Kia’s first hybrid crossover has gone on sale in the UK priced from £21,295.

Kia’s Niro hybrid crossover is now available to order

The dedicated hybrid model, which rivals the Toyota Prius, is built on a bespoke platform engineered exclusively for electrified vehicles, and features an all-new powertrain combining a 104bhp 1.6-litre, petrol engine and a 43.5bhp electric motor driving through a six-speed double-clutch automatic transmission. The range will be joined by a plug-in hybrid version (PHEV) for the 2017 model year.

Helped by a class-leading low drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.29 and extensive use of lightweight but high-strength steel and aluminium, the Niro offers fuel economy of up to 74.3mpg with CO2 emissions from 88g/km.

Four trims are offered, badged ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’ and ‘First Edition’. Standard equipment covers a Lane Keep Assist System, Hill-start Assist Control, Cruise Control and a Speed Limiter. Other standard features on grade ‘1’ cover 16-inch alloy wheels, dual automatic air conditioning and a 3.5-inch TFT supervision cluster.

Every Niro also has a DAB radio and is able to support Bluetooth smartphone connectivity and music streaming.

Connectivity and active safety technologies include Kia Connected Services featuring TomTom, wireless smartphone charging, autonomous emergency braking, smart cruise control and lane-keeping, blind spot and rear cross traffic warning systems. In a first for Kia, it also offers Android Auto, which links Android smartphones to Google Maps navigation, Google Play music, hands-free calls and texts and voice recognition via pre-downloaded apps.

As with all Kia models, Niro comes with a seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty, subject to wear and tear conditions.