Staff Car Update: 2019 Kia Niro EV after 15,000 miles.

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The Kia Niro EV was the subject of much hype at its introduction, but was that warranted? And how is the car holding up after 15,000 miles of use?
We cover the highs and the lows of Kia Niro EV ownership after over a year of real life driving.
Note: while the first part of this video was recorded a year ago (Kate's been preoccupied building a house) the latter part of this video was recorded last week - And we've decided to publish the video in its entirety - because most of what Kate says still holds true. (As you'll see, when it's now different, current Kate corrects past Kate.)
Watch the video above to find out more, support us with the provided links, and let us know what you think below -- but remember to keep your comments civil!
Presenter: Kate Walton-Elliott
Produced: Transport Evolved
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Please watch: "2023 Kia Niro EV: Why You'll Want To Drive This"
• 2023 Kia Niro EV: A Fa...
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[@disgruntledgoat]

I'm loving the paradox of "being a bit of a luddite" whilst wearing an SGI t-shirt and floppy disc earrings :-D Great review - thanks!

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

Hah! Noticed the same.

[@Neojhun]

Not exactly New Tech.

[@toyotaprius79]

Honestly, I do feel ill whenever I hear the popular characterisation for "Luddite" used as someone who is stubbornly against what is brand new. They were poor workers rebelling and damaging the factories of early and bleak industrial Britain.

[@Neojhun]

@@toyotaprius79 Umm no, such a myopic limitation of language is not something to be imposed on others. The term works perfectly fine in this case. Does not disrespect the historical origin.

[@andymccabe6712]

Does anyone under 30 know what a floppy disc is.......?

[@trevorbromley-palmer]

Kate, so lovely to have you on screen again. Great video. Hope you won’t leave it too long before you make another one.

[@batandball617]

Kate, you nailed this review 100%. Our family have two Kia Niro EV’s and we have just over 50,000 miles traveled in 17 months and can wholeheartedly agree with your review.👍

[@davidolmstead9694]

We bought our Kia Niro Ex in spring 2019 and a Tesla Model Y in September 2020. I like them both, but what I think I like most about the Kia is no one seems to even recognize it is an electric car.

[@st4849]

The e-Niro is still the best combination of range, size and price in my opinion despite all those new EVs coming out. The Koreans did a great job on this one. I'm sure the Android Auto issue is specific to your situation somehow as I never read about this on any owners' forum.

[@psntuningdelirium8406]

I have the same problem on my kona

[@David-bl1bt]

Thanks for the along the time to share your experience with the e-niro. It is #1 on my list and I'm almost ready to place my order for one. I arranged a test drive which was done yesterday. I drove there with some trepidation particularly as my partner was less than enthusiastic about wanting to even test-drive it saying she considered it unremarkable. I can report however that it exceeded my expectations, which is a good start but my biggest surprise was that my partner actually loved the car, so much so that she wanted to order it there and then! I encouraged her to refrain from making a rash decision which are often regretted later, but we are both even more enthusiastic having subsequently researched it further and discussed the pro's and cons today. Although we were hard pressed to come-up with any real cons other than irrelevant nit-picks. We did notice the rear camera issue the same as you as it was raining during the test drive. I have discovered that there is a device called a camwipe that simply attaches to the rear wiper to alleviate the problem. It is simply genius, so it will be the first accessory on my list! Your video has been very informative and helpful with our purchase decision, so thank you for taking time out to share your experience, your efforts are greatly appreciated.

[@ScrapKing73]

In Canada, my Kia dealership typically has extra e-Niros and Soul EVs on the lot, and the only time you need to order one is if they don't happen to have your preferred colour/trim in stock. That's clearly not the case in the U.S. and Europe from all the videos I watch and comments I read on KZbin. It's not because they're not selling here either, as 10% of all passenger vehicles are plug-in here in British Columbia. Fingers-crossed that Hyundai Group's new European factory solves that for Europe directly, and the U.S. indirectly.

[@andymurray8007]

@@ScrapKing73 That is quite a new development. As recently as this spring there was nary a Niro around, and they said, "go ahead and order it, but we don't know when it will be delivered". Souls were around though, at that time, and the occasional Kona.

[@devinwala3503]

Love the great amount of real detail in this review! As the owner of a 19 Niro PHEV I felt the comments about the common systems like LKA were spot on. Great job

[@grantandre79]

Thorough and engaging reivew, thanks Kate! Especially noted your comments on the weight-saving (that's an essential review note, not obvious on video) and noise-cancelling of road noice (interesting note). Fun to see a video driving around my neighborhood - I know those places.

[@stephenclay6852]

We have had our E Niro ours here in the uk is the top 4 speck modal it took us 14 months to get. We get about 280 uk miles per charge and love the car.

[@ScrapKing73]

I have the very similar Kia Soul EV, and never set it to charge any higher than 60% because the range is so ridiculously good, and there's no benefit (and some detriment) to charging higher than necessary. 60-40% is all we ever need for city driving, even in the winter. 70-30% is probably all most people would need, and 80-20% all virtually anyone would need for day-to-day use with a car that's this efficient and with this large a battery.

