Kia has an all-new Niro for 2023. It’s sharper-looking and is still the only vehicle on sale that offers hybrid, plug-in, and EV versions.
Kia has recharged its electrified crossover. The Niro is bigger and gets more high-tech features. It will also offer more range from both the electric and plug-in hybrid versions of the vehicle.
Kia first introduced the Niro in 2016. It offered similar driveline choices based on the same platform that underpinned Hyundai’s Ioniq hatch (not the Ioniq 5 EV). But it has a much more conventional crossover body shape in place of Hyundai’s oddball long-tail liftback design.
Three Ways to Electrify the Kia Niro
![2023 Kia Niro PHEV 2023 Kia Niro PHEV](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/04/18647_2023_Niro_PHEV.jpg)
Electrification is the signature of the Kia Niro, and that continues into the new model. We have bad news if you were hoping for an all-wheel drive. The 2023 Kia Niro remains front-drive only.
A hybrid version will get a 1.6L four-cylinder engine and a 32 kW permanent magnet motor. The combined maximum power output is 139 horsepower with 195 pound-feet of torque.
This time around, Kia is targeting 53 miles per gallon combined. That figure would beat the 50 mpg of last year’s Niro FE fuel economy special model. It would be an even more significant improvement over the 43 mpg of the current Niro Hybrid Touring.
PHEV Upgrades
The plug-in hybrid model will get more power, thanks to a 62 kW electric motor and a battery with a 25% higher capacity than before. It will hold 11.1 kilowatt-hours up from 8.9, and the engine can put out a total of 180 horsepower and 196 pound-feet of torque.
That torque figure is unchanged, but 41 extra horses should give the 2023 Kia Niro PHEV plenty of extra go on the road. Especially thanks to the six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that makes gear changes more direct than the CVT most other hybrids offer.
The Niro PHEV has an estimated range of 33 miles on electric power, a 25% improvement over the old model when fitted with 16-inch wheels. The lithium-polymer battery back can handle Level 2 fast-charging, where it can be topped up in just 3 hours.
More Range for Niro EV
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Automatic Green Zone EV Drives
Animal-Free Interior in the Kia Niro
![2023 Kia Niro 2023 Kia Niro](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2022/04/18688_2023_Niro_EV.jpg)