The all-new Kia Niro has been named ‘Small SUV of the Year’ at the annual Auto Express New Car Awards, earning its first award before customer deliveries start later this month.
The awards are decided following a lengthy and detailed judging process by the editorial team at Auto Express. The team analyse all elements of the customer proposition including, price, practicality, styling, tech, safety equipment, connectivity, powertrain efficiency and more, and how these factors measure up against the competition. This latest award also follows the recent reliability Auto Express Driver Power Survey 2022, in which Kia secured four category wins including an outright win for the XCeed.
First introduced in 2016, Kia’s Niro crossover has been completely redesigned from the ground up to meet the complex and diverse needs of today’s environmentally conscious car buyers. The latest car features the same trio of state-of-the-art electrified powertrains – hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric – and features an interior made from a higher proportion of sustainable and recycled materials.
There’s a powertrain to suit every customer need, with the all-new Niro Hybrid offering up to 64.2mpg and just 100g/km CO2. The all-new Niro PHEV is available with just eight per cent Benefit-in-Kind tax, which should appeal to company car drivers. And the all-new Niro EV offers up to 285-miles range (WLTP-combined).
The Niro has become Kia’s second best-selling model in the UK, while the fully electric e-Niro – introduced in 2018 – accounts for 55 per cent of all Niro sales in the UK. During 2021 the e-Niro was also the second best-selling pure electric vehicle in the entire UK market.
Steve Fowler, Editor-in-Chief for Auto Express said: “Kia has consolidated what it learnt with the first-generation Niro SUV and developed the recipe even further with this all-new model. There’s more space inside than ever, while the new chassis delivers impressive comfort and a supple ride. In-car tech is shared with the bigger Sportage SUV, so it comes packed with features, too – we think this new Niro will be an even bigger hit than the outgoing model.”
Paul Philpott, President and CEO of Kia UK Limited, commented: “The Niro has been attracting many customers and winning awards ever since it was first launched, so it’s fantastic to see the all-new Niro commended with its first award at such a prestigious event. As before, the all-new Niro model range is exclusively available with electrified powertrains, ensuring there’s a car to suit every customer while also reaffirming Kia’s position as a leader in electrification.”
Kia’s bold plans for vehicle electrification pushed the brand to its best-ever electrified sales in 2021 and 2022 year-to-date, with electrified vehicles accounting for more than one in three vehicles sold. The brand also now offers 10 electrified (hybrid, plug-in-hybrid and electric) models – one of the most comprehensive electrified line-ups in the UK today. The all-new Niro EV sits alongside the EV6 and Soul EV in Kia’s fully electric line-up. Globally, Kia plans to introduce 14 fully-electric models by 2027.
Kia’s electrified all-new Niro model range is on sale now from £27,745 and will be available in Kia showrooms for customer test drives this July. The new cars are available with a variety of launch offers*, including 4.9 per cent APR for the Niro Hybrid and Niro Plug-in Hybrid, or 6.9 per cent APR for the full-electric Niro EV.
