Meet the new Kia Niro, which’ll be on sale later in the year.
You’ll spot it by its new face, which ditches the chrome trim and gains new headlights with a ‘star map’ design – similar to a whole host of new Kias, such as the compact Picanto, the new K4 and EV4 hatchbacks, and the Stonic and Sorento SUVs.
The changes give the Niro a cleaner, more modern-looking front end, which previously stood out for being different to other Kia models on sale.
Now, the black wheel arch trim has a gloss finish, and there are new alloy wheel designs.
At first glance the rear end looks familiar, but the more you look the more new bits you’ll find. The tailgate pressing, bumper and spoiler are all new, while the pointy tail-lights are now smoked and have a thinner signature than before.
Inside, the new Niro boasts a fresh steering wheel and Kia’s latest infotainment system, although the switchable climate/function panel remains. There are a couple of new material changes, too, such as a new matte grey finish for the centre console.
We’ll know in March if Kia’s changed anything under the bonnet, but it’s unlikely the lineup will be altered too much. The Niro is available with both ‘self-charging’ hybrid and plug-in hybrid engines, which currently return 64mpg and a 40-mile electric range respectively.
A larger battery for the PHEV would be welcome to increase the range, allowing the Niro PHEV to compete with a range of fresh rivals such as the Jaecoo 7 SVS and Cupra Formentor eHybrid.
It’s thought that the fully electric version, the Niro EV, will continue to be sold alongside the similarly sized and similarly priced Kia EV3. However, at the time of writing, it’s not available to order on Kia’s website.
Currently, the Niro hybrid costs around £31,000 to £36,000 before options, while the plug-in hybrid starts at where the HEV ends and tops out at over £40,000. We wouldn’t expect a massive price rise for the new model.
Climb into a Kia at Motorpoint
It looks like the Kia Niro facelift won’t bring drastic changes, so why not save yourself thousands of pounds by buying a used Kia Niro? Read our Kia Niro review to see if it’s the car for you (spoiler alert – it’s really good).