[@stephenclay6852]

@@ScrapKing73 yes the range is really good but one peace of advice I was given. You should about every 3 or 4 times you charge it you should charge to 100% this does to things 1 balances the cells and 2 calibrates the battery to the range gauge ( G O M ) . Watch a chap on KZbin called MR EV he explains better than me why you need to do it. Other than that I agree with you they are both great cars we needed the bigger boot that the Niro comes with. But the soul is my wife’s favourite choice.

[@ScrapKing73]

@@stephenclay6852 I've watched Mr. EV's video on it, but nothing in that video suggests to me that you should do it every 3 or 4 charges. My understanding is that The reason to do it is so that you don't drain any cells dangerously low (such as the battery pack as a whole is at 15%, but some cells are as high as 25% and some as low as 5%). But if you rarely charge above 60% and rarely drain below 40%, the battery pack can easily go dozens (if not hundreds) of charges before you'd need to rebalance the cells. How frequently you rebalance the pack depends on many factors. When in doubt, get an OBDII adaptor and an app that lets you monitor the voltage of individual cells so you can know exactly how close to needing to rebalance you are (if such a thing is available for your car, which it is for many of them). Personally, resetting the GOM is of no interest to me. For daily driving I never charge above 60% or drop below 40%, so range is never an issue for me.

[@stephenclay6852]

@@ScrapKing73 that’s fine but using only 20% of the battery seems strange when you have paid a premium price for a car with a battery of that size. There is still no real definitive answers on what is the best approach regarding longevity of the battery I suppose only time will tell. I do know charging it to 100 % and driving it till it hits 80% and charging it back to 100% damages the battery. But it’s like rapid chargers one day they are fine and another day occasional use that’s Kia’s advice anyway. What ever is the answer doing what we do somebody should get a good used car when we chose to sell them.

[@ScrapKing73]

@@stephenclay6852 Why is that strange? The closer you stay to the middle range of the battery, the less degradation you'll notice over the service life of the car. By going with a larger battery pack, that reduces the frequency with which I'll need to stray far from the middle. With the Chevy Volt, GM set up SoC buffers of about 18% top and bottom, for this very reason (so when you think you've charged to 100%, you've actually only charged to about 83%). What do you mean there's no definitive answers to the best approach? Lithium batteries have common and predictable characteristics that are well studied. Charging/discharging them slowly, and keeping the charge level as close to 50% as often as possible, will improve the service life of every type of lithium ion battery. Some are more tolerant of abuse, others are less tolerant, but all of them benefit from these techniques. The manufacturers are compromised in their recommendations because they have to strike a balance between recommending best practices and advertising larges ranges for their cars in a competitive marketplace.

[@dket2571]

Very good summary, good and the bad.... this is what this car is like to drive and use. Appreciate the 'then' and 'now', nice touch. At least in Oz we don't have problems with purchasing. Horrible noise between comments.... yuk!

[@ElectricCarAustralia]

I also agree on the buttons, sometimes the minimalistic style is just not practical. Great video, keep up the good work :)

[@RickardEB]

I got the Kia niro PHEV and I can agree with what you say about the LKA. I too think it could been a little bit more to the right, and I've driven all my life in right hand traffic. And you really need to pay attention what the LKA does at intersections and on/off ramps. But it is a good car, I just wish I bought the EV and not the PHEV. My next car will be a fully electric one! Thanks for a great show!

[@yeoman588]

I'm a fan of buttons too. The lack of buttons is the one thing I really dislike about the Tesla Model 3 and Y.

[@Neojhun]

I prefer Knobs & Sliders for important gradient controls. Volume, Temperature, Fan Speed etc. Cheap buttons are frankly kind of annoying & break, a few for key frequent use switches are fine. But the main thing to match a Big Touch Screen muscle memory targeted knobs.

[@andymccabe6712]

@@user-to2rf1rj5v oh dear - this is someone refusing to accept that other people have different opinions from himself! And probably a closet Fanboi too... I don't like minimalist interiors with no buttons either.......!!! The idea that I would think 'ugh' after a few days without buttons is complete nonsense - I've tried it......!

[@user-jt1jv8vl9r]

I look forward to the day when you can genuinely communicate with you car and it will understand you. Then you won’t need buttons or knobs.

[@TheFourthWinchester]

Man I have no chance of buying an electric car for another decade atleast and even I hate all the buttons on ICE cars.

[@5ervicemonkey]

I’ve had the Model 3 exactly 2 years now and I agree with the preference for buttons and knobs. Wife’s Toyota controls for lights and wipers are superior to Tesla’s. Adjusting wiper speed and intermittent delay should be done by feel. Oncoming driver has lights off? Headlights off high beams on high beams off headlights on in under 2 seconds. Don’t look down. Twist, pull, push, twist. Tesla can’t do that. I chose the Model 3 despite the lack of sensible controls. Too bad Toyota voice commands are ridiculous to the point of hilarious!

[@Abomin81onVlog]

I enjoyed this video a lot and it was very helpful. Thank you.

