vilnius driving Hyundai Kona on a single charge. P.S. I like Janosik restaurant near Warsaw for it's generous portions :)

[@reinplat]

Excellent video.

[@BobFlavinVideo]

Great video, you've got a lot of patience to drive for six hours! Electric cars are full of fun

[@MarekDrives]

Thanks. I probably wouldn't have done it quicker than 5-5.5 hours driving at the speed limit.

[@gb-ei2mc]

Thats what you call RANGE TEST! thank you!

[@BERNIEO4]

Good work 👍

[@graycrow]

Well done, Marek, thank you. You know a lot about EVs and not biased against them as many other traditional/ICE car journalists. If you would start to test EVs only, your channel will be even more interesting, you should consider this and become a "Bjorn Nyland" of Poland :)

[@MarekDrives]

If you read comments under the Polish version, you'll realise Poland is not ready for its Bjorn Nyland just yet :)

[@tipazas]

I remember that last up-and-down leg from our trip to Zakopane and even with diesel car it almost evens out consuption when you are using in-gear braking and getting your kinetic energy before uphill. It just matter the real difference in hight on two points.

[@gman76utube]

Nice video. Felt like I was riding shotgun, thanks Marek!

[@jmattos]

I have no idea why, but I really enjoyed watching you drive through poland. Im in the market for a Kia Nero EV in less than a year so this is really helpful

[@evRoadTripsSvk]

Great video. Thank you.

[@MarekDrives]

Thanks! Thinking of buying an EV?

[@evRoadTripsSvk]

@@MarekDrives I have Kia e-Niro already. It's a fantastic car (except strong winter coldgating, and old infotainment). Btw I did similiar test 456km (100-2.5% SOC), but up/down hill and newer 2020 model & Pirelli A/A tyres.

[@erichahn8970]

Great real world review Marek. Bravo. With the popularity of EV cars, if you can please can you do a similar review on the BMW´s latest i3 120Ah Model Marek to test BMW claims. Not the iS version but std model. Thanks as always

[@The_Jimrod]

Bit late to the reply here but I can tell you with mine - average daily commute 13 miles each way, about 1/3rd town @ 40mph max and 2/3rds 70mph dual carriageway I manage around 150 miles in Summer (18-30 degrees C), 120 miles in Winter (0-10 degrees C). Longer trips down single lane A-roads at 50-60mph can get up to around 180/190 miles max, motorways definitely more punishing.

[@stevecarter8869]

We should all enjoy a big beer! Especially after a long drive.

[@siriosstar4789]

That is really rather impressive. Not at the range level that will turn hordes of people away from their gas/diesel cars but a good effort.

[@miloszikic88]

Finally some real world review! Honestly speaking, I could not believe it would make it, even with the slow driving. Great job KIA :) Is there any chance you might review Tesla Model 3 in a scenario like this one?

[@MarekDrives]

Tesla is not officially available in Poland, so there's no press fleet. I had an offer from a rental company to take the car for like 2 days, but it had company livery, and 2 days is a bit short.

[@rebelsoul777]

Fajnie, że jest wersja po angielsku. Obejrzałem wersję po polsku i myślałem, że będą napisy, a tu miłe zaskoczenie. Gratuluję i życzę szerokiej światowej widowni.

[@MarekDrives]

Dziękuję. Zawsze robię dwie wersje językowe.

[@rebelsoul777]

​@@MarekDrives Dopiero niedawno trafiłem na Pana kanał, pamiętam Pana programy z Motowizji, gdy jeszcze ją miałem. To był jeden z niewielu sensownych programów na tym kanale. :)

[@stevieburrows3953]

I live in England and have been waiting to see a good test on this car.Thank you for posting.Unfortunetly the on the road price in England is laughably high so most people will give this a miss

[@MarekDrives]

True, without a hefty grant or tax break this car is very expensive. Assuming it will cost more or less the same as the Kona EV, it's going to be about 15% more expensive, than a well-specced RAV4. I'm sure some people will recoup the extra cost by driving it a lot, but it's not a car for everyone.

[@borisliberman1990]

Marek really drove :-)... Many thanks for the video! The EV's feasibility is improving.

[@peterbodifee]

Boris Liberman I have the Niro EV and the feasibility is there. Drive on average 80-120 km per day. Never a moment of range anxiety!

[@rolonow12]

Feasible maybe, but not practical for long distance driving.

[@peterbodifee]

rolonow12 and how often do you drive long distance? And how much is long distance? Where I live we have on the long distance stretches already more fast charging stations then traditional gas fuelling stations.

[@rolonow12]

Peter Bodifée Coverage in the UK is pathetic. Even if it were better, I’m not ready yet. 2019 so far, 3 trips to Gatwick airport 300 miles return. UK to Spa in April (car clum circuit day) 1000 miles, UK to Lake Garda in May (Mille Miglia) 2200 miles. UK to Central France in July (Tour de France) 1500miles. A few 200 mile drives in the UK. In September, UK to Pyrenees 2500 miles. Car is full of luggage, cruise at 130+ in Europe, 120ish in the UK. Average mpg 30+. Would like a Fiat 500e for local use, but not available yet. As I said there is no EV yet that is practical for 300 mile round trip to Gatwick or Heathrow. I have no wish to wait 2+ hours while the thing charges, even IF there is a vacant working charge point. In my 3ltr 6cyl petrol car, I get about 500miles range - no contest.

