Kia Niro EV: Spacious family cabin with cheapest V2L on market from HMG

The 2022 Kia Niro EV is now officially available to buy in Australia, replacing the outgoing 2019 latecomer (which finally arrived in 2021) alongside a hybrid stablemate.

Kia Australia has only been able to secure 75 Niros each month so far for Australia. It expects six out of 10 orders will be all-electric, meaning just 540 are likely to hit the roads locally over the next twelve months.

But despite the small allocation, which falls 10% short of the 600 EV6s a year Kia secured in 2022, the car itself makes an attractive introduction to the gradually expanding EV market in Australia.

It is available in two trims, starting with an S trim for $65,300 and a top-of-the-line GT-Line for $72,100 before on-road costs. While the pricing is a step up from the outgoing model, there are new inclusions – in particular the Australia-first introduction of Kia Connect (more on that later).

Despite seeming to give the impression of an SUV with a bold new design that conveys rugged appeal thanks to the contrasting side rails and fender guards, it is in fact a spacious FWD that offers the most affordable option for a vehicle with vehicle-to-load capacity on the market from the Hyundai Motor Group (the BYD Atto 3 also has V2L).

It is a step up from the original electric Niro that arrived here in 2021, both in terms of space and size. It has the same 64-kilowatt-hour battery under the floor, but it is slightly more efficient in its use of energy. Kia says this is because – as the company’s first car to get fully local ride and suspension tuning since the pandemic began – they’ve paid special attention to take off, among other things.

This adds up to a smoother start despite the front-wheel-drive, and pays off with an extra five kilometres more range bringing its WLTP rating to 460km.

Road noise, ride quality, regen and drive modes

Our drive out through Adelaide’s northern suburbs and into the Adelaide Hills was a perfect introduction to the Niro EV’s local tuning. On Australia’s somewhat beleaguered roads, the many bumps – and at times potholes – are handled fairly eloquently by the suspension of the Niro EV.

The road offers lots of opportunities for twists and turns and bumps and gave me a chance to check out the corner rolling, which is quite minimal. It was certainly nothing like we’ve seen in certain other EVs. This delivers a smooth and stable ride that allows you to come into turns and come out with a great deal of confidence.

On roads that allow a bit of speed on them, there is a nice (but not too sudden) amount of torque to pick up speed going up hills. Going into the corners, which thanks to regen paddles behind the steering wheels allow a modicum of control much like changing down gears.

This is useful especially if you are in Sport mode. There are four drive modes: Eco, Normal and Sport as well as Snow – another add-on since the outgoing model. Kia has also added a lever on the bottom left of the steering wheel to adjust these with ease. If you want Snow mode, you need to hold the lever down until it turns on to improve stability and engage the motor according to driving conditions.

The right regeneration paddles decreases the regen while the left one increases (this is actually opposite to the regen status display behind the steering wheel which is a little unintuitive). Clicking down to zero allows you to just cruise along, and there are four levels of resistance with maximum giving you that one-pedal drive experience.

To further improve the driving experience, Kia has added a number of features to ensure it has reduced the noise vibration of the ride. This includes a sound-dampening laminated windshield and front row windows, carpet that helps to cut out the high frequency road noise and improved cross-member bushing that helps to reduce mid to low frequency noise.

Dashboard and infotainment

Getting into the Niro EV, you might be mistaken for being reminded of the EV6 in regards to the way the displays are integrated into the dash.

However, there are some key differences. For example, on the interface of the Niro EV, the odometer is digital, but has one analog-style displaywhich induces a bit of cognitive dissonance.

However, you do get in the center of the steering wheel display similar options to scroll through via the steering wheel controls, including direction, tire pressure and road visualization.

In reverse, you get just one rear camera display instead of two (the EV6 also gets a combined birds-eye view which is very well done).

On the dash below the touchscreen, there is a bar on controls that can be switched from climate to temperature and media controls, cleverly making use of one piece of hardware for two functions (I am embarrassed to say I missed this on the EV6!)