[@mangoginger8924]

Hello Kate - I have a 2019 EV Niro and you mentioned about the back-up camera being dirty. Since I live in Vanc. BC just north of you. I bought a device called a Camwipe from Sweden and it works well cleaning off the camera. Attached is a KZbin video you might enjoy. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKjIfWquhLN2eK8. The road noise I found out that the tires are called RUN FLAT which is heavier and the rubber is tougher. There have been other different car owners having the same problem and they eventually bought regular tires which made it lot quieter and smoother ride with some increase in mileage. I will replace mine after the RUN Flats wear out. I prefer the buttons - don't want to fidget around when driving.

[@transportevolved]

How did I not know about the Camwipe. That's so obvious and neat. ^Kate

[@andymccabe6712]

@@transportevolved it's SUCH an obvious and necessary thing that it's really depressing that the car manufacturer didn't fit something similar!!! Cars cost an absolute fortune and are frequently let down by ridiculously silly little faults just like this.......!

[@dcvariousvids8082]

Nokian Snowproof are great on snow & ice but also have good handling and braking on wet surfaces.

[@stevewausa]

Been very impressed with the heat pump in the Leaf Plus SL as well.

[@timypp2894]

Great video. My personal view The rear wiper being active whilst driving isn't necessary plus it wears the blade down when there's no water - dare I say it, use more electric.

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

And it’s a good way to scratch a windshield. My wife’s SUV has such a scratched front windshield that I can’t drive it at night. The glare is impossible.

[@Prodigious1One]

Great review of the Niro EV. I want to test drive it.

[@uaalien]

Awesome and honest review. thanks!

[@daveiwhittle]

We have had ours for 18 months, efficient and never had a single issue. Not as luxurious as our etron but good value for sure

[@StephGV2]

Prestine SGI shirt and floppy disk earrings... Approve. Excellent review. Thanks.

[@jom7630]

Loving that update ! Could you also do an update on your i3 ? Nikki mentionned in another video that you have had a couple of trouble with it and I'm curious to know what they are and what it is to live own one.

[@transportevolved]

I definitely need to do that - hopefully after Christmas I'll get time to film it - and also hopefully it won't take me a year to edit it down! :) ^Kate

[@JSmithDad]

We love our eNiro (2020 model). Getting 3.7-4.4 miles per kW. Or 250 to 280 miles/ charge, easy. Cheaper than Tesla and can haul stuff and carry lumber and my kayaks. Inside more European feel, upgraded compared to others at that price point. As for led headlights, easily swapped out headlight and fog light bulbs with the LED bulbs. Inexpensive and easy and made such a diffference. Brighter and consume much less watts- AUXITO 9005 LED Headlight Bulbs 12000LM Per Set 6500K Xenon White Mini Size HB3 Wireless Headlight www.amazon.com/dp/B07WMG43QJ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share ZonCar 9006 Led Fog Light Bulbs Yellow www.amazon.com/dp/B08BLH5X9G?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share (this DOES fit eNiro but Amazon says it for not)

[@rhmagalhaes]

Great Review. Can you make a video with Nikki to talk about Bolt/Niro/Model 3 (of course)? Comparison on ownership and price. What other cars would you consider on a daily basis for your needs? Thank you !!!!

[@transportevolved]

Well, it can't happen until after Covid - Unless you want us to do a virtual video! (Kate lives 120 miles away from me) ^ Nikki.

[@JohnCline]

Road noise can also a function of tire pressures, tire compounds, and tread design.

[@andymccabe6712]

Well, yes it can - and literally every situation is different, and relative to the experience and expectation of the user too! 'quite a lot of road noise' for one person could be 'perfectly OK' for another...

[@andymurray8007]

Hakkapelitas are very quiet for snow tires. On my car they're quieter than my summer tires.

[@stevebritt]

Great in-depth long term review with a constant explanation of the pros and cons of the Niro. Could you comment on why Consumer Reports scores the ev Niro (55) so much lower than the ev Kona (74)? The Niro seems like a much more useable/practical car than the Kona otherwise.

[@jadejensen4990]

Kate, absolutely fabulous to see you talking about your Niro. I’m hoping to be getting one in early 2021 & had been wondering how you are liking your car. Solution for your back up camera “CamWipe” made only for the Niro by a guy in the UK I believe. I actually have one even though I don’t have the car yet. Was watching “ ev-olition” and he has an episode on the camwipe for his e-Niro. Thanks Kate & everyone at TE! Jade in BC, Canada

[@JeremyAkersInAustin]

On the 77 kW charging: I just tested my 2019 Niro EV a few days ago on the first "below freezing" day of the year. I left the car parked outside, unplugged, overnight so the battery would be as cold as possible and I even had "Winter Mode" turned off so the battery heater wasn't even enabled. I still managed to hit 76 kW at the Electrify America station down the road from where I live... Here's a picture showing the charge rate of 76 kW and outside temperature of 31 degrees: photos.app.goo.gl/DgCi5fjGa8KYta9cA The battery wasn't even warmed from driving because this charger is only 7 miles (12 minutes) from my house.

[@andymurray8007]

Wow, do you have some kind of secret? Does it always do that well? In the pic you're at 50%, what was it when you started, and did it take a while to get up to 76kW?