[@peterbodifee]

rolonow12 I hear what you say. But allow me to comment. First of all trips you quote are total distance of the trip, not one way. From a planning perspective that matters. And I also know most people don’t make those long trips often. So for them the range of the Niro is very practical in every day use. The infrastructure for en route recharging is not yet there in certain geographies, I will admit, but I have been told that the UK has already more charging stations then fuel pumps. Likely they count L2 chargers as well and in all honesty these or not practical for charging road side. Only as destination chargers. While Gatwick (I assume you went to the airport) should have a fast charger (like we have in Vancouver), even 300 miles round trip is a 5 hr drive. Good practice is to take a break after 2 hrs of driving. I know, I haven’t adhered to this rule either on long trips when I had the 500-600 mile range in an ICE car. Recharging an EV en route requires a different discipline: route planning. I recently discovered a great site abetterrouteplanner.com. Haven’t used it yet for a real trip, but will when I am going to one of my favourite vacation destinations, which is 270 miles one way. Driving an EV requires the same planning as any rechargeable device. You don’t expect to use your smartphone all week and when it is at 1% you go to a wall outlet to have it back at 100% in 10 minutes. You may want to, but you find out that recharging your phone while you sleep and it has enough energy to keep you using it all day is all you need. Again, even if you drive like 200 miles every day, the Niro will do this for you under the condition you put it on a L2 charger (6 kW) overnight. So far I have plugged in my Niro in a L1 charger (1.2 kW) every single hour the car is at home, but that is, given my daily driving, not something I really like to sustain. So I am getting my L2 installed next week and then expect to do 2-3 charges per week (overnight) to maintain a charging level between 20-80%

[@r2stik]

best car 2019.

[@vvp1002]

Not a Tesla Bjorn yet, but Marek EV at least :)

[@USUG0]

Are you kidding? 360 degree camera, drones, Marek is teslabjorn 2.0 or, the Tesla of EV reviews! ;-P

[@homomorphic]

I drive 70mph everywhere in my Chevy Bolt, I just drove 247 miles with 12 miles remaining (259 miles) at that speed the other day.

[@DvLang]

In Canada it's only estimated at 359 km range. Does the European model have a larger kWh battery or are they just being safe here?

[@TheDiesel1905]

I am not interested in EV at all yet I watched video :) thanks for your effort to make videos in English , that is really valuable for expats living in Poland like me

[@MarekDrives]

Thanks. Perhaps I should start making travel videos then :)

[@TubesWidener]

Cheers

[@drariflatif2550]

Beautiful land escape

[@mudman189]

for all the stress you deserve 2 big beers.

[@leesmith9299]

what stress? I did not notice he was at all stressed.

[@AJM547]

Awesome video. I like your approach to seeing how far you can push it with lower speeds. On your return trip at normal speeds, I assume you had to stop and charge? Can you tell me what the battery level was at this point, how long you charged for, and what the new battery level was? Can you give me a few more details about the trip? 1) How comfortable was the e-Niro for this type of long trip for you and passengers? 2) How many people and how much extra stuff did you have in the car? Extra weight will reduce range. 3) Were you playing the radio, using the A/C, charging electronics or any other activities that might be an additional drain on the battery?

[@MarekDrives]

Thanks, sure. On the way back I made it on a single charge, but with the car going into low energy use mode, as I was driving into Warsaw. BTW, the trip back took more or less the same time, but I was speeding between sections of traffic, so in the end the average speed was not much (if at all) higher, just the energy use was much greater. 1. The Niro (regular and EV) is generally comfortable for this price point. I did the same trip in a hybrid version a few years back, and I didn't have any complaints. I have a bad back, so if the seats weren't good enough you'd hear me moaning about it :) 2. Around 14:35 there's our boot as we arrived at the hotel. A large carry on suitcase with clothes, a large carry on case with my gear, Phantom drone, a duffel bag, a small tripod, and some more filming paraphernalia. So two adults and about a child's weight of luggage. I would say a normal long weekend trip scenario. 3. I wasn't using the radio (because we were recording and talking about what we will record next), but the AC was on all the time, I had to recharge two GoPros, the phone was plugged in all the time. I'm currently driving a Kona EV (same powertrain, same batteries), which has an interesting chart in the EV menu. It shows the percentage of energy used by various elements of the car. So on a 300+ km journey about 96% of energy is used by the drivetrain, 1% (sic!) by the climate control, and 3% by on-board electronics. Both cars had a heat pump, so energy use for climate control is significantly lower, than on cars without a heat pump. At some point (probably depending on the weather) some energy would be used for battery preconditioning, but not yesterday, when I drove it.

