This year, the Kia Niro 2023 is all-new, entering its second generation and looking sleeker than ever. With up to 53 mpg in combined driving, this vehicle delivers exceptional economy. The 2023 Kia Niro hybrid has a starting price of $26,590.
The reimagined Niro is a compact vehicle with a large cabin, improved fuel efficiency, near-luxury technology, and a striking appearance. Based on Kia’s current style idea, the exterior exudes personality while paying attention to aerodynamics. Niro’s efficient, high-end interior complements its forward-thinking appearance.
Kia imbues Niro with all of its present ideas about future transportation. Niro embodies the brand’s dedication to a sustainable future. It may seem like a lot of nonsense, but the underlying concept is obvious in Niro’s fuel economy, driving manners, modern technology, and environmentally friendly interior materials. Moreover, they do all of this while providing a competent, spacious, and comfortable crossover.
The Niro lineup now includes plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and all-electric (EV) models. The Niro we’re looking at today is known as the Niro HEV, which stands
for a hybrid electric car. The Niro PHEV and Niro EV are reviewed elsewhere.
The Niro HEV has one benefit over its PHEV and EV siblings: you don’t have to worry about electric range or charging periods. The HEV recharges its batteries.
Direct competitors are few and far between. The Toyota Prius is about as close as you can get.
Price for the 2023 Kia Niro
The basic LX variant of the 2023 Kia Niro hybrid costs $26,590. The popular EX Touring grade is $31,490, while the highest SX Touring model is $34,890. With a variety of reasonably priced trims, they’re all worth a look to see which one is best for you.
The bigger Kia Sportage Hybrid starts at $27,290, while the Toyota Prius starts at about $25,000
Price for a 2023 Kia Niro
- Niro LX $26,590
- Niro EX $29,190
- Niro EX Touring $31,490
- Niro SX $32,590
- Niro SX Touring $34,890
These are the MSRPs (manufacturer-recommended retail prices), which do not include the $1,325 delivery cost.
what’s new?
Kia has completely redesigned the Niro, making it bigger and more fun than before. It has advanced technologies and a combined economy of 53 mpg. An incredible percentage of the materials used within its cabin is recycled. The Niro’s interior is well-appointed and more spacious than last year, as well as comfortable and quiet.
Driving the Kia Niro 2023
It has a smooth ride and precise handling. Given the Niro’s low price, the experience is neither sporty nor luxurious, but it far exceeds expectations. Its acceleration is amazing, but hey, hybrid cars are all about the miles, right? In that sense, the Niro excels, earning up to 53 mpg in combined city-highway driving.
We appreciate how the Niro sends power to the front wheels. Kia opted for a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox over a continuously variable transmission, which is common in hybrid cars. CVTs are seen in cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. The standard six-speed transmission also provides an overall quieter ride.
The Niro’s unique “Aeroblade” rear quarter panel creates a blind spot over the driver’s shoulder. Fortunately, Niro’s standard blind-spot monitoring reduces the drama while switching lanes.
Overall, the Niro Hybrid is roomy for its class and a comfortable place to spend a few hours.
Outstanding interior design
Once again, Kia builds an interior that looks like it comes from a luxury car. The console and steering wheel are very attractive. There are also dual 10.25-inch panels for the instrument cluster and infotainment systems.
Despite their urban appearance, many of the items are made from recyclable materials. The coating on the door panels is manufactured without the use of any harmful ingredients. The headlining is made of recycled wallpaper, and the seats are coated with a polyurethane eucalyptus leaf.
Kia claims to have the largest cargo and interior capacity in its class. The cabin is fairly roomy, with ample head and legroom. Niro has much better legroom in the front and back seats. The luggage capacity behind the rear seats has been expanded somewhat from 22.4 to 22.8 cubic feet compared to the first generation. The Prius has slightly more room behind the second-row seats, but the Niro tops the Prius by 63.7 cubic feet with the fold-down second-row seat.
The exterior is larger and bolder.
Kia refers to its new Niro as a crossover. Sometimes, it can be classified as a high-riding hatchback or a compact SUV. We’re infatuated with it no matter how you define it.
Kia used its design motif of “opposite contrasts” to create the lines of the Niro, which it says was crafted by taking ideas from nature and making them as aerodynamically perfect as possible. We’ll leave it up to you to decipher what they mean. Nero’s outer shell is sleek and modern, in our opinion.
While the Nero is still classified as “compact,” its exterior is larger (2.5 inches longer) than its predecessor. Despite its longer length, the Niro is just a few inches shorter than the Ioniq Hybrid and six inches shorter than the Prius.
SUV livery like this might appear behind (and to some extent before) the front wheels if they were built by a civilization more advanced than ours. During our test drive, experts found the Aero Blade D’s pillar to be somewhat gassy, impeding visibility. But from the outside, we can appreciate the style it brings. On top of that, it improves airflow at the bottom and can be painted different colours on the SX and SX Touring trims while also housing the taillights. Nothing else compares to this.