[@jimgassor8473]

Hi Kate, other great report from you. Always enjoyable to watch and learn :) I can share with you that the problems with the stability with Android Auto also plagued me for the longest time with my 2018 Nissan Leaf. I too went through a variety of USB cables, buying multiple packs of Micro USB until I finally landed on a set that seemed more stable. Ended up changing to another Android phone so switched to USB-C format, so had to buy new cables again. The shorter the cable, the better it seems. Also, an Android Auto update occurred sometime earlier this year and that also helped to stabilize the connection, but I do still periodically experience it quitting or freezing, requiring a disconnect from the car USB port and plug back in. Not that frequent any more but still happens. So KIA are not the only brand experiencing this condition. Hard to believe it is that difficult to get a stable connection. I should mention that I also tried Apple CarPlay but still found that would crash as well. Most likely cheap circuitry in the car :(

[@robertmoorejr5399]

i love this review and the music

[@stevecarter8869]

I enjoyed hearing your review seeing that my household has both the 2020 Kia e-Nero and e-Soul. I however (along with the rest of the world), I only understand KM rather than miles, so I would humbly ask that you provide range in both miles and KM. Cheers and really enjoy your channel!

[@markbader4942]

Having the US as our imperial neighbour to the south, I can tell you it’s 1.6km per US mile

[@stevecarter8869]

@@markbader4942 True, I can do the conversion in my head, but also, I can convert the dialogue into French and German, but being naturally lazy, I just want to be spoon feed from time to time.

[@franzc1656]

Interesting and practical review for anyone considering buying one.

[@Quickicecarreviews123]

Pretty cool you have more 100$ patrons than 50$. Great job y’all

[@jedics1]

What is that music you used? I think its polite to put sources in description especially when it adds so much to the video....

[@brent73rn]

Love the bumper sticker

[@bgbthabun627]

Brent, could you help me with that as I could not make out what it said? :-)

[@brent73rn]

@@bgbthabun627 I’m pretty sure it says “Queer Villain Pride”

[@ScrapKing73]

As Bjørn frequently says, the South Korean cars are all really, really efficient. For their price and range, nothing I know of is better than the Hyundai/Kia cars. I went with the Kia Soul EV myself (no longer for sale in the U.S., but the new 64 kWh version is out in Canada, Europe, and Asia). The main thing holding Hyundai/Kia EVs back has been capacity, as they haven't been able to make enough. They have a new European factory, meaning the South Korean production is entirely focused on Asia and North America now, so hopefully that solves that. Apparently Hyundai/Kia shipments to Canada will triple now that the European production is online. Maybe there'll be enough capacity that they'll finally re-release the Kia Soul EV back into the U.S. market, as that's the reason they gave for skipping the 2020 and 2021 model years there for the Soul EV.

[@mikelomax8977]

I had that problem with the Apple play. It turned out to be dust & dirt in the phone socket. I cleaned it out with a tooth pick.

[@TheFourthWinchester]

This is a known issue on all iPhones for years now. Apple is just too cheap to fix it by designing better.

[@ezekas1992]

For tyres I would suggest watching reviews from tyrereviews, so you could find the best tyres suited for you (I don't think it would be nokian). And thank you very much for the review.

[@MarkMcLenaghan]

Can you hold the regen paddle to come to a complete stop. That is how my Kona works.

[@BarikTown]

Yes holding the regen paddle will stop the car, but it's less reliable than the brake pedal. I think it's best to use the pedal in traffic and the regen on the open road when there are fewer cars around.

[@MarkMcLenaghan]

@@BarikTown I use paddle most of the time. You just need to anticipate the spot for lights or signs or other movements by those around you. I use the pedal when slow-moving such as backing out of the driveway or in parking spots . A year and a half in and seems to work.

[@BarikTown]

@@MarkMcLenaghan We've had our e-Niro for 3 months and in pandemic mode it's only driven 300 miles a month, so maybe more time in the driver's seat is what I need.

[@chrispollard6568]

So what are you getting for miles/kwh compared to the Bolt?

[@geoffreyreuther5260]

I own one, so I'll chime in here. I've been getting 4.1 mi/kwh during the summer and fall months, with intermittent use of the air conditioning. When it got cold and I started using the climate controls full-time, I've dropped to about 2.8 mi/kwh. I do have the heat pump, but I also like to keep my cabin toasty warm in the winter, so that probably doesn't help.

[@chrispollard6568]

@@geoffreyreuther5260 We get about 3 to 3.5 m/kwh when it is below freezing with no heat pump with temp set to 68F

[@be236]

I also have Kia Niro EV 2019... had it for a few months now... I agree it has somewhat loud road noise, but seems all cars do... what I dont like about it is the driver seat.. it is so firm the back support... compared to my old Nissan LEAF which was more comfy (soft)... everytime I drive it , I always notice the driver's seat is hard, in my old LEAF, I dont think about the seat at all... alas.. but of course I love its range, beating its EPA rating...

[@jeremylister89]

Good report. Very informative. One of my pet hates is road roar that gets really loud over rough surfaces. Some cars are great in this respect, so it can be done. So why don't car manufacturers get this right? I find it bewildering. E.g. 2007 Renault Megane is great. 2016 Ford C Max is awful in comparison.

