Compare the2022 Kia NiroVS 2022 Buick Encore

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Niro are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Encore doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Niro has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Encore doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Niro LXS/LXS SE/Touring SE/EX Premium has standard Autonomous Emergency Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The Encore offers an available collision warning system without the automated brake feature that would prevent or reduce the collision if the driver fails to react.

The Niro LXS/LXS SE/Touring SE/EX Premium’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Encore doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Niro and the Encore have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Niro is safer than the Buick Encore:

	Niro	Encore
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	342 lbs.	388 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	14 inches
HIC	214	382
Spine Acceleration	31 G’s	46 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Niro is 5.8% to 7.7% less likely to roll over than the Encore.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Niro the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 214 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Encore was last qualified as a “Top Pick” in 2016.

Warranty

The Niro comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Encore’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Niro 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Buick covers the Encore. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Encore ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Buick vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Buick is ranked 12th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Buick vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Buick is ranked fifth.

Engine

The Niro’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 18 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 177) than the Encore’s 1.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Niro is faster than the Buick Encore:

	Niro	Encore
Zero to 60 MPH	8.9 sec	10.7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.8 sec	17.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	83 MPH	77.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Niro gets better mileage than the Encore:

			MPG
Niro
	FWD	LX 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/48 hwy
		LXS/EX 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/46 hwy
		Touring 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	46 city/40 hwy
Encore
	FWD	1.4 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/32 hwy
	AWD	1.4 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Niro’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Encore doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Niro’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Encore doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Transmission

The Niro offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Encore doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Niro stops shorter than the Encore:

	Niro	Encore
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	126 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Niro Touring SE’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Encore (225/45R18 vs. 215/55R18).

The Niro Touring SE’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Encore’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Kia Niro has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Buick Encore has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Niro has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Niro flat and controlled during cornering. The Encore’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Niro’s wheelbase is 5.7 inches longer than on the Encore (106.3 inches vs. 100.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Niro is .7 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Encore.

The Niro Touring SE handles at .82 G’s, while the Encore AWD pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Niro Touring SE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.3 seconds quicker than the Encore AWD (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .54 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Niro’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Encore’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.7 feet).

Passenger Space

The Niro has 8.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Encore (100.9 vs. 92.8).

The Niro has .5 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 1.6 inches more rear legroom and 2.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Encore.

The front step up height for the Niro is 1.3 inches lower than the Encore (15.5” vs. 16.8”). The Niro’s rear step up height is .6 inches lower than the Encore’s (16.2” vs. 16.8”).

Cargo Capacity

The Niro has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Encore with its rear seat up (19.4 vs. 18.8 cubic feet). The Niro has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Encore with its rear seat folded (54.5 vs. 48.4 cubic feet).

The Niro’s cargo area is larger than the Encore’s in every dimension:

	Niro	Encore
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	31.8”/64”	28.5”/55.8”
Max Width	48.2”	39.5”
Min Width	41”	36”
Height	36”	31.8”

Payload

The Niro has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Encore (1089 vs. 1026 lbs.).

Ergonomics

The Niro EX Premium’s front power windows both open or close with one touch of the switches. The Encore’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

The Niro has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Encore doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Niro LXS/LXS SE/Touring SE/EX Premium detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Encore doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

When the Niro with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Encore’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Niro’s optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Encore doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

The Niro EX Premium has standard heated front seats, which keep the driver and front passenger extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated seats aren’t available in the Encore.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Niro EX Premium keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Encore doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Niro EX Premium’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Encore doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Niro’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Encore doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

The Niro’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Encore doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

Both the Niro and the Encore offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Niro Touring SE/EX Premium has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Encore doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Niro Touring SE/EX Premium has a standard Advanced Smart Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Encore doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Niro Touring SE/EX Premium has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Encore doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Niro and the Buick Encore, based on reliability, safety and performance.