2022 Kia Niro Review

The 2022 Kia Niro is a hybrid vehicle that straddles the line between hatchback and SUV. The Niro first hit the market in 2017 and benefited from a light update in 2020. Despite the recent refresh, photographs of prototypes testing on public roads lead us to believe that an all-new Niro is coming sometime soon. We expect the new Niro to feature design cues first seen on the HabaNiro concept car Kia debuted at the 2019 New York Auto Show.

The Niro competes in a relatively hot segment. The most prominent and obvious competitor is the Toyota Prius, the car that made hybrids mainstream to begin with. Other rivals include the Honda Insight and Hyundai Ioniq, the latter of which shares much with the Niro underneath the sheet metal. While Kia calls the current Niro a crossover SUV, it lacks features such as all-wheel drive or increased ground clearance that we expect in a crossover, making it tough to compare it to newer vehicles including the Honda CR-V Hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid. But that could all change with the 2022 Kia Niro.

The current Kia Niro is a fine but not quite class-leading hybrid. We expect the new Niro to build on the model's strengths — tons of features for the money, nimble handling and excellent driver aids — with improvements that should put the competition on its toes.