[@rogermckenzie2711]

Good thorough review, not quite so keen on the bursts of "music" during the presentation, though.

[@andymurray8007]

Yes, I had to turn it up to hear her over the road noise, but then the sudden blast of music would take my head off! Half the volume would have been nice, leaving it out all together would have been better imho.

[@michaelsvm2]

Hi. To keep the rear cam clean at all times with no effort you should get a Wipecam.com. It costs under 30€ and it is ingenious!

[@williamstanley7900]

That is actually Camwipe.com from Sweden. Excellent solution. I ordered received and installed one and it works perfectly.

[@andymurray8007]

@@williamstanley7900 Brilliant!!!

[@gospelofthomas77thpearl22]

This was very informative. You mentioned you were trying to get the Kona, does this mean you consider it better. I’m also considering the Kona.

[@andymccabe6712]

I'm can't help being struck by the thought that if you DON'T drive a car with 'lane keep assist' (all cars for the last hundred years!) then you just concentrate and keep your car in the lane! Something you should be doing anyway....!!

[@narphizoid]

The only vehicle I've owned that didn't have issues with USB cables and Android Auto was a 2016 VW Golf. My 2018 Honda Clarity goes through them like a squirrel goes through nuts - until I struck upon the idea of a very short cable and an immobile phone. I now place the phone on a "sticky" pad and connect to the car using this: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012V56D2A

[@MythosGandaar]

That's interesting about Android Auto, I actually have that exact issue with my Bolt although you say the Niro is the only vehicle you've seen the issue with.

[@nevco8774]

I do not understand. Just now on December, 9th 2020 I checked Edmunds.com and found even an almost a new car Kia Niro EV listed on sale in Seattle with less than 6000 miles on odometer priced a little less than 29000 USD which was already registered in Washington state. Why you did not buy a car like this and not import one from other state to pay registration fee twice?

[@willemjongeneelen7661]

I’m not bothered by the lack of buttons and knobs in cars, but I like how you said you preferred them, and that it’s okay if someone else doesn’t. Other journalists just say it’s one of the bad things about cars and I think it’s just something one should consider when buying. I’m actually looking at the Model 3 as my first EV purchase.

[@JonYSnoh]

Lots of buttons old school easy access for the older generations

[@pompeyexileuk205]

Dirty rear camera...Try a Camwipe. Takes seconds to fit and wipes the camera as the rear wiper blade moves backwards and forwards.

[@AndrewJhikes]

Really fun to see you driving around Olympia. I work about 2 blocks from the two roads you used predominantly in Oly, and also recognized the Snoqualmie Pass area. ALSO check out www.camwipe.com/ for a to fix the backup camera issue. They clip onto the rear window wiper and sweeps the lens when activated. SUPER USEFUL!

[@benjamindbarr]

On the android auto you might try a different phone if there is one available to try. My father in law has the same issue on his Pacifica, I have zero issues with my note20 plugging into it and it working everytime. His phone works sometimes and does exactly what you are describing... but his phone is a 2 year old budget android.

[@djscandela]

Kate, You had a lot of problems with your i3Rex, did you trade it in for the Niro as I saw a photo of it covered in snow on this video? I traded my 14 i3Rex in for a 17 Rex 8 months back and no issues compared to the 14. Our other car is the brother to yours, 19 Kona. Dave up in Vancouver Canada.

[@transportevolved]

Nope, we still have it... An update is coming :) ^Kate

[@djscandela]

Look forward to your I3 update video. Great car if coded & your not having problems with no warranty

[@charlesuk5358]

gave a like simply for the use of the words Luddite and discombobulated ....

[@wobby1516]

What you need for your rear view camera is one of these, there great. www.camwipe.com/#!/products/kia-niro-rear-camera-wiper

[@davidpearn5925]

In Australia the only enthusiastic EV supplier is Tesla. The e-Niro isn’t even available. The last thing dealerships want to sell is an EV as an alternative to one of their ICE versions.

[@ScrapKing73]

And now they're talking about a hydrogen highway there, from what I understand. Damn, they're missing the boat nearly entirely.

[@davidpearn5925]

@@ScrapKing73 well the Federal government is out of alignment with the States and they are going it alone. Our dumb feds are ‘run’ by Rupert Murdoch and his two-faced AGW denialism . It’s embarrassing here also.

[@ScrapKing73]

@@davidpearn5925 Australia seems like the perfect place to do solar-powered, battery backed EV fueling stations. But it would take vision and political leadership, which you seem to be suggesting are in short supply. :)

[@davidpearn5925]

@@ScrapKing73 the Feds are in the pockets of the hydrocarbon/mining industry and run by Rupert Murdoch who totally dominates our media........and limits employment opportunities for principled journalists.

[@Musketeer009]

You said 'Boot'! Yay!

[@andymccabe6712]

The proper word........!!!!

