THE rapid advance of electric and hybrid cars continues at a dizzying pace with one of the very latest offerings being the 2025 KIA Niro PHEV.
KIA claim this car can achieve over 300mpg, which seems to be bordering on the impossible, so I decided to put it to the test having to go on a near 400-mile round trip to visit a Tudor castle on the South Wales border.
In Eco mode I fully charged the battery to its 38 mile range, put £20 of in petrol into the tank making a careful note of remaining range and where the needle was beforehand, and we set off.
The new Niro has a 1.58-litre four cylinder engine giving 168bhp and an 83kW electric motor under the boot floor, which can be fully charged on a higher power system in just under three hours or on a home 3 pin socket overnight.
Top speed is 100mph and 0 to 62 comes up in 9.8 seconds in Sport mode so performance is more than adequate and the small SUV proved to be a comfy motorway cruiser.
Sticking to speed limits as always I drove in a normal manner and was pleasantly surprised to see the current mpg figures on the dashboard around the 80-90 mark after some time travelling at 65 to 70 mph.
But the real test was the final assessment and one overnight charge at the hotel, £20 in petrol and a 20 minute top up charge at the motorway services saw me back home with 100 miles of total range left.
I know this is not totally scientific and still does not come to 300mpg but is impressive none the less. I have been doing this job for some years now and can remember one of the very first totally electric cars I tested, a Chrysler Volt, which could only manage a paltry 14 miles fully charged! So we can see just how far EVs and Hybrids have come in just a few years.
The Niro comes as a regular hybrid, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and a fully electric car (called the e-Niro), and all versions are reasonably priced. For this second-generation Niro, Kia has given the model a redesign with improved interior space and cutting-edge tech.
With the regular hybrid or plug-in hybrid you get the same 1.6-litre petrol engine and six-speed automatic gearbox, but the PHEV benefits from a more powerful electric motor. That gives it a combined output of 180bhp against the 139bhp of the hybrid which can only drive in electric mode at low speeds for short distances.
The PHEV has an 11.1kWh battery, while the Hybrid has just a 1.32kWh unit, which gives it an official electric-only range of up to 40 miles when fully charged. As with most hybrid cars regenerative braking recovers energy to top up the battery and this is adjustable.
The ride is comfortable even though our PHEV model is firmer than the regular hybrid and the car is quiet on electric power with the petrol engine cutting in and out with hardly a sound unless pushed hard.
Inside the materials used give a feeling of quality with the steering wheel covered in faux-leather and any cheaper-looking plastics banished to lower down the cockpit. As with all the latest KIAs it feel sturdy and well made.
The large central infotainment screen has a good operating system and sharp graphics, although a touch panel you use to alternate between functions is a little fiddly.
All trims get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, and our ‘3’ model and above get wireless charging. The standard stereo is uprated if you go for ‘4’ trim.
The Niro compares well with family SUV rivals for space in the back and front and storage space up front includes door pockets that are a decent size and two drink holders in the centre console, although the storage cubby under the central arm rest is smaller than rivals.
The regular hybrid’s boot offers up 451 litres of capacity while our PHEV’s is quite a bit smaller at 348 litres due to the underfloor electric motor but proved more than adequate for our two days away.
Our ‘3’ trim also has auto wipers, bigger alloys, heated front seats and some extra safety kit, including blind-spot monitoring. Range-topping ‘4’ adds even more kit including ventilated front seats, heated outer rear seats and even more safety kit.
Pricing for the electric Niros is from £36k for the Hybrid up to £43k for a top of the range fully electric. Our ‘3’ level PHEV is £37,685 on the road.
For more info go to www.kia.co.uk
By Motoring Editor Steve Howarth