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 EcoSport 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 EcoSport 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 EcoSport doesn't offer collision warning or crash mitigation brakes.
The Niro LXS/LXS SE/Touring SE/EX Premium’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The EcoSport doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.
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 EcoSport doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the Niro and the EcoSport 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Niro is safer than the Ford EcoSport:
|
Niro |
EcoSport |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
139 |
250 |
Neck Injury Risk |
27% |
36% |
Neck Stress |
291 lbs. |
403 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
37 lbs. |
60 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
74/269 lbs. |
495/441 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
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 Ford EcoSport:
|
Niro |
EcoSport |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
170 |
195 |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
11 inches |
12 inches |
HIC |
214 |
215 |
Spine Acceleration |
31 G’s |
37 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 7% to 8.3% less likely to roll over than the EcoSport.
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 EcoSport has not been fully tested, yet.