The Kia Niro EV was the UK’s third bestselling electric car in 2022, thanks to its impressive range, roomy cabin and kerb appeal. But can it impress FW road tester Al Suttie?

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Kia Niro EV 64.8kWh 2

List price (BiK): £36,045 (2%) CO2: 0g/km Economy: 285 miles Test efficiency: 225 miles

Monday

The Kia Niro has become the Volkswagen Golf of the Korean company’s line-up. Never shouty or try-hard, it just gets on with the job and sells in considerable numbers. It makes the Niro EV that showed up this morning a very intriguing car to have for a week to see what all the fuss, or lack thereof, is all about. Will its 285-mile combined range be enough and can it cope with my kids’ demands?

Tuesday

The Niro EV was dropped off with a near full battery charge, which means the display is reading 245 miles to empty. Given the weather is cold, wet and dark most of the time, I expect that to drop markedly. A trip to Perth, which is 60 miles there and back, proves this but not as much as I’d suspected as the Kia is still showing 155 miles of charge when I get back, and I’ve had the heating, lights and wipers running constantly.

Wednesday

Some chores today mean a couple of short hop drives in the Niro on varied roads, which have succumbed to the frost judging by the potholes. The Niro EV is unfazed as it has a cushy ride and doesn’t feel heavy or crashy in the way some EVs do on these surfaces, notably the Cupra Born I tried a while back. I’m beginning to see why so many people are attracted to the Kia.

Thursday

A battery charge is needed today, so I’ve left the Niro plugged in to a local faster charger. It’s a 50kW point and says the Kia will need around two hours to do its thing, so I opt to go for a walk and do the supermarket shop. A couple of hours later and the Niro’s decent boot filled with necessities, the battery is back up to 94%. That’ll do and it’s showing 234 miles on the display, which seems reasonably accurate given its consumption so far.

Friday

The Niro’s interior is very well put together and roomy, but there is one element I’m not at all keen on. This is the touch-sensitive panel in the middle of the dash console for fine tuning some of the air conditioning settings. It’s just too small and finickity to use while driving, though there are at least physical buttons for some adjustments. Still, it’s also an added complication swapping between ventilation and stereo functions with these touch controls.

Saturday

The Niro sails through the football car park panel of judges, or my son and his mates to give them their proper name. It never ceases to amaze me how much they know about cars, dispelling any idea that kids aren’t interested. One even asks me about the battery capacity and I have to look in the deepest recesses of my memory to tell him it’s a 64.8kWh model.

Sunday

One week in and the Kia Niro EV is one of the very few electric cars so far that I could happily live with. Its range is key to this as I have not been a slave to charge points, while the rest of the Niro is simply a very good, capable family car wrapped in a smart-looking exterior. The fiddly air con controls are not unique to the Niro, so it’s something I feel Kia needs to address across its models, but it’s not enough to undermine the Niro as an excellent choice.