[@AJM547]

Thanks!

[@DontEatTheAnimals]

Thank you so much for doing this in kilometres

[@johnjames01]

I think this was one of your best videos Marek. Just one thing, how come you didn't use cruise control? Is it better to avoid this to save energy when driving an electric car?

[@MarekDrives]

Without cruise control I have more control over when to let accelerate, and when to let the car coast. That's true for ICE cars, and I would assume it's similar for EVs. AFAIK it's better to accelerate up a hill, and let the car cost down than the other way around. It seems counterintuitive, but chances are you'll never make it up a hill without accelerating, so better maintain speed. That said, I used the automatic regen function, so the car applied regen braking, when there was another vehicle in front.

[@Haveagoodd]

Good test Marek. I like the boot space in Niro, well utilised. I would call it the best shape for family EV with decent range. I drive 30kwh Kia and don't have any range anxiety but I have 3 free chargers in my town so I can stop for my lunch anytime of the day and choose one of the free chargers. If Poland gets there with charging infrastructure there will be many EVs on Polish roads

[@brunobrezeanu]

First great job on the test. Would love to see with the hyundai a test more close to the speed limit. Also saw that you only used the headlights in the end. How would affect the range if you have used the lights for the whole trip? Asking this because in some parts you are obligated to use them even in the daytime. Thanks

[@MarekDrives]

I had DRL on all the time.

[@martian9999]

in the past 10 years, affordable EVs have gone from ?120KM range to the e-Niro's realistic 420KM. *IF* that trend continues, we will have 700KM range within the next ten years, and by then, nobody will able to complain about range limits, except the occasional salesman or boat owner. The internal combustion engine will then be a niche product, like a satellite phone, or a superbike.

[@peterbodifee]

Martin Schwoerer at 400km you already have no reason to complain about range. Even if you drive this amount frequently on a day, you can recharge overnight this amount of energy with a level 2 charger. The mind shift people need to make is that you don’t recharge an EV car like you refuel an ICE car. Assuming you can charge your car at or near the place where you sleep.

[@martian9999]

@@peterbodifee of course you are right. I however was only addressing the typical complaints of ICE-lovers. They say they'd only buy an EV if it had 700 KM range and cost €15k. The first will be possible within a decade and the second is unrealistic. Anyway, I think the Honda e approach makes even more sense. 200 KM range but hi-speed charging to 80% within 30 minutes. That's all 90% of drivers really need, if they were honest.

[@peterbodifee]

Martin Schwoerer Actually it is a myth that you need high speed charging. With current battery technology it is not even recommended and those who will only recharge with high currents, will find out that the lifetime of the battery will not be as what you would want in a car (like at least 10 years?). People need to understand that recharging a battery is not the same as refilling a gas tank. I put my car every night on a level 1 charger which takes me 10 seconds at most to do. In the morning 10 seconds to remove the cable. So on a weekly basis this is a little over 2 minutes of my time. I used to fuel once a week and that took at least 5 min excluding the time to go to the station (and I live very close to one that has the lowest price in our city!). If charging at home is an option it is a time saver as well.

[@LauriTakkunen]

Even my e85 ice car cant do 700 km range. This kia has abaut the range of every car i own. Im allready ready to go full ev, just need to find one i can afford.

[@peterbodifee]

Lauri Takkunen agree. Unfortunately demand is much higher then supply so EV manufacturers can still sell vehicles with high margin features that are not absolutely necessary to transportation. And these vehicles are not in the financial range of the average car owner. On the other hand the infrequent car user should rethink how their transportation needs can be met. In many urbanized areas there are other options. And the options are getting better. We are now at this rare period in history where things regarding transportation are dramatically going to change.

[@IvanGolo]

Sadly until the quick charging infrastructure in Poland gets a bit better, an electric car doesn't sound like a good investment if you plan to use it outside city use. That and well, the prices, let's hope for some government incentives for electrics in the near future. Good video Marek!

[@MarekDrives]

A few years ago I'd agree. Now I'd say it's good enough to consider.

[@IvanGolo]

@@MarekDrives Maybe in the south, cause in Trojmiasto and Pomorskie is deficient to say the least :(

[@MarekDrives]

I'll find out in September :)

[@alliejr]

At 450km range, I think this is enough for most people to charge at night, at home, and never have to use public charging network. (Of course not for long trips, just for the usual daily driving).

[@peterbodifee]

alliejr exactly. And this is the mind shift you need to make. Recharging is not the same as refueling an ICE car.

[@kevinn1158]

Great review Marek. I'm curious, at normal speeds, how many kms were remaining when you arrived home? I guess it helped quite a bit going down hill initially, otherwise you probably would have run out of battery no? I think Kia did a solid job with this vehicle size/range wise but the design is really quite dull. It's not a sporty wagon/fastback design nor does it say rugged CUV. It's just sooooooo middle of the road.

[@MarekDrives]

I got back without having to charge, but I was close to draining the battery. I saved a lot going downhill, but used up most of the savings going faster between sections of heavy traffic. In the end travel time was comparable.

