Compare the2022 Kia NiroVS 2021 Toyota C-HR

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 C-HR 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 C-HR doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Niro and the C-HR 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 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 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 Toyota C-HR:

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 2.2% less likely to roll over than the C-HR. The C-HR tipped up during the NHTSA handling test; the Niro didn’t.

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 C-HR’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 Toyota covers the C-HR. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the C-HR ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Niro’s reliability 22 points higher than the C-HR.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 13th.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fourth.

The Niro’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 56 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 139) than the C-HR’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Niro is faster than the Toyota C-HR:

On the EPA test cycle the Niro gets better mileage than the C-HR:

Regenerative brakes improve the Niro’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The C-HR 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 C-HR doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Niro uses regular unleaded gasoline. The C-HR requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

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

The Niro stops much shorter than the C-HR:

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 C-HR XLE/Nightshade/Limited’s 50 series tires.

The Niro has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The C-HR’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Niro’s wheelbase is 2.4 inches longer than on the C-HR (106.3 inches vs. 103.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Niro is .6 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the C-HR.

The Niro Touring SE handles at .82 G’s, while the C-HR XLE pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Niro Touring SE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the C-HR XLE (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

The Niro has 14.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the C-HR (100.9 vs. 86).

The Niro has 2 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front hip room, 7 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 5.7 inches more rear legroom, .3 inches more rear hip room and 2.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the C-HR.

The Niro has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the C-HR with its rear seat up (19.4 vs. 19.1 cubic feet). The Niro has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the C-HR with its rear seat folded (54.5 vs. 37 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 C-HR’s liftover is 31 inches.

The Niro has a higher standard payload capacity than the C-HR (962 vs. 835 lbs.).

The Niro has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the C-HR (1089 vs. 835 lbs.).

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Niro to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Toyota doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the C-HR.

The Niro LXS/Touring/Touring Special Edition/EX Premium has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The C-HR doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 C-HR’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

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 C-HR 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 C-HR doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Niro LXS/LXS SE/Touring SE/EX Premium has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The C-HR doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

Both the Niro and the C-HR 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 C-HR doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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 C-HR doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Niro, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Toyota C-HR isn't recommended.