Kia Niro Hybrid 2022 review: PHEV Sport

Our Kia Niro PHEV Sport sits atop a two-strong plug-in range, and it will set you back a hefty $50,490 (MSRP) in NSW. The lesser S trim, by the way, is $46,590 (MSRP).

And yes, that is quite a lot of money. You can jump into a much bigger Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV for $47,990 (MSRP), for example, while the MG HS PHEV starts at $47,990 drive-away, and the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV starts at $49,990.

The Kia Niro PHEV Sport will set you back a hefty $50,490 (MSRP) in NSW (image: Andrew Chesterton).

If you want a Kia Niro PHEV on the road in NSW, then you're staring down the barrel of $49,990 for the S, and $53,990 for the Sport.

And that's a sizeable investment for a small SUV, no matter what magic is hiding under its bonnet. So what do you get?

The Kia Niro S models get LED DRLs, LED rear lighting, halogen automatic headlights, auto wipers and roof rails outside, while in the cabin you'll find a leather wrapped wheel, part-leather/part-cloth seat materials and dual zone air-conditioning.

The Sport gets 16-inch alloys (image: Andrew Chesterton).

The tech offering includes an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless/wired Android Auto. It pairs with a six-speaker stereo, that also gets digital radio. There's a second 4.2-inch screen in the driver's binnacle, as well as two USB ports for all your charging needs.

Step up to our Sport and you get the same-size alloys and general exterior look, but you do get LED front lights. In the cabin, you'll welcome a bigger 10.25-inch touchscreen which now gets NAV, as well as faux-leather seats, paddle shifters for the steering wheel and alloy pedals.

Let's start with the numbers, shall we? Our plug-in Niro stretches 4355mm in length, 1805mm in width and 1545mm in height. And that puts it somewhere in the middle of the small SUV space.

For perspective, the Kia Seltos – which exists in the same small SUV category in Australia's VFACT's sales charts – is slightly longer and taller, at 4370mm, 1800mm and 1620mm respectively, while the Mazda CX-3 weighs in at 4275mm, 1765mm and 1535mm.

Backseat riders get air vents and bottle holders (image: Andrew Chesterton).

As a result, cabin space is probably around what you're expecting, too. There's enough room up front for two adults to travel without awkward elbow bumps, and there's plenty of niceties, like the twin-zone climate, the bottle holders in the doors, the twin cupholders in the central console, and the easy device charging.

Step into the back, though, and the space does start to feel a little more sparse, and tight (likely owing to the battery under the floor panel).

Backseat riders do get air vents, and bottle holders, but that's about it. I don't want to sound like I'm harping on here, but should you choose to forgo the plug-in powertrain, there are some seriously premium options in the $50k-plus price bracket.

Kia says you'll get 324 litres of storage space with the rear seats in place (image: Andrew Chesterton).

Step around to the boot and you'll find a useable space, though one that's on the smaller side, possibly owing to the second battery hidden beneath the floor panel.

Kia says you'll get 324 litres of storage space with the rear seats in place, which grows to 1322 litres with the rear seats folded flat. There's no spare here, either. A tyre repair kit will be your only saviour in the case of a flat.

Boot capacity grows to 1322 litres with the rear seats folded flat (image: Andrew Chesterton).

The Kia Niro PHEV Sport pairs a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine –producing 77.2kW and 147Nm on its own – with an electric motor that adds its own 44.5kW and 170Nm to the front wheels. Kia says the combined outputs total 104kW and 265Nm.

It pairs with a six-speed DCT gearbox that drives the front wheels, and is equipped with Eco and Normal drive modes.

Ok, so this is always a little complicated for PHEVs. The official fuel claim for the Niro is 1.3L/100km, with emissions pegged at 29g/km.

But those numbers – and this isn't exclusive to Kia by any means – are calculated in a way that assumes you'll always have battery power, which isn't really the point of a plug-in hybrid.

When its Type 2 capable is plugged into a 3.3kW wall charger, it will take two hours and 15 minutes to recharge (image: Andrew Chesterton).

Still, we were averaging an impressive 4.3L/100km over almost 400km, which is pretty nifty for a real-world test.

Now, for the electric side of the equation. The Niro PHEV gets two lithium-ion batteries (one under the rear seat and another under a panel in the boot) which deliver a combined capacity of 8.9kWh, and add 117kg in weight.

They will give the Niro a 58km pure-electric driving range (tested on the NEDC cycle), and when its Type 2 capable is plugged into a 3.3kW wall charger, it will take two hours and 15 minutes to recharge, or around four hours when plugged into your regular mains at home.

The Kia Niro PHEV safety story begins with seven airbags, including a driver’s knee bag, and the usual suite of braking and traction aids. 

There’s also forward AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Follow Assist with active cruise control, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Alert and a rear-view camera with rear parking sensors.

The Kia Niro PHEV scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating (adopted from international scoring) when tested in 2016.