[@nostalgicpetrichor7782]

very insightful Marek, may I ask you if it's cheaper to use EV than petrol in Poland?

[@MarekDrives]

If you charge at home it's about the quarter of what it would cost to fill up an ICE car. There is a charging network, which offers charging in various locations, but that's relatively expensive, and therefore reserved for emergency situations. There is also a number of public chargers, which are free for now, but usually slow. So you can make it work, but it all requires a bit of planning. It's much better than a few years ago.

[@johnkemp3592]

Thanks Marek - interesting video as always and some great shots of the Polish countryside. Maybe it looks better in real life, but on the video the display in the instrument binnacle seems very cheap and nasty - the type face they have used for the large numbers and also the "analogue" speed ring. It seems sort of retro but not in a good way. As you say, not putting the speed limit there is silly - that would be a better use of the space taken up by "R N D" display which could temporarily appear when you change drive mode. How comfortable did you find the car after being in it for 6 hours?

[@MarekDrives]

The display does have a bit of a toy vibe like in the Nissan Leaf. The seats are comfortable. Not the best, but I didn't get a backache.

[@johnkemp3592]

@@MarekDrives I was thinking the seats must have been at least OK otherwise we would have heard about it! :-)

[@be236]

@@MarekDrives What I dont like about Niro EV and Kona Electric is their cheap / flimsy charging caps withe the dangling cords. Seems like a toy.. At least Nissan LEAF has a better charging cap/lid with its hinged door, and the outdoor flips up and down, not sideways where people can bump into it if they walk nearby the front.

[@MarekDrives]

@@be236 AFAIK all CCS charging ports look like that, and all ChaDeMo charging ports have spring-loaded flap like on the Nissan LEAF. In case of ChaDeMo there is a separate port for Type 2 cable so that can also be spring-loaded, thus more aesthetic looking. CCS stands for combined charging system. You can remove the top cover and plug in Type 2 cable, or remove both covers, and use the CCS DC charger.

[@be236]

@@MarekDrives Yes, I know about CCS ports... And there is a nice hinged door on CCS port in Ampera-E car (also known as Chevy Bolt EV in "the states.") that looks nice and clean/professional.. Why couldnt Kia and Hyundai used that design... And its outer charge port door is smaller/compact.

[@markstafford6357]

Enjoy the Beer !!!

[@ghiagoo]

Nice looking roads in Poland. Far smoother than here in the US

[@claudiofransson9333]

Even after infrastructure week?

[@ghiagoo]

Roads are being fixed. But historically they go bad pretty quickly

[@stevemcmechan6444]

Does your niro ev have the Cold Weather heat pump system? Or the resistive cabin heater only?

[@MarekDrives]

AFAIK this one had the heat pump, hence energy use for climate control was insignificant. Exact specification will depend on the market. Here in Poland the car hasn't been officially launched, so it's hard to say if all the models will get the heat pump. For example Hyundai Kona EV is offered with a heat pump only in the top trim, and with the 64 kWh battery pack. The 39 kWh version comes only in the lower trim, hence without the heat pump. There's a lot of uncertainty about the specification of EVs across Europe, as some countries are to announce new incentives, and they may depend on the purchase price of the vehicle.

[@MacBaerFFM]

The big downside with this car and the e-Soul and Kona aus well is that AC Charger is single Phase only. For us here in Germany Single Phase AC charging is limited to something like 4,6kW by law rather than the Seven something the e-niro Charger can provide. So fast charging the Niro is only available through DC. Over here, many public accessible chargers are type2 with 22kW - one would not be able to exploit that with e-Niro. And yet to be seen is the alleged 100kW charging via DC on the e-Niro.

[@_TrueDesire_]

Kona and E-Niro will probably get 11 kW three phase according to several rumors for MY2020. i really hope it gets it! so many times the DC chargers are occupied and i need to use AC, going from 6kW (my Leaf) to 11 kW AC on Kona and getting ~75kW DC charging compared to my low 40 kW is a sweet upgrade.

[@evyatarshachar4311]

Did you use the adaptive cruise control with lane keep assist?

[@MarekDrives]

No, I went fully manual for better results.

[@carlomanda]

Please could you give me 2 information about your test? 1. Did you use air conditioning during the trip? 2. Did you use cruise control along highways?

[@MarekDrives]

1. Yes, all the time, set to 22 degrees, outside temperature ranging from 24 in the morning, when I set out, through 27-28 around mid day, down to about 14, when I arrived in Zakopane, and it was raining. 2. No.

[@DennisBloodnokPhotographyVideo]

Interesting review. Shows that EVs are progressing. But they are still not (yet) at the levels that the buying public will need. IE Those EVs with sufficient range and size start @ £32000 + (here in the UK) and have only 250-280 miles of range on a charge. Having said this , the new Renault Zoe ZE50 starts at around £18000 with around 210-230 miles of range. This is interesting.