Favourite Characteristics
Drivetrain hybrid
This distinguishes the “basic” 2023 Niro from the other two Niro models. The Niro’s powertrain requires no additional upkeep while yet allowing for a range of 588 miles (Kia’s estimate) on a single tank of gas.
Dual-screen display
This kind of screen is more common in much more expensive cars and is available on higher trims. It has two 10.25-inch displays, one for the driver information system and one for the entertainment system. The cool factor is quite high.
Drive Wise
This package of safety and driver-assist technology comes with all trim levels and has some features that competitors don’t have. There is also blind-spot monitoring, a rear cross-traffic alert with automatic braking, and lane-keeping assist.
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
By connecting your smartphone to Niro’s infotainment system, no cord is required. You can connect your smartphone wirelessly, whether you use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. This is the case with all Niro grades.
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
When turned on, this high-tech cruise control will keep the car going at a set speed and keep a safe distance from the cars ahead. It is standard in the EX and higher models. When the traffic ahead slows, so does your car, eventually coming to a full halt. The Niro accelerates in tandem with the cars in front of it.
Driver’s Seat with Power Adjustment
This 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat comes standard on the EX and higher grades. It also has 2-way power lumbar adjustments.
Transmission and engine
The 2023 Niro hybrid’s gasoline/electric powertrain consists of a 1.6-litre 4-cylinder engine combined with an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery. The combined output is 139 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. This goes beyond the Prius.
The only drivetrain option is a front-wheel drive, and the gearbox is a 6-speed dual-clutch unit (which works like any other automatic transmission but more efficiently).
This is the same configuration as the previous generation, but Kia claims the 2023 Niro HEV will reach 53 miles per gallon in a mix of city and highway driving, which is 3 to 4 mpg better than before.
- The 1.6-litre 4-cylinder gas-electric hybrid engine
- 139 total horsepower
- 195 pound-feet of combined torque
- EX Touring and SX Touring: 49 mpg (53 mpg city, 54 mpg highway) (53 cities, 49 highway)
Additional Niro fuel efficiency data may be found on the EPA’s website.
Many safety features
The Kia Niro comes with automatic emergency brakes, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and lane-following assist as standard safety features. The newest safety ratings for the 2023 Niro can be found at the IIHS and the NHTSA.
Excellent Warranty
The Kia Niro 2023 comes with a 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty as well as a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. This outperforms the warranties of the majority of competing hybrid SUVs.
Kia Niro models
The 2023 Kia Niro hybrid comes in five model levels: LX, EX, EX Touring, SX, and SX Touring. The four-cylinder hybrid electric engine in every Niro makes 139 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox sends the power to the front wheels. The Niro’s feature highlights include:
LX
The base Niro hybrid models start you off with:
- 16-inch aluminium alloy wheels
- High beams that turn on automatically
- Keyless access
- Infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available wirelessly.
- Audio system with six speakers
- There are five USB ports.
- Automatic dual-zone temperature control
- Upholstery made of cloth
- All Niro models have the following advanced driver assistance features:
- Automatic braking and forward collision warning (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios)
- Rear cross-traffic alert with blind-spot warning (alerts you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse)
- Automatic rear braking (applies the brakes automatically to avoid an imminent collision with an object behind the vehicle)
- System of lane keeping (makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle centred in its lane)
- Driver Attention Alert (issues an alert if sensors determine you are becoming fatigued)
- Rear passenger exit safety system (can prevent a rear passenger from opening a door into traffic approaching from behind)
- High beams that turn on automatically
EX
Adds to the LX’s equipment list by including:
- Roof rails
- Windshield wipers with rain sensors
- 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment and navigation system (reverts to wired connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto)
- Pad for wireless charging
- Keyless entrance with a push-button start
- Upholstery options include synthetic leather and fabric.
- Driver’s seat with power adjustments
- Front chairs that are heated
- Lighting in the background
- Cruise control with adaptive settings (adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance between the vehicle and the car in front)
Touring EX
This trim, based on the EX, includes:
- 18-inch aluminium alloy wheels
- Body covering that is unique
- Foglights made of LEDs
- Sunroof with power functions
- Aluminium racing pedals
- Interior accent trim in gloss black
SX
It expands on the EX trim and adds additional style, such as:
- Body covering in gloss black
- Window trim in satin chrome
- Rear spoiler in gleaming black
- Tailgate without using your hands
- Harman Kardon premium audio system with seven speakers
- Upholstery made of synthetic leather
- Memory settings for the driver’s seat
- The steering wheel is heated.
- Front seats that are heated and ventilated
- Parking sensors in the front and back
- 2.0 Digital Key (smartphone application allows the driver to start, lock and unlock the vehicle)
Touring SX
The top-of-the-line Niro model is based on the SX but includes:
- 18-inch alloy wheels with gloss black accents
- Headlights with LEDs
- Upholstery with perforated synthetic leather
What do I recommend?
For a few thousand dollars more than the standard model, you can upgrade to the much superior EX. When you upgrade to EX, you get a larger 10.25-inch centre touchscreen with onboard navigation, a smart key with push-button start, standard adaptive cruise control, and faux leather seats, among other things.
