Range overview: electric; single-speed automatic; front-wheel drive; five-door SUV
Reliability: above average for the class
Cost to repair: more expensive than average
Most common: Kia e-Niro 64kwh
Best for economy and long-distance driving: Kia e-Niro 64kWh
Best for urban driving: Kia e-Niro 39kWh
The Kia e-Niro was a development of the first-generation Niro SUV and is a sibling car to the Hyundai Kona. The Niro was also sold in hybrid and plug-in hybrid forms, too.
It’s a relatively compact car, but roomy inside with a decent 451-litre boot. Sold with two battery options, the e-Niro became an especially popular car with company and fleet buyers, thanks to keen pricing and impressive real-world range for the 64kWh battery model.
On our first drive of the e-Niro, back in December 2018, Complete Car concluded: “If the Kia e-Niro could be made just a touch sharper to steer, and more comfortable in its ride, I think we'd love it. Even so, along with its Hyundai sister car, it could just be a major game-changer in the electric car world. A useable 400km range on one charge arguably brings electric motoring within the realistic reach of a lot more people. For that alone, the e-Niro deserves your applause - and possibly your own test drive.”
Engine and range options for the Kia e-Niro (2019-2022)
Kia launched the headline-grabbing 64kWh version of the e-Niro first, which proved to be the most popular model even though it was also considerably more expensive than the 39kWh version.
The reason? Simply because, with a range of 455km on a full charge (according to the official WLTP test), the e-Niro had a far better range than most other electric cars then on sale. Better yet, the e-Niro could back that up in the real world too, with excellent efficiency and range in day-to-day use.
The smaller battery version, with its 39kWh of stored energy, could manage 300km on the WLTP test, and more like 250km in real-world use. Still, that actually stacked up well enough against several contemporary rivals, and the small-battery e-Niro shouldn’t be ignored if you’re shopping for an affordable short-hop runaround.
The e-Niro’s shape was a bit SUV-like, with a slightly raised ride height, but actually it’s closer to being a small estate, and that lower-slung nature, and relatively trim kerb weight, helped with its efficiency.
There was a significant power difference between the two versions — the 64kWh e-Niro came with 204hp, while the 39kWh version made do with just 135hp, but oddly both motors were rated at the same hefty 395Nm of torque, so at low-to-medium speeds, there’s essentially no difference in their performance.
Standard equipment when the e-Niro was launched in late 2018 (it arrived in Ireland in 2019) included 17-inch alloys, leather upholstery, heated front seats and steering wheel, seven-inch screen featuring Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, TomTom Navigation and a reversing camera.
Safety features included lane-keeping steering, radar cruise control, forward collision-avoidance assist and autonomous emergency braking.
Buyers could choose from two colour schemes for the cabin — a relatively plain black, or a more cheerful — but harder to keep clean — pale beige.
How much is it to tax the Kia e-Niro (2019-2022)?
Refer to our Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained feature for the up-to-date cost to tax the Kia e-Niro.
How reliable is the Kia e-Niro (2019-2022)?
The e-Niro is, happily, one of the most reliable electric cars, indeed one of the most reliable cars full stop, that you can buy.
The only serious fault is a problem with the drive reduction gear, that steps down the electric motor’s spinning to an acceptable speed for the wheels. That will announce itself with a distinctive clicking sound, like a roulette wheel, and it means replacing the gear, which is expensive.
Thankfully, it’s a very rare problem, and so too are any issues with the battery, although make sure that the 12-volt battery is charging properly from the high-voltage traction battery.
There’s an issue with the charging flap sticking shut (look for damage to the paint around it where owners might have tried to force it open) and make sure that the battery’s coolant fluid has been changed — early versions had a fluid that could crystallise if left sitting.
How much range has a Kia e-Niro (2019-2022)?
The big-battery e-Niro had an impressive 455km range on one charge, according to the WLTP test and pleasingly, when we tested them in period, those cars would often meet that figure, or certainly get very close to it, in day-to-day driving.
Even with normal battery degradation, an e-Niro featuring the 64kWh battery should still be capable of over 400km on a full charge, but of course if you’re buying used you should get a battery health check before you buy.
The smaller battery version, with 39kWh, could manage around 300km of range on the WLTP test, and so in real-world conditions today you should be able to get around 200-230km. Any that have had a hard life with lots of fast charging might now be ducking under the 200km barrier.
Being an older design, the e-Niro can only accept up to 77kW of DC charging power, so a 10-80 per cent charge will take just under an hour at a public high-speed charging point, which means you may bump into overstay fees if you’re not careful.
That said, most people will do most of their charging at home, and on a 7.4kW charger the e-Niro will fully charge in around 9-10 hours.
The charge socket is located behind a flap built into the ‘radiator grille’ in the nose, which makes life a bit easier for most home chargers — just drive up and plug in.
When should I service my Kia e-Niro (2019-2022)?
Kia recommends that you service your e-Niro every year, or 16,000km.
Can I fit child seats and a buggy in the Kia e-Niro (2019-2022)?
There are two ISOFIX anchor points in the outer rear seats of the e-Niro, and there’s enough legroom that fitting even bulky child car seats shouldn’t be a major issue.
Plus there’s plenty of space in the boot for buggies etc. The centre rear seat is going to be too narrow for anything but the most compact seats or booster cushions.
There are no ISOFIX points in the front passenger seat, but there is an airbag cutoff switch so you can locate child seats there using the seatbelt.
How safe is the Kia e-Niro (2019-2022)?
Generally speaking, the Kia e-Niro was a very safe car when it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2022, but that does come with a caveat. The headline figure is that the e-Niro got a full five-star rating, with an impressive 91 per cent adult occupant protection score, 84 per cent for child occupants, 76 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 79 per cent for its safety assistance.
However, that five-star score only applied to cars fitted with the optional ‘Safety Pack’ which included extra electronic assistance systems, and without that you need to strike a star off the score and reduce the safety assistance rating to 60 per cent.
Alternatives to the Kia e-Niro (2019-2022)
Cupra Born
Citroen e-C4
Hyundai Kona Electric
Jeep Avenger
MG ZS EV
Nissan Leaf
Opel Mokka-e
Peugeot e-2008
Renault Megane E-Tech
Volkswagen e-Golf
Volkswagen ID.3
How much is a Kia e-Niro (2019-2022)?
For estimates of the current value of a given car, drop us a message using the Ask Us Anything page with as much detail as possible in it.