Apple CarPlay or Android Auto are available in both the S and GT-Line – but interestingly,the S has both wired and wireless connection whereas the GT-Line only offers a wired connection. Word is this is because the GT-Line comes with in-built sat nav.

Comfort and interior space

Inside the Niro EV there is a spacious feel that exceeds the outgoing model. Unfortunately though, it does not get the same roominess in the front row as EVs built on the e-GMP platform. The Niro EV is still at its heart (as with the Hyundai Kone Electric), an electric car built on an ICE platform.

The centre console is completely joined up with the dash with only a small amount of space underneath the elbow for storage. Therefore, there is  nowhere near as much storage space as there is in the EV6 which has space for a bag down by the front seat, for example. Kia makes up for this by adding a neat headrest design that allows for a bag to hang.

There is however no cardan tunnel in the back which means more foot room for backseat passengers. Kia has also added a comfort front row passenger seat which allows the seat to go right back so either the passenger can have a bit of a nap on a long ride, or the driver can sit back and relax while the car charges.

Seating is comfortable, with cloth and fake leather combo upholstery, but there is only power seats and lumbar support for the driver.

There new Niro EV also gets USB-C ports in the front as well as in the side of the front seats making charging in the back row easy (although, you might need a long cord).

Although the Niro EV’s ground clearance is actually 5mm lower than the EV6, the hip height is far better in terms of getting in and out of the car.

It definitely has a more upright seating position which will suit people with back issues, long legs or aching joints (or all three!). Naturally, the ease of access – plus plenty of space between the front row and back seats make getting little ones in and out easier also.

EV-only additions: V2L and charging

As mentioned in the outset of this article, the Niro EV joins the EV6 and Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 in that it offers vehicle-to-load. It’s important to understand this is not vehicle-to-home, or vehicle-to-grid, both of which require an external inverter. What it offers is the ability to charge devices straight from the car’s battery.

In the S trim this is via an internal 16 amp, 250-volt power point beneath the back seat. The GT-Line also offers an external adapter that allows a maximum 3.6kW output (and I guess you could run a powerboard to that for your home in a blackout situation at a pinch, though buyer beware for your appliances.)

Kia has moved the charge port to the front centre of the Niro EV this time around. I’m not sure I’d agree with this choice, having experienced it with the MG ZS EV. Some charge location set ups can mean it is difficult to reach the front of the vehicle, whereas a charge port on the side or front side of the car can be reached more easily.

We didn’t get a chance to charge the Niro EV on our drive day but the 100kW or so maximum charge rate will top up the battery from 10-80% in 43 minutes on a 350kW, says Kia. It’s a shame the charging isn’t a little faster – even 150kW would be great.

Size, cargo space and frunk

We’ve already covered dimensions and cargo sapce in our comparison article here, but it was good to see the boot and frunk size in real life. The Niro EV has the most storage space compared to its price-point rivals: 475 litres with the back seats up and 1,392 litres with the seats down. It also has a frunk space under the bonnet although this is only 20 litres thanks to the front-wheel drive setup.

Kia Connect App

Perhaps most importantly for some, the Kia Niro EV gets for the first time of any Kia vehicle in Australia Kia Connect. Kia says this is provided as a complimentary service for the first seven years (although asked what happens after that, product manager Rolan Rivero says they’ve got seven years to work that out!)

Paired with a smartphone, Kia Connect allows the driver to view the Niro EVs status including remaining range, heating and locks, as well as trip history and to schedule charging. You can also link to your personal calendar, and view a map to find your car.

In the car, you can access Voice Memo Kia Connect information and settings via the touchscreen. Tapping on the Kia Connect button allows access to your calendar, vehicle diagnostics and other settings. I especially liked the current temperature display with three and six hour predictions (I’m yet to see a car that offers realtime rain radar however).

Kia Connect is set to be integrated into other Kia models in their next mid-cycle refreshes and new year models.

See also: Kia reveals all-new Niro EV pricing, details and specifications

This article has been updated to clarify that the Kia Niro EV has the cheapest V2L on market from the Hyundai Motor Group. The BYD Atto 3 also has V2L.