Compare the2022 Kia Niro EVVS 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime

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 Rav4 Prime 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 Rav4 Prime 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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Niro EV and the Rav4 Prime 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 Niro EV comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Rav4 Prime’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Niro EV 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Rav4 Prime. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Rav4 Prime 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.

The Niro EV’s standard electric motor produces 291 lbs.-ft. more torque (291 vs. ) than the Rav4 Prime’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Niro EV gets better mileage than the Rav4 Prime running on electricity (123 city/102 hwy vs. 105 city/84 hwy MPGe).

On the EPA test cycle the Niro EV gets better mileage than the Rav4 Prime running its gasoline engine (123 city/102 hwy MPGe vs. 40 city/36 hwy).

The Niro EV’s maximum EPA estimated driving range is 239 miles on a full charge. The Rav4 Prime can only travel about 42 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 Toyota Rav4 Prime (7). This means the Niro EV produces up to 11.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Rav4 Prime every 15,000 miles.

The Niro EV stops much shorter than the Rav4 Prime:

The Niro EV’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rav4 Prime SE’s standard 60 series tires.

The Niro EV has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Rav4 Prime’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Niro EV EX Premium handles at .88 G’s, while the Rav4 Prime XSE pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Niro EV’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Rav4 Prime SE’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.1 feet). The Niro EV’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Rav4 Prime XSE’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

The Kia Niro EV may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 450 pounds less than the Toyota Rav4 Prime.

The Niro EV is 8.7 inches shorter than the Rav4 Prime, making the Niro EV easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Niro EV has 2.4 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front legroom and .6 inches more rear hip room than the Rav4 Prime.

The Niro EV’s standard GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Rav4 Prime’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

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. Only the Rav4 Prime XSE/Limited offers wireless charging and it costs extra.