[@MarekDrives]

That is interesting, but the Zoe although cute on the outside, is also terribly cheap on the inside. Also AFAIK Renault doesn't sell you the whole car. Instead you need to lease the batteries from them, which makes the whole affair less economical.

[@DennisBloodnokPhotographyVideo]

@@MarekDrives According to reviews by other KZbin channels, Renault have greatly improved the interior on the new ZE50 Zoe. I look forward to you reviewing this new car.

[@vicjay1972]

I have this car. My strategy is to drive 10-15% over the speed limit and stop for a 30-40 min charge. It's more fun😄

[@MarekDrives]

This car is not particularly fun to drive, but I guess in the end it's the same thing. Under normal circumstances I would have stopped somewhere to stretch my legs anyway, so I could recharge for 10-20 minutes.

[@jwenting]

pink elephants are obviously more important than the speed limit as the speed limit can be seen easily by being aware of the road signs. Which are ALWAYS leading, and change more rapidly than the data in the satnav system. And at the end of course the real problem with electric cars (apart from the range when driving at realistic speeds, aka the speed limit): the nearest charging station being several kilometers from your destination.

[@vn9982]

Hi how many % it loosing after night from 100%. If it’s not on charge??

[@MarekDrives]

I don't think it loses anything overnight. It would take a couple of weeks to notice a drop. Of course, everything depends on the weather.

[@jordan9339]

Thank you for your video. How much time it will take if you drive normal? Polish normal :)

[@MarekDrives]

Depends on the traffic. I always reserve 5-6 hours for this trip.

[@Somesh-Ji]

Very good car... Man we would love to see the view from your hotel and the BIG BEER too ... 🤣😊

[@MarekDrives]

facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157076172482279&set=a.10150379263002279&type=3&theater

[@be236]

I just picked up a Kia Niro EV 2019 in "the states." one of the last model 2019s still for sale here...

[@MarekDrives]

How is it so far?

[@be236]

@@MarekDrives It seems slightly more efficient than my old Nissan LEAF 2017. However, I noticed the driver's seat is a little tight/narrow.. as if it is hugging me while I sit. I prefer my old LEAF seats, which I think is wider as I didnt notice this problem in my LEAF. (I only noticed this narrow seat in Niro EV after a 30-min drive.. during my short couple minute test drive at dealership, I didnt notice this)...

[@MarekDrives]

Keep us posted! I'm interested to see how the long-term battery performance is.

[@sumitdahiya5138]

When it will be launched in India?

[@tarzantim8437]

Kia is the best car

[@Wirmish]

No.

[@AFlyingCookieLOL]

@@Wirmish CHeaper than Tesla and has more range.

[@MiniEggs1999]

But will it do 450km in mid winter at night in the rain. I bet that range is more like 300km

[@simonwhite2890]

Range does diminish slightly in winter. If the car has a heat pump it's not a big deal. I drive my old Leaf all year round without issue.

[@jackp2563]

Marek, did you run AC at all ? I’ve noticed on your digital dash outside temp at 29 C I’ve placed order on my Niro EV 4 weeks ago. Expected delivery between July and August.

[@MarekDrives]

It was on all the time set to 22 degrees C. I checked before the trip, and turning AC off gave extra 15-20 km range, so no point baking oneself.

[@peterbodifee]

jack p congrats, you will love it. I was owner #2 in Canada ;-)

[@MarekDrives]

@Peter Bodifée lucky you! My Toronto viewer said he gave up, when he found out the waiting list is now about a year. Is that true?

[@peterbodifee]

Marek Drives yes it is true, same here in BC. When I found out in the news in Nov ‘18 that the Niro EV was coming to Canada I stopped by my Kia dealer next day and made a deposit. They had zero information, but I was not bothered. Hence I was among the first in Canada (#2 in BC!) to get one. The first (small) batch arrived mid April ‘19 and was completely reserved by those who made a deposit. I was convinced to buy after I made a test drive at the Vancouver international auto show 2 weeks before the EVs arrived. It is a pity that Kia is challenged to keep up with demand, because this car is really a hit. In Canada they only deliver the SX Touring option which is quite expensive, the EX Premium (which I had on the hybrid) will do equally fine. However all the tech is something you get used to quickly!

[@jackp2563]

Peter Bodifée Since my last post Kia called me that they had high end trim E Niro available right away. $8000 premium for power seats , sunroof and JBL speakers it’s just too much. Still waiting for my EX trim. I’ve placed my deposit before tax rebate was slashed in half so , I’m still eligible for full $10K rebate.

[@peterbodifee]

Curious what your overall average consumption is with your 450km range. After almost 5000 km I average 16.1 kWh/100km which gives me a 433km range with 100% charged battery assuming modest temperatures so the climate control doesn’t use too much kWh and therefore impact range.

[@MarekDrives]

I had this car for only a week, and I don't know who was driving it before or how it was driven. In the morning when I unplugged the car to go to Zakopane it showed I think 420 km range, so I assumed this was going to be a narrow margin. Over the course of the trip range decreased slower, than kilometers accumulated. AFAIK I averaged 14.1. When going back, the range at the start was over 463 km, which I suspect could have been the result of me driving the car economically, and the computer adjusting for this.

