Kia Niro review - Reliability and safety
The Niro's excellent safety kit and seven-year warranty cover will reassure buyers, while reliability should be strong, too
Based on the owners’ feedback from the 2023 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, the second-generation Kia Niro managed to finish in 60th place on our list of the best cars to own – far behind the original Niro which came 23rd. Kia as a brand performed much better in the most recent Driver Power survey, and secured sixth place in the best car manufacturer rankings.
25 per cent of owners who took part in our survey had reported one or more faults in the first year of ownership – something we can attest to. During our six months living with the Mk2 Niro Hybrid, our original long-term test car had to be replaced because of a recurring problem in its hybrid system, then the replacement had some software issues of its own.
The second-generation Niro was crash tested by industry experts Euro NCAP in 2022 and received a four-star (out of five) rating, but models fitted with additional DriveWise safety features – which includes all Niros sold in the UK – were awarded the maximum five-star rating. The Niro’s 91 and 84 per cent scores for adult and child occupant protection are about average for this class, as is the 79 per cent score for safety assistance technology you get in all models sold here.
Speaking of which, the Niro comes as standard with a decent array of safety kit onboard, including a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, smart cruise control with stop/go functionality, hill-start assistance, lane keep assist and forward collision avoidance assist. Pricier models add front parking sensors, Highway Driving Assist, Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist and even a remote parking assist system.
Warranty
As with all Kias, the Niro gets a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty. The warranty is also passed on to each owner, within the time or mileage limit.
Servicing
Service intervals for each iteration of Niro are every 12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever comes sooner.
Kia also offers a service plan package called ‘Kia Care’. It’s a fixed-price service package which can be tailored to suit the age and mileage of your Niro.
