Compare the2023 Nissan LeafVS 2022 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Leaf have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Nissan Leaf has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Leaf has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Leaf has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Leaf SV PLUS has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Leaf SV PLUS has standard NissanConnect Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Leaf and the Niro Plug-In Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available daytime running lights 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 Nissan Leaf is safer than the Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid:

	Leaf	Niro Plug-In Hybrid
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	27%
Neck Stress	250 lbs.	291 lbs.
Neck Compression	11 lbs.	37 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	3 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	49%	80%

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 Nissan Leaf is safer than the Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid:

	Leaf	Niro Plug-In Hybrid
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	131	138
Chest Movement	.8 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	137 lbs.	196 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	48 G’s	77 G’s
Hip Force	887 lbs.	993 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	158	214
Hip Force	665 lbs.	712 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Leaf’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 38 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Leaf’s warranty.

Engine

The Leaf’s standard electric motor produces 8 more horsepower (147 vs. 139) and 41 lbs.-ft. more torque (236 vs. 195) than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Leaf PLUS’ standard electric motor produces 75 more horsepower (214 vs. 139) and 55 lbs.-ft. more torque (250 vs. 195) than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

		MPGe
Leaf
	Electric Motor	123 city/99 hwy
	SV PLUS Electric Motor	121 city/98 hwy
Niro Plug-In Hybrid
	Electric Motor	110 city/99 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Leaf gets better mileage than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid running its gasoline engine:

		MPGe
Leaf
	Electric Motor	123 city/99 hwy
	SV PLUS Electric Motor	121 city/98 hwy
Niro Plug-In Hybrid
		MPG
	1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	48 city/44 hwy

The Leaf can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 149 to 212 miles. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid has to start its internal combustion engine after only 26 miles.

Environmental Friendliness

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

Brakes and Stopping

The Leaf’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Leaf SV PLUS’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid (215/50R17 vs. 205/60R16).

The Leaf S’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s standard 60 series tires. The Leaf SV PLUS’ tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Leaf SV PLUS has standard 17-inch wheels. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s largest wheels are only 16-inches.

The Leaf has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Leaf has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

Passenger Space

The Leaf has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom and 1.7 inches more rear hip room than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid.

Cargo Capacity

The Leaf has a much larger cargo volume than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid with its rear seat up (23.6 vs. 19.4 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The Leaf’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Leaf SV PLUS’ optional LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® chose the Nissan Leaf as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.