[@peterbodifee]

Marek Drives yes, that has been my observation too. I just looked at some screenshots I made of the UVO app and it showed 439km at 100%. I typically drive in ECO mode which allows to set a speed limit. I have mine set at 120 km/h. The highest speed limit in the area where I typically drive is 100 km/h, so that is well above. And the police in British Columbia are very keen on giving you a ticket. With a very quiet EV you barely can tell by the sound how fast you are driving. At 120 km/h I have about 17.5 kWh/100km consumption. About 30% of my driving is city traffic where I average 25km/h using around 13 kWh/100km. But all this stuff becomes irrelevant in daily use. Like in an ICE nobody is actually paying attention to current or average energy use. You care about when to refuel/recharge and not at least the fuel costs. My Niro hybrid fuel costs were CA$ 0.085/km, my Niro EV electricity costs is CA$ 0.017/km. And keep in mind my hybrid averaged 5.5l/100km which is at least 2x better then the average car in this class.

[@MarekDrives]

Exactly. In the end it is down to cost and convenience. I recall that during my trip to Canada in late 2016 EV infrastructure in Vancouver was already quite good, but Toronto was a different story. You're probably not going to take this car across the Rockies, but it's well within Vancouver-Whistler-Vancouver on a single charge range.

[@smallmj2886]

Thanks for the extra content at the end. What sort of range did you get going the speed limit the whole way?

[@davidchavez6037]

What about seat and driving position comfort for long journeys?!

[@MarekDrives]

I had no problems. The weight can be felt on bigger bumps though.

[@millipekmez577]

how hard was the recording process of this journey in two languages? :) honestly, i wonder about your energy consumption numbers more than kia's :)

[@MarekDrives]

Actually this was quite easy, because there was a lot of time. We prepared some talking, and filled out the blanks, as we went along.

[@millipekmez577]

@@MarekDrives oh, I'm glad it wasn't tiresome for you. it seemed like stressful to manage every camera battery in the car and cut to record in a different language. i really enjoy this kind of 'long term' usage of specific kind of cars. it is even more pleasant to see that it is not tiresome as much as i thought so that in the future it won't be so much of a chore to create more of these videos :) it is important for me to hear your point of view on certain points of cars or some details average user might miss completely. thank you :)

[@be236]

@@MarekDrives so, how long did that trip take, from start to finish the hotel? 6 hrs, I guess from instrument cluster at the end?

[@MarekDrives]

@@be236 6 hours door to door. This was a Sunday, and I was driving against traffic (people were driving home from weekend getaways). I was driving back on Tuesday, it took me pretty much just as long, only I wasted more energy going faster between traffic jams.

[@be236]

@@MarekDrivesYeah, so that's a nice 6-hr road trip basically on one full charge in Kia Niro EV.. very impressive.. on my Nissan LEAF 30kWh EV, with its 170km range on paper, but in practice, it's more like 140km range) the trip would likely have required at least TWO charging stops along the way, maybe even THREE... so, I'm hoping to upgrade to this Kia Niro EV soon.

[@siraff4461]

Should do the trip again but use it like a normal car - drive at normal speeds and just go where you're going.

[@MarekDrives]

The idea behind this test was to get from A to B on a single charge. I didn't know how the car would behave, and I knew there was limited charging infrastructure on the way. Yesterday I did a top legal speed drive in a Kona EV (320 km on motorways, dual carriageways, and regular country roads). I'll post that video in a few of weeks.

[@siraff4461]

@@MarekDrives Brilliant. I'm looking forward to it. I usually do the same when I get a new ev - see how far it can go but after a while I just drive it and see what it does. I like to see both sides of it.

[@terencebiffis3210]

Did Kia told you when they will show it in their showrooms and start sell it in Poland?

[@MarekDrives]

Some countries, including Poland, are waiting for Q4 announcement of new EV incentives. This will be a decisive factor in the EV pricing policy. The e-Soul is expected in Poland in Q4 2019, e-Niro Q1 2020.

[@KristianKratochvil]

Hi Marek, I really appreciate your reviews. But I don't share your opinion that EVs are only for city driving. Your perception is only because of very thin charging infrastructure in Poland. I drive about 90-100t km in a year with a EV without feeling any kind of restrictions given me by the car. I am from Slovakia and my driving takes me most of the time to Western Europe where the infrastructure is on a different level. I think I might be able to give you some real world long time experience advise if you are interested ;-)

[@MarekDrives]

Let's hear it :)

[@KristianKratochvil]

@@MarekDrives I think the most important thing is to keep a common sense. Just like with an ICE vehicle, planing and self control is required. Planning in the meaning, plug the car in when ever it is possible, specially when you are at home. Pre-heating and pre-cooling while the car is still plugged on charger is very efficient way to save energy without major impact on the range. As you already have observed, the high speed has the major impact on the range of vehicle. Now it depends what EV you drive, since air drag is different for various models. But sometimes it is not worth to drive slowly to extend the range, ether because the charging is so fast or you can charge at your destination. My normal daily driving routine is about 200 km, well within the range of most EVs on the market. I drive off with 90% in the morning. Since while my stop at customer I can charge, I seldom deplete the battery in my car. Yes, I drive a car very large battery, but it is very inefficient car ... Tesla Model X 100D ... do you have practical questions?