[@wzDH106]

The e-Niro regenerative braking is by far a weak link. It's not intuitive, with poor blending between regen settings, and a bit uncomfortable with aggressive regen changes when selected. While it has strong regenerative braking, total braking deceleration is not blended between the brake pedal, and paddles.... use either, never both simultaneously. GM, however, has done an incredible job (IMO) blending all regen sources, smoothly applying all regenerative sources into a maximum sum. Kia also failed in making the "deceleration" regen paddle intuitive. Hitting the paddle will NOT disengage the cruise control, and will NOT apply any deceleration. Instead, it'll call you ignorant though a message, while still speeding towards a stopped object. Adaptive cruise control will fight the driver. Where, normally, manually applying accelerator pressure will temporarily override the cruise control, Kia decided the cruise control should always have input. Sudden braking, while a leading vehicle turns WELL clear, is quite common in adaptive cruise control, even if the accelerator is manually overridden.

[@williamlathan6932]

You should try buying your car from a state that will reciprocate taxes. meaning no cost to you.

[@itekani]

You are allowed to tow with that car in the US?? How much? It is not allowed in Sweden, afaik. Or maybe it can tow like 300kg here, nothing useful anyway. Funny about your tires, I have the same make and model on my Zoe. :)

[@contraplano3157]

It is more easy import the car in Europe from another country then in US 😂

[@Banyan314]

Try Camwipe for reversing Camera issues. www.camwipe.com/#!/products/kia-niro-rear-camera-wiper

[@rperodin]

music volume too high. thanks for the review.

[@Sailorman6996]

Still not a car for all as it's two and a half times more than a ICE eqvivalent.

[@simonhenry7867]

But once leased what's the TCO? Although saying that I still can't afford one.

[@geoffreyreuther5260]

"Two and a half times more than an ICE equivalent" means 350% of the cost of the equivalent. The ICE equivalent of a Niro EV EX Premium is a Sportage EX Premium + Tech FWD. Which is $32000. Said Niro EV is $45690, and then has a 7500 federal credit on it, dropping it to $38195. Which puts it at 120% of the cost. Gotta compare apples to apples, or at least apples to fruit. Until a significantly de-contented version comes out, you can't really compare it to a base model anything.

[@geoffreyreuther5260]

@@simonhenry7867 Maintenance cost is almost nil, compared to an ICE. You don't have regular engine oil changes, so other than checking brakes/tires/cabin air filter, your first major maintenance is due at 80,000 miles. By then, most ICE cars have had 3 minor maintenances (15, 45, 75k) and 2 major maintenances (30 and 60k), and between 8 and 15 oil changes, depending on schedule. You can safely figure that would cost around $2000. Where I live, electricity is 98+% carbon free (mostly hydro, lot of wind, a little nuke), and costs 10.1 cents per kwh. If I drove 15k/year (which I don't, I drive less), it would cost me $505/year at 3 mi/kwh (which is on the low/conservative side for what I actually get) for fuel. The last ICE car I commuted in, a '13 Chevy Sonic, would blow through that much in gas in about 3 months.

[@fleyua7176]

Have you checked if there are motor, gear box issues because apparently there is a lot. This happens at low speeds and may fail. insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/tapping-or-creaking-noise-when-coasting-at-low-speed.5915/page-3

[@transportevolved]

I'd seen some discussion of occasional motor issues which seems to have grown into a significant concern - but our car has so far not started making any noises (*touch wood*) We'll definitely be keeping an eye on it though. ^Kate

[@glennmoloney7460]

Hi Kate. Thank you for your Kia Niro EV update as I was hoping you would create a video on your experiences & sharing the details. Being from Australia unfortunately we don't have the e-Niro yet & the latest we've heard is sometime in 2021 but I'm not going to hold my breath on that... With your dirty rear camera have you considered installing a camwipe as this may help? Check out this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6WVhX59Z69gd80 on it or you can go to www.camwipe.com. Hope you continue to give updates in the future. Cheers.

[@SSMARKK]

I am wondering why anybody would choose Kia Niro EV for $47,090 vs Tesla Model Y for $49,990? If it is just because Kia Nero EV is qualified for an up to $7,500 tax credit then it is bad for Kia. Eventually Kia will sell 200,000 cars, or tax credit will be available again to all manufacturers.

[@SasquatchMelee]

See, in Canada it's $56,405 for a top spec Niro EV and $69,990 for a Long Range Model Y... In my province, I can get a $13,000 subsidy for the Niro... It's a no brainer... All in all, if we compare payments, monthly for 60 months. Model Y $1,491.09 Niro EV $931.48

[@JohnRoss1]

(in Ontario Canada) Didn't feel like driving 100 miles one way for service to fix a panel gap or paint problem.. A bit better now, Tesla opened a service centre a bit closer and now there is an ex Tesla mechanic nearby for out of warranty. There were several local EV dealers test drive EV's. Tesla seemed to take their time to qualify for the Canadian federal EV rebate. They had to price a car model under $45K. Picked the Niro over the Soul EV. Ordered the car unseen because the Soul was so good. (there were Niro PHEV to test drive)

[@neilyoungman9814]

Kia don't have the build quality issues that Tesla do. Not everyone wants all controls to be via a tablet. The Model Y is too big for some people. I am doubtful about Tesla customer service (to be fair I also have doubts about Kia customer service). In short, priorities differ. The Niro would probably suit me better, but I haven't tried either, so I don't really know.

