Kia Niro Hybrid S

A very basic entry model but affordable to own – In typical Kia fashion, materials are on the cheaper side, but construction is still impressive. It’s hard to argue that the base model Kia is poorly built. Sure, the cheap plastics, lightweight doors and cloth seats feel a little less luxurious, but the Kia Niro is a well-built car. This hybrid will set you back $44,380 before on-road costs. It has a lot of competition from Toyota, which offers a lot of hybrid options in a variety of body styles that offer similar room to the Kia.

This is a wildly fuel efficient vehicle. However, you’re going to opt for the Kia over a Toyota due to personal preference more than anything else.

You’ll opt for the Kia if you want the longer warranty too. This Kia comes with a 7 year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

Servicing will set you back $3,500 over 7 years of services. Service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km.

The base audio system inside the Kia Niro is fine; it’s not going to give you any more details in your music that you’d get from a decent pair of headphones.

Road noise is a little higher than I’d like in a car like this, seeing as the hybrid system usually exposes these sounds when the engine is off. Speaking of that engine, it sounds a bit abrasive when it's working in the background.

Surprisingly, the Kia managed to come to a stop well despite packing a set of brakes inside a set of tiny 16-inch wheels.

The battery pack isn’t massive, so this car still retains the ability to feel light and capable of braking in a short distance.

This combined hybrid motor system consists of a 1.6 naturally aspirated (aka non-turbo) petrol four-cylinder, an electric motor and a 1.32kWh lithium-ion battery.

The petrol motor produces 77kW (103hp) and 144Nm, while the electric motor creates 32kW (42hp) and 170Nm. The total combined power produced is 104kW (139hp) and 265Nm. 0-100km/h takes a whopping 10.4 seconds

Claimed combined fuel consumption is 4L per 100km using just 91RON fuel. So fill running this motor should be an affordable affair.

The Kia Niro Hybrid has a traditional 6-speed automatic. It’s an easygoing, predictable and very simple to operate transmission.

I can’t help but feel that this Kia Niro handles like a big go-kart. It’s lower to the ground as a compact SUV, and has very tiny 16-inch wheels wrapped in some skinny rubber.

This interior is a radical and refreshing departure from the old Niro. Thank goodness!

It’s exciting to look at, with lots of lines, curves and screens.

There is a distinct lack of large storage cubbies, and this base Niro has some enormous bezels around these smaller LCD displays.

Despite lacking some tech and features the GT-Line has, the base Niro feels leagues more exciting to be in than other small crossovers in this segment.

This little SUV has 425L of space with the seats up and a total of 1419L of space with the seats folded down.

It’s a practical car, but nothing more than a traditional hatchback.

Rear seat comfort is fine, it’s a little cramped, but still good for longer trips for four people.

*Disclaimer - I work for ProductReview as their independent car and motorbike expert. I borrow new cars and motorbikes from manufacturers and owners to review. I am not paid or incentivised by these brands to post reviews. I write and create content to provide insight and information about any new or used vehicle I can get my hands on.