Compare the2023 Kia Niro EVVS 2022 Hyundai Nexo

Both the Niro EV and Nexo have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Niro EV offers optional power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Nexo’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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 Nexo doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Kia Niro EV has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Nexo doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Niro EV Wave has standard Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Nexo doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Niro EV and the Nexo have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 front parking sensors.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked third.

The Niro EV’s electric motor produces 40 more horsepower (201 vs. 161) than the Nexo’s electric motor.

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 Nexo’s standard 60 series tires.

For better maneuverability, the Niro EV’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Nexo’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.7 feet).

The Kia Niro EV may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 400 pounds less than the Hyundai Nexo.

The Niro EV is 9.9 inches shorter than the Nexo, making the Niro EV easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Niro EV uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Nexo doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Niro EV has 1.1 inches more front headroom and .1 inches more rear headroom than the Nexo.

The Niro EV has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Nexo with its rear seat folded (63.7 vs. 56.5 cubic feet).

When two different drivers share the Niro EV Wave, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Nexo doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Niro EV Wave’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Nexo doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Niro EV offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Nexo doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

On a hot day the Niro EV’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Nexo can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Niro EV’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Nexo’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

When the Niro EV Wave 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 Nexo’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Niro EV and the Nexo have standard heated front seats. The Niro EV also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Nexo.

The Kia Niro outsold the Hyundai Nexo by over 66 to one during the 2021 model year.