[@MarekDrives]

I totally agree. However the point of this video was to A. prove how far I can get without sacrificing too much in terms of speed and comfort (driving 110 in places were the limit is 120 is reasonable, the AC was on all the time, and the car was preconditioned before I set off), and B. as this is Poland, I wanted to relate to current charging infrastructure. I had no previous long-range experience with this car (or rather powertrain, because I have briefly driven the Kona EV and e-Soul), so I didn't know how various factors will affect the performance. I'm used to EVs achieving at least 20 percent less range, than promised, especially when driven outside of urban areas. So to summarise, now I know I could have driven faster, and reached a fast charger in Cracow, where I could have spent 15-30 minutes, and be on my way. That said, AFAIK from my Polish viewers, CCS chargers in Poland don't go above 50 kW, and most are 30-40 kW, so I would not be able to recharge as fast as you suggest it may be possible in Western Europe. I'll do Western Europe next year, but that's a different project.

[@michaelstevens3479]

In the UK you can rip out £2000 in batteries on the first street with speed bumps,not for city driving then?Yes this the car for me I have allways wanted to get there yesterday.

[@MarekDrives]

Speed bumps are there to slow you down. I didn't bottom out, but I would take extra care, while driving over rougher surface.

[@krazywatch7913]

Dear Marek, to conclude with this video, could we say that you argued for an automatic driving?: indeed the car itself would respect speed limits and probably optimize time between charging ;) You calculated one way in 6 hours at 70 km/h unfortunately you told us that to return you accelerated you instantaneous speed up to 130 km/h. Please let us know the duration for the return ie was it quicker including necessary charging time ?

[@MarekDrives]

The return wasn't particularly quicker (more traffic), I still made it on a single charge, but had less range left.

[@nigelcb1300]

Hang on, have you changed your mind on re-gen braking then?

[@MarekDrives]

Versus what?

[@vitaliyberdinskikh2786]

e-miłość w Zakopanem

[@Alrukitaf]

Can somebody please help me? 14 kwhper 100 km translates to just over 7 km per kw-h. Even 5 or 6 would be acceptable. 7 is magnificent in comparison to say Hyundai Kona. Did I miss something? This car seems phenomenal!

[@milanbahna7633]

eNiro ist the best family car in this price class (better is only Tesla). 450km in real traffic (though slower) is veeeeery good result. @Marek Drives is this car already sold in Poland? still not in Slovakia.

[@MarekDrives]

No, it's probably the only e-Niro in Poland. A press car. I think KIA will be launching it end of 2019/early 2020.

[@milanbahna7633]

@@MarekDrives the same situation is with us, but one car is not allowed to lend.

[@Timodon1]

Good work sir! :) In Sweden we have people from Polen who drive like crazy here, have no respect at all! If i go to Polen i will have respect for your country and law!

[@MarekDrives]

Thank you. I'm surprised, because AFAIK your police is vigilant and strict.

[@Timodon1]

@@MarekDrives No, sorry thye are not! Only KGB are! :)Have a nice day sir!

[@OqtajMamedov]

Did you use air conditioner?

[@MarekDrives]

Constantly. 22 degrees inside, 27-30 outside. AC takes away maybe 30 km range.

[@OqtajMamedov]

👍

[@MrNordlandfahrer]

´very interesting video. When I drive across the country, I don´t want to keep an eye to the range. That`s the main issue with full electric cars. When I buy my next car, I will ask about pink elephant on the dash...

[@agawokwo]

How often do you need to drive more than 400 km a day? A ev covers your daily mileage needs all the time, unless you are on vacation or you use your car as a part of your work (driving all day long between customers etc.). And if you are on vacation, you will need to make a pitstop every two-three hours according to driving regulations.

[@MrNordlandfahrer]

@@agawokwo unfortunately I drive more than 400 km almost every two weeks, in addition to that we have very cold winters in the north and then the range continues to drop. If then I see electric cars only in the urban area and there is enough 150 km range.

[@agawokwo]

@@MrNordlandfahrer I drive 200 km every day so for me no problem. I just need to charge every night. In a few years you will be able to drive much more than 500 km without any troubles. But in Poland you get electricity from coal, so an ev does not make much sense in regard to the environment. So may be it's better for the planet to use another car type there.

[@MrNordlandfahrer]

@@agawokwo it's all in development. I drive a Hybrid because it is also the problem with the charging (I live in an apartment building). Electric driving I think is good, just not on the basic of the current battery technology. The state has also to create the electrical infrastructure fast.

