New Kia e-Niro 2018 review

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24 Sep, 2018 10:00am Andreas May

With a range of over 300 miles, the pure-electric Kia e-Niro SUV shows real promise

We already know how good the Koreans are getting at building electric vehicles; Hyundai’s Kona Electric is our Affordable Electric Car of the Year, after all. But the firm’s sister brand Kia has also been preparing a new pure EV – and we’ve had a chance to test the new e-Niro in South Korea.

The car we’re driving is a domestic-market-specification vehicle, but the electrical make-up isn’t likely to change much by the time the e-Niro arrives in Europe early next year.

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That means some pretty impressive raw specs, with a 64kWh battery and a 150kW (201bhp) electric motor driving the front wheels (these numbers are the same as the Kona Electric’s, wouldn’t you know). There’s also a more basic version (again, as with the Kona) with 134bhp and a 39kWh battery.

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But we’re driving the flagship here, and even at this early stage, it feels almost as impressive as the Kona. Kia says the e-Niro can manage 485km (301 miles) and that may be a tad optimistic,  but after 60 miles, our car was still predicting that we had nearly 200 miles remaining. This EV feels like it wouldn’t need to be the second car in the family.

However, we’re less convinced by the dynamics, although they will be sharpened for non-Korean markets. Even so, we’re duty bound to report that the steering feels synthetic and the suspension set-up is too soft.

There’s no arguing with the e-Niro’s credentials as a family car, though. There’s space inside for four adults and the boot, while 52 litres down on the capacity of the brand’s Sportage, is still a commendable 451 litres.

Inside, the cabin has a finish that’s better described as functional rather than luxurious, but there’s useful tech fitted, including a linked-up navigation system that analyses the route and can tell you when to take your foot off the throttle pedal to maximise the range.

Use the most aggressive brake energy recuperation in town, meanwhile, and Kia claims up to 615km (382 miles) of travel between charges is feasible.

4.5

The Kia e-Niro feels every bit as worthy a challenger for the title of ‘people’s Tesla’ as the Hyundai Kona Electric. It’s not exactly fun to drive – although we’d expect European versions to be more involving behind the wheel – but it offers real-world usability and practicality, too. The pricing is almost certain to be keen. It’s definitely one to watch.

• Model: Kia e-Niro
• Price: £30,000 (est)
• Engine: Single electric motor
• Power/torque: 201bhp/395Nm
• Transmission: Single-speed auto, front-wheel drive

• 0-62mph: 7.8 seconds
• Top speed: 104mph (est)
• Range: 301 miles (WLTP)
• CO2: 0g/km
• On sale: Late autumn

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