Comparison: Kia Niro PHEV or Kia e-Niro, which one to buy?

Miguel Lorente 24 April 2019 6 min.

Comparison: Kia Niro PHEV or Kia e-Niro, which one to buy?

Comparisons between siblings tend to be odious, but there are cases where they are necessary

That is why we are going to compare two versions of the same model: a hybrid plug-in car, PHEV, and an electric car, or EV, to help you decide which one to buy, Kia Niro PHEV or Kia e-Niro.

It should be noted from the outset that Kia designed the Kia Niro based on the idea of offering an electric SUV as an alternative to the Kia e-Soul. That car is the Kia e-Niro, a model that has been in dealerships since February this year and which, like much of the Korean brand’s lineup, attracts great attention for its value for money.

Substantial differences from the start

Kia developed the concept of the electric Niro by giving the project an architecture designed for manufacturing an electric car. That is why the floor of the Kia Niro chassis is designed to house the EV’s batteries.

That is why, although it is the same model, there are substantial differences in its structure, handling, interior space…

For example, the e-Niro’s chassis has reinforced beams around the battery packs. Thanks to their lower placement, its boot offers up to 450 litres of capacity versus the 324 of the Niro PHEV. On the other hand, the electric Kia Niro weighs 1,812 kg versus the 1,594 kg of the plug-in hybrid Kia Niro. In addition, the EV’s drag coefficient is 0.29 versus the hybrid version’s 0.30.

Differentiated electrified powertrains and drive

While the Kia Niro PHEV bases its propulsion on a main 1.6 GDI petrol engine combined with an electric motor with a total output of 141 CV and 265 Nm of torque, the Kia e-Niro has a 100% electric powertrain of 136 CV (100 kW) or 204 CV (150 kW) with 395 Nm of torque.

As a reference figure, though not definitive, the 0-100 acceleration times for these three options are 10.8 seconds for the PHEV, 9.8 for the 136 CV electric motor and 7.8 for the most powerful of the three.

The top speed is set by the plug-in hybrid at 172 km/h, versus 167 for the most powerful electric version and 155 for its more modest alternative.

Furthermore, the plug-in hybrid’s engine sends its power to the front axle, while the electric version distributes it to all four wheels, making this SUV an all-wheel-drive car.

On the road, the EV makes better use of its drive when cornering, although, as we found in our Kia e-Niro road test, its height sometimes makes it necessary to modulate pressure on the accelerator. On the other hand, regenerative braking, with a selectable three-level configuration, is very beneficial, both for dynamism and for energy recovery.

Electric range and consumption

The 8.9 kWh battery of the Kia Niro PHEV allows up to 58 km to be covered without the petrol engine having to intervene, with a recharging time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. The homologated average consumption of the Kia Niro PHEV is 1.3 litres of petrol per 100 km driven.

For its part, the Kia e-Niro comes with two battery capacity options. There is a standard-range Kia e-Niro with up to 289 km of range thanks to its 39.2 kWh battery, and an extended-range version with up to 455 km thanks to its 64 kWh battery. The first is offered mainly for people whose journeys are urban or short-distance, and the second for those who cover medium and long distances since, at a 100 kW charging point, the longer-range Kia e-Niro needs 42 minutes to recharge 80 percent of its capacity.

The energy consumption of the 150 kW electric version is homologated at 15.9 kWh per 100 km. Taking into account the approximate price of 0.14 euros per kWh, driving 100 km with the Kia e-Niro would cost around 2.2 euros. Considering the approximate price of 95-octane petrol at a service station in the municipality of Madrid set at €1.40/L, covering 100 km with the Kia Niro PHEV according to its homologated data would cost 1.82 euros.

It is worth noting that both the plug-in hybrid and the electric Kia Niro qualify for and carry the CERO environmental label from the DGT.

Interior space

As this is a model with three versions on sale, the hybrid Niro, the plug-in hybrid and the electric version, they also share three trim levels: Concept, Drive and Emotion.

We are looking at a recently updated Kia Niro PHEV ahead of the arrival of its electric sibling. For that reason, the decisive differences in comfort or interior space are minor, except when we consider the cargo capacity already mentioned at the start.

The most obvious changes come from the disappearance of a gear lever or gear selector in the case of the Kia e-Niro and, consequently, the circular-shaped selector that takes on the role of gear management.

Selling price

Taking the current prices published by Kia on its online configurator, the price of the Kia Niro PHEV starts at 29,200 euros for the Concept trim. In the case of the Kia e-Niro, the price is 31,150, also for the Concept trim. These amounts include all the discounts and promotions applied by the brand as of the date this comparison was made.

This means a difference of 1,950 euros more for the electric version compared with the plug-in hybrid.

Given that the acquisition cost is higher for the Kia e-Niro and that, taking the homologated consumption figures under the WLTP cycle of the Kia Niro PHEV, the cost per 100 km driven is slightly cheaper in the plug-in hybrid, only if you need the more than 126 litres of additional boot space the electric version offers, our purchase choice would lean towards the plug-in hybrid Kia Niro over the Kia Niro EV.

Even so, the differentiated handling of both cars is also important, something to take very much into account when deciding which vehicle to buy, since in this case we even have two siblings with handling as different as that conferred by front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.