[@andymccabe6712]

Maybe it's because the whole Planet doesn't necessarily want the same car as you - Sergiy........?!!!!

[@roger1818]

For the cam getting dirty, get a cam wipe that attaches to the wiper. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6WVhX59Z69gd80

[@16jocko]

Loose the music! Volume differential to the vocal is too much.

[@mamadouaziza2536]

So, Kate dumped the i3?

[@transportevolved]

No. Kate and her partner have an i3 and the e-Niro. And the Morris Minor. Nikki and her partner (a different Kate), own two Chevrolet Bolt EVs, and the Honda project insight.

[@mamadouaziza2536]

@@transportevolved Thank u!

[@eocll]

you had creep left on

[@edwyncorteen1527]

Towing with an E Niro? Is this official in the USA? not allowed here in the UK sadly. If you genuinely do not get too much snow I can recommend Michelin Cross climates, no need to change for the Summer , good on occasional snow and fabulous in the wet. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoWVoJePaKhphck

[@jamescallen36]

Video talks about a 5000 mile review. Title says "after 15000 miles: View of the odometer shows 5xxx miles. Ooops.

[@st4849]

Watch it till the end. You'll see why.

[@ScrapKing73]

@@st4849 Yep, should always watch a video to the end before commenting. :-)

[@andymccabe6712]

@@ScrapKing73 ha -yes! I often wonder why people use a video app then don't watch the videos?!! I think a lot of people suffer from having the attention span of a goldfish.......!

[@jamescallen36]

Review WAS after 5000 miles, with a couple of nitpicky updates after 15,000. Plus ,not everyone has 25 minutes to watch KZbin (even a channel as compelling as this. ) My first pass stopped at about the 15 minute mark. Then came back to finish.

[@ScrapKing73]

@@jamescallen36 I agree with everything you said, with one exception. In your shoes, I would have held off commenting until I made the time to come back and finish. But that's just me. **shrug**

[@agenthitman8279]

Toyota Prius approved

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

I still love my old Prius. It does the job, in town or on the highway. I just don’t like putting in the smelly old gasoline !

[@kamdonko2489]

"I like having buttons".... love that comment! A feedback about the video editing, though.... I would prefer to have less of the musical intercuts between comments.... To me that is probably more appropriate for road trip videos, in my opinion, and it is a bit distracting from Kate's comments. Otherwise love the review! 👍🏼😁

[@royking1]

My choice for my next car. 👍👍

[@maesc2001]

The Kia lane assist is BS even for left hand drivers. It’s just what it says: an assist to open your coke while driving. (Yes, I own one, the 2020 premium version.)

[@buixote]

I have been thinking that the "2020 eSoul" was going to be the "next great thing".

[@AFlyingCookieLOL]

The E-Soul is the car of the year. There is more passenger space than the niro and Kona and sits up higher than the model 3 and is a couple thousand cheaper than the model 3 in addition to about 14kW more the the base model 3 and of course drives closer to real range epa numbers than the M3 and longer range as well. It is a not brainer. The only down side is the rear has less depth for groceries for larger families but should be sufficient for most.

[@buixote]

@@AFlyingCookieLOL We leased the 2016, and were disappointed in the delay of the "2020 Model" coming to the US. I fear that they will screw it up with fewer buttons, more touch-screen BS, and I'm worried about the "paddle shifters"... the single-pedal driving with the 2016 was *just fine*.

[@JPhillips173]

I have this exact car, although I think I have the lower trim level. Got it last Oct & just turned 33k miles of primarily NJ Parkway driving..... My dad owned a used car dealership in East Brunswick when I was a kid & I have “owned” about a 100 cars over the years. The Kia Niro is hands down the greatest car I have ever owner or driven over a long period of time. It’s elegant in all the right places, and unless there’s a Tesla around probably the fastest car on the road. I bought the cold weather package but my only complaint is the heat. It’s absolutely horrible. Basically if you plan on opening the window at any point prepare to freeze. The car doesn’t “warm up” the heats either on or it’s not. I’m pretty sure the CW package includes the upgraded heat pump but I’m not mechanical enough to check.

[@ouch1011]

