Compare the2022 Kia NiroVS 2021 Lexus NX Series

Safety
Warranty
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
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 NX Series doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Compared to metal, the Niro’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Lexus NX Series has a metal gas tank.

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

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 Lexus NX Series:

	Niro	NX Series
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	139	209
Neck Injury Risk	27%	46%
Neck Stress	291 lbs.	509 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	74/269 lbs.	480/609 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 Lexus NX Series:

	Niro	NX Series
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	138	192
Hip Force	342 lbs.	352 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	170	317
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	15 inches
HIC	214	542
Spine Acceleration	31 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	712 lbs.	828 lbs.

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 3.9% to 4% less likely to roll over than the NX Series.

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 NX Series’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Niro 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the NX Series. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the NX Series ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Niro’s warranty.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Niro gets better mileage than the NX Series:

			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
NX Series
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	33 city/30 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
		F Sport 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Niro uses regular unleaded gasoline. The NX 300 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Niro higher (7 out of 10) than the Lexus NX Series (3 to 7). This means the Niro produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the NX Series every 15,000 miles.

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 NX Series doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Niro stops shorter than the NX Series:

	Niro	NX Series
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Niro LX/LXS/EX Premium’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the NX Series’ standard 65 series tires. The Niro Touring SE’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the NX Series F Sport’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Niro’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the NX Series (106.3 inches vs. 104.7 inches).

The Niro Touring SE handles at .82 G’s, while the NX 300 pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Niro Touring SE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the NX 300h AWD (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Niro’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the NX Series’ (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

Chassis

The Kia Niro may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 950 pounds less than the Lexus NX Series.

The Niro is 11.2 inches shorter than the NX Series, making the Niro easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Kia Niro amounts to more than styling. The Niro has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is significantly lower than the NX Series (.34) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Niro get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The Niro has 29.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the NX Series (100.9 vs. 71.6).

The Niro has 1.9 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more rear headroom and 1.3 inches more rear legroom than the NX Series.

The front step up height for the Niro is 2.6 inches lower than the NX Series (15.5” vs. 18.1”). The Niro’s rear step up height is 1.8 inches lower than the NX Series’ (16.2” vs. 18”).

Cargo Capacity

The Niro has a much larger cargo volume than the NX Series with its rear seat up (19.4 vs. 17.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Niro easier. The Niro’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29 inches, while the NX Series’ liftover is 31.2 inches.

Payload

The Niro has a higher standard payload capacity than the NX Series (962 vs. 895 lbs.).

The Niro has a higher maximum payload capacity than the NX Series (1089 vs. 895 lbs.).

Ergonomics

The Niro’s power window, power lock and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The NX Series’ power lock and cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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 NX Series doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Niro and the Lexus NX Series, based on reliability, safety and performance.