Compare the2022 Kia Niro Plug-In HybridVS 2021 Toyota Mirai

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 Plug-In Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Mirai doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Niro Plug-In Hybrid and the Mirai 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

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 Plug-In Hybrid the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 216 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Mirai has not been tested, yet.

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

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

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.

On the EPA test cycle the Niro Plug-In Hybrid running on electricity gets better mileage than the Mirai:

For better maneuverability, the Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s turning circle is 3.7 feet tighter than the Mirai’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.5 feet).

The Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 850 to 900 pounds less than the Toyota Mirai.

The Niro Plug-In Hybrid is 2 feet shorter than the Mirai, making the Niro Plug-In Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Niro Plug-In Hybrid has 1.7 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more rear headroom, 4.3 inches more rear legroom and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mirai.

The Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Mirai doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid 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 Mirai.

The Niro Plug-In Hybrid 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 Mirai doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Niro Plug-In Hybrid has a standard rear wiper. The Mirai doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

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

The Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX Premium has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Mirai doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.