Bolt and Kona owner here. We have the option for both the Kona and eNiro down in Oregon, but we chose the Kona for its smaller size and (subjectively) better styling. I have had many of the same "technology" issues with my Kona. The lane keep assist will try to take every exit if there aren't lane markers, but to be fair, so did the Tesla M3P with full self driving capability I had for 3 days, but thankfully the Kona has never had phantom braking issues like the Tesla did and still continues to have. I have the same issues with Android Auto. For me, it randomly disconnects and then won't reconnect at all until the car is turned off and on again. Again, its not a problem with the cable or the phone, since they both work perfectly fine in other vehicles. I've also had ongoing issues with the adaptive cruise control, and even the regular cruise control. Sometimes, it just decides it isn't going to work, and I don't have adaptive or regular cruise control until the vehicle is powered off. It'll just say "conditions not met." It's been to the dealer for this, but because it is intermittent and it didn't act up for them, there was no fix. The road noise and harshness is also an issue with the Kona. It is noticeably louder and harsher over small bumps than the Bolt. This isn't a fault or problem, more of a gripe, but I do wish it had a heat pump and 360 camera. We had a 27kwh Soul EV before this and it had a heat pump, it was nice to be able to heat the vehicle at low fan speeds on cold days without sucking a ton of power off the tiny battery. It isn't as much of an issue with a larger battery, but because my commute isn't that long (about 20 minutes) the power wasted to heat up the cold car is pretty noticeable. The Bolt has a 360 camera and it is so nice for parallel parking, its odd that it is missing in the Kona despite being more expensive. The big problem I had with the Kona was a motor failure at about 7500 miles. It presented as a ticking or clicking noise under the hood when accelerating from a stop or when driving low speeds (like parking lot speeds). The main drive/traction motor was the culprit, spending nearly a month at the dealer. I looked up the part after the fact, for the motor itself plus the parts needed to install it, over $9000 in parts! Luckily it was covered by warranty. * I'm sharing my experience with the Kona here because it uses the same drivetrain and much of the same technology as the eNiro. Its funny, although the Kona has a more premium feel in the driver's seat and GM supposedly builds "junk" cars, the Kona has had several minor (and one major) issues in the past 8 months / 8000 miles, but the Bolt has been completely trouble free over the past year / 14000 miles.

[@kiae-nirodiaries1279]

Good to see an e-Niro getting a lot of use on the NW Pacific. I am now 20 months and 32,000 km into e-Niro ownership in France. This is a retirement car so I am in for the long haul. Am recording the long term ownership experience on my channel Kia e-Niro diaries. Thanks TE for a great perspective on the car.

[@ronkirk5099]

Sounds like dealers need to step up their game when it comes to selling their EV's. This is more hassle for the customer than they deserve.

[@sadiqmohamed681]

Maddie over on Fully Charged made a series about owning an EV as a complete newbie. Very interesting. She ended up with a leased E-Niro. Her day job is presenting kids shows for the BBC so she does a fair amount of driving and one of the episodes is about taking a long trip with the car full of kit for the gig. It makes an interesting complement with this video, as Kate is an experienced EV owner. I agree about the buttons. If I needed a car and money was no object, the Tesla would be at the bottom of my list for that very reason. PS. Some great scenery. Interestingly I recognised some of that freeway, not because I have been there, but because I have watched a couple of trucking channels and they have driven that route.

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

I wouldn’t have a Tesla either. Too expensive. I don’t care if I was a millionaire, it’s a waste of money. Who needs a car that farts?

[@andymurray8007]

@@nickiemcnichols5397 Interesting, across the border in BC the Niro is $6,490 MORE than the Model 3 SR+, after taxes! I can't afford the Niro, so at the moment it's between the Kona and Tesla.

[@johnsamsungs5561]

Good to see you again giving a very good report. Thank you!

[@welshjim22]

Easy fix to the regenerative brake paddles, use the brake PEDAL. Theaters control the amount of regenerative braking its not really a substitute for using the foot pedal.

[@loriallen67]

My ICE Kia has the same problem with cords for Apple CarPlay.

[@Ambasadr0fchrist]

Please, tell us how this compares to the i3 you owned? Is this quieter/more stable?

[@stevecarter8869]

On the road noise issue, I have installed Tuxmats in my Nero which (not scientifically) has reduced the road noise quite substantially. Obviously the choice of tyre and road surface are big variables as well.

[@gacherumburu9958]

👍

[@davidmccarthy6061]

I really had wanted the Niro or even the Kona electric but getting one here was going to be impossible the first year without a lot more effort that I'd put into acquiring a car. Although the used Bolt saved a lot of money and does everything needed so I can't really complain. At least in five years there will be a good selection of EV's on the used market so that will help everyone. I didn't like the Bolt's OEM tires so I went with the Nokian WR G4 All Weather so I can keep them on all year although I have no elevation changes in my area and only about 3 big snow falls a year.

[@cobaltuniversedotnet]

Strange, because I can get most any regular production EVs here with no problem and I live in West Tennessee. We certainly have no form of EV mandate or even state incentives. In fact owning an EV will cost you $100 more a year. I guess we are not usually known for our forward thinking. Love the review. Kia has come a long way since I toured one of their South Korean plants in 1993. At that time they made cars best described as tin cans with wheels.

[@tspielman1]

I wanted a niro ev but the buying experience was a headache at the time. I ended up with a bolt ev which I enjoy just the same

[@steveperrins9482]

Got one on order for next Feb, can’t wait.

[@zyzzyva303]

Silicon Graphics ... old school.

[@jonwetherell5214]

12v battery charges up when running but not when stopped. Crazy.

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

Why does it need to do that?

[@jonwetherell5214]

@@nickiemcnichols5397 No idea..the electrics to charge it are there so why it is allowed to go flat is a mystery. We need input from the clever club

[@7saxby]

So it's good but not good

[@adofoi30]

Down grade your google. Seriously, if you remove the latest google update it fixes the problem

[@dwaneanderson8039]

Fixes what problem?

[@adofoi30]

@@dwaneanderson8039 the android auto messing up problem