Compare the2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5VS 2023 Kia Niro EV

Both the Ioniq 5 and Niro EV have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Ioniq 5 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 Ioniq 5 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 Ioniq 5 Limited 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 Ioniq 5 and the Niro EV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 driver alert monitors.

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 Ioniq 5 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 114 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Niro EV has not been tested, yet.

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

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ioniq 5 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Niro EV.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 9 places higher in reliability than Kia.

The Ioniq 5 Long Range’s optional electric motor produces 24 more horsepower (225 vs. 201) than the Niro EV’s electric motor. The Ioniq 5’s optional electric motors produces 119 more horsepower (320 vs. 201) and 155 lbs.-ft. more torque (446 vs. 291) than the Niro EV’s electric motor.

As tested in Car and Driver the Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric motors is faster than the Kia Niro EV:

The Ioniq 5 can travel longer on a full charge than the Niro EV on a full charge:

For better stopping power the Ioniq 5’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Niro EV:

The Ioniq 5 stops much shorter than the Niro EV:

For better traction, the Ioniq 5 has larger standard tires than the Niro EV (235/55R19 vs. 215/55R17). The Ioniq 5 Limited AWD’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Niro EV (255/45R20 vs. 215/55R17).

The Ioniq 5 Limited AWD’s 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 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Ioniq 5 has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 17-inch wheels are available on the Niro EV. The Ioniq 5 Limited AWD has standard 20-inch wheels.

The Ioniq 5 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 EV doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ioniq 5’s wheelbase is 11.1 inches longer than on the Niro EV (118.1 inches vs. 107 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Ioniq 5 is 2.6 inches wider in the front and 2.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Niro EV.

The Ioniq 5 Limited AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Niro EV Wave pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Ioniq 5 Limited AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Niro EV Wave (25.7 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Ioniq 5 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Niro EV (6.1 vs. 5.9 inches), allowing the Ioniq 5 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Ioniq 5 has 6.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Niro EV (106.5 vs. 99.7).

The Ioniq 5 has .2 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 2.5 inches more rear legroom, .9 inches more rear hip room and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Niro EV.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Ioniq 5’s rear seats recline. The Niro EV’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Ioniq 5 has a much larger cargo volume than the Niro EV with its rear seat up (27.2 vs. 22.8 cubic feet).

The Ioniq 5 offers up to a 2300 lbs. towing capacity. The Niro EV has no towing capacity.

The Ioniq 5’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 Ioniq 5 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Niro EV doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Ioniq 5 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 Hyundai Ioniq 5, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Hyundai Ioniq outsold the Kia Niro by 811 units during the 2022 model year.