[@agawokwo]

@@MrNordlandfahrer yes, so citizens have to vote for parties which develop infrastructure for ev. Batteries will be better and greener soon. The EU is working on this issue.

[@Demobot1]

Man I would drive 100-110kph and plan my charging stops around that. Doing 80kph in a 100kph zone defeats the purpose.

[@MarekDrives]

Generally yes, but as I said, there weren't really that many charging stations on the way, I didn't know how the real-life range of this car would turn out, and I wanted to prove a point: I can drive half way across the country. This was really the first attempt for me in this car.

[@Tore_Lund]

@@MarekDrives Tesla Björn has done testing and even driving fast on the highway, with charging time average speed is 85-95 km/h, so driving slower to begin with does not necessarily make you arrive later. It all depends on the charger power and charging infrastructure .

[@Haveagoodd]

Yes, but keep in mind Bjorn is in Norway which has the best charging infrastructure in Europe with multiple chargers as well as really fast chargers like Ionity. In Poland you got Greenway but I would be careful as Poland has single chargers so you could get stuck. I don't have that issue in the UK but Marek simply has shown if you drive gently you can actually charge at home and just go half of the country (actually 60% of Poland as Warsaw is more north not center) and simply charge at the destination and enjoy in your holiday destination rather than wasting your time for charging stops. I drive 30-40k km in a year pure electric and yes I got a Kia but only 30kwh Soul.

[@Tore_Lund]

@@Haveagoodd That was my exact point, that you'll have to adapt to the charging infrastructure, and what Marek is doing is is suitable for the route he is taking, but thanks for elaborating.

[@jwenting]

@@Tore_Lund it is however not realistic for actual usage patterns for regular use, which would have the car driven at or slightly over the speed limit and charged daily while doing commuter traffic. E.g. for my daily use I'd drive it 100km a day at 100kmh average (most of my commute is on the motorway). The WLTP standard however has an average speed over the entire test of only 43kmh...

[@blxtothis]

Blimey, putting a manufacturer’s range claims to the test, that’s brave. You forgot to multiply their figures by .6 to arrive at something approaching real world and usable range! Before this even reached 5 minutes I knew the result.

[@leesmith9299]

You said "Claims Kia" when talking about the range. Is that Kia's claim or is it a standard test?

[@MarekDrives]

There's some inconsistency here, because depending on the region and test (for example EPA in the US vs. WLTP in Europe) there's some 80 km difference in official range of the same car, and unofficial claims go up to 500 km.

[@leesmith9299]

@@MarekDrives But I assume you are talking about one of those standard tests? So whichever it is Kia has not chosen the range to publish? My point is saying "Kia Claims" is setting them up to be blamed if someone does not get that range. The truth is Kia or any other manufacturer does not claim anything, they just do a standard test or three.

[@MarekDrives]

I think you'll agree with me that over the last few decades fuel consumption results achieved in tests differed somewhat from real life results. Yes, the manufacturer provides figures it achieved on the test, but since rules of the test are well known, car manufacturers learned to design cars to "pass" the tests. In other words, I consider any official or unofficial fuel/energy consumption figure provided by the manufacturer a mere claim, which I then put to the test. In this test I actually achieved a better result than KIA's claimed (if I recall correctly) around 15 kWh/100 km.

[@leesmith9299]

@@MarekDrives What else can they do? The tests need to be realistic. Not their fault if the test is not. That's like having a go at a basketball coach for choosing a lot of tall players. The coach did not choose how high the basket is. The test is set so they go for it. They have to as those tests heavily influence the buyers. They're finally getting the test a bit more realistic so hopefully things get better. Obviously I'm not talking about the cheaters here.

[@leesmith9299]

and not so sure they do engineer to pass the test anymore as this result shows. Seems like they just made the car the best way they could and let the test result be the test result. And luckily this time the result may have underestimated the range,

[@and1111000]

Sheeeet, Poland needs more charge points. C'mon EU, up your game.

[@DeRen179]

Good video. Does someone know how long it takes to charge from about 50% to 100% in regular 220V home socket?

[@MarekDrives]

I'd say about 24h.

[@DeRen179]

That long for half battery? I wonder on 380V, how long does it take then? Anyway whole day on 220V is unacceptable if this is your only car and you are doing 200km per day. I hope they will be able to lower this number in the future.

[@MarekDrives]

I charged it overnight from a 220V (probably 10 hours) and got about 100 km range out of it. Full charge from 220V is 30+ hours.The way to go is to have a Type 2 wallbox installed at home.

[@DeRen179]

Yes that seems to be the only viable thing right now. Anyway I'm asking about regular 220V charging for a situation if you live in a village where they can't (or won't) upgrade you the electric line you are stuck with low current, about 10 A of long term draw is the maximum.

[@MarekDrives]

Well, it's not a car for people, who do not have access reliable infrastructure. That said, it is recommended you don't charge and discharge it fully. Also slow charging is better for the battery, than fast charging. So assuming you drive less than 100 km a day, you are able to maintain a net positive charging result by trickle charging it every night for 8-10 hours.