Compare the2022 Kia Niro EVVS 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

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 EV are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Niro EV 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 Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Niro EV’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 Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Niro EV and the Outlander PHEV 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 and available rear parking sensors.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the general design of front seat head restraints for their ability to protect front seat occupants from whiplash injuries. The IIHS also performs a dynamic test on those seats with “good” or “acceptable” geometry. In these ratings, the Niro EV is safer than the Outlander PHEV:

(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)

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 EV the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 216 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Outlander PHEV was not even a “Top Pick” for 2016.

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Niro EV’s warranty.

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 Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is ranked 13th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 5 places higher in reliability than Mitsubishi.

The Niro EV’s standard electric motor produces 291 lbs.-ft. more torque (291 vs. ) than the Outlander PHEV’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Niro EV is faster than the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV:

On the EPA test cycle the Niro EV gets better mileage than the Outlander PHEV running on electricity (123 city/102 hwy vs. 77 city/71 hwy MPGe).

The Niro EV’s maximum EPA estimated driving range is 239 miles on a full charge. The Outlander PHEV can only travel about 24 miles before it has to start its internal combustion engine.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Niro EV higher (10 out of 10) than the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (7). This means the Niro EV produces up to 11.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Outlander PHEV every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Niro EV’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Outlander PHEV:

The Niro EV stops shorter than the Outlander PHEV:

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Niro EV’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Outlander PHEV (106.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Niro EV is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than on the Outlander PHEV.

The Niro EV EX handles at .80 G’s, while the Outlander PHEV GT pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Niro EV EX executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Outlander PHEV GT (27.1 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Niro EV’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Outlander PHEV’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.6 feet).

The Kia Niro EV may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 pounds less than the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

The Niro EV is 1 foot shorter than the Outlander PHEV, making the Niro EV easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Niro EV has .8 inches more front legroom and 1.1 inches more front hip room than the Outlander PHEV.

The power windows standard on both the Niro EV and the Outlander PHEV have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Niro EV is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Outlander PHEV prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Niro EV has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Outlander PHEV only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Niro EV has standard extendable sun visors. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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

To direct the driver from any location to a given street address, a GPS navigation system is standard on the Niro EV. The Niro EV’s navigation system also has a real-time traffic update feature that offers alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a navigation system.

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