Compare the2023 Genesis GV60VS 2023 Kia Niro EV

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Genesis GV60 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 EV doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the GV60 and Niro EV have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The GV60 has 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 Niro EV’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.

The GV60 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Niro EV doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The GV60 has standard Anti-Whiplash Front Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Anti-Whiplash Front Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Niro EV doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The GV60 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Niro EV doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The GV60 has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Niro EV only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the GV60 and the Niro EV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 driver alert monitors.

The Genesis GV60 weighs 975 to 1169 pounds more than the Kia Niro EV. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the GV60 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Niro EV has not been tested, yet.

The GV60’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Niro EV’s (7/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

Genesis pays for scheduled maintenance on the GV60 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Genesis will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Niro EV.

The GV60’s standard electric motors produces 113 more horsepower (314 vs. 201) and 155 lbs.-ft. more torque (446 vs. 291) than the Niro EV’s electric motor. The GV60 Performance’s optional electric motors produces 282 more horsepower (483 vs. 201) and 225 lbs.-ft. more torque (516 vs. 291) than the Niro EV’s electric motor.

As tested in Car and Driver the GV60 Performance is faster than the Kia Niro EV:

For better stopping power the GV60’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Niro EV:

The GV60 Performance’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 EV are solid, not vented.

The GV60 stops shorter than the Niro EV:

For better traction, the GV60 has larger tires than the Niro EV (255/45R20 vs. 215/55R17).

The GV60 Advance’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Niro EV’s standard 55 series tires. The GV60 Performance’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Niro EV’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GV60 Advance has standard 20-inch wheels. Only 17-inch wheels are available on the Niro EV. The GV60 Performance offers 21-inch wheels.

The GV60 offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Niro EV’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The GV60 has 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 EV doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GV60’s wheelbase is 7.2 inches longer than on the Niro EV (114.2 inches vs. 107 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the GV60 is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Niro EV.

The GV60 Performance handles at .85 G’s, while the Niro EV Wave pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The GV60 Performance executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Niro EV Wave (26.9 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

The GV60 uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Niro EV doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The GV60 has .8 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear legroom and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Niro EV.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the GV60’s rear seats recline. The Niro EV’s rear seats don’t recline.

The GV60 has a much larger cargo volume than the Niro EV with its rear seat up (24 vs. 22.8 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the GV60. The Niro EV doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The GV60 has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Niro EV has no towing capacity.

The GV60’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Niro EV’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Niro EV Wave’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the GV60 the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Niro EV can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The GV60’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Niro EV’s projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the GV60 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Niro EV doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The GV60’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Niro EV offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The GV60 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Niro EV.

The GV60 offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Niro EV.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the GV60 has a standard Smart Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Niro EV doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Genesis GV60, based on reliability, safety and performance.