Compare the2023 Hyundai NexoVS 2022 Kia Niro EV

The Nexo 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 rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Nexo has standard Blue Link, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Niro EV 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 Nexo and the Niro EV 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 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 Nexo its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 101 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Niro EV has not been fully tested, yet.

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

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 Nexo can travel longer on a full tank of hydrogen than the Niro EV on a full charge:

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

For better traction, the Nexo has larger standard tires than the Niro EV (225/60R17 vs. 215/55R17). The Nexo Limited’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Niro EV (245/45R19 vs. 215/55R17).

The Nexo Limited’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 Nexo Limited has standard 19-inch wheels. The Niro EV’s largest wheels are only 17-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Nexo’s wheelbase is 3.5 inches longer than on the Niro EV (109.8 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Nexo is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Niro EV.

The Nexo has 4.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Niro EV (101.3 vs. 96.6).

The Nexo has .3 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 2.6 inches more rear legroom, 5.2 inches more rear hip room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Niro EV.

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

The Nexo has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Niro EV with its rear seat up (29.6 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The Nexo has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Niro EV with its rear seat folded (56.5 vs. 53 cubic feet).

The Nexo’s cargo area is larger than the Niro EV’s in almost every dimension:

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Nexo Limited’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Nexo’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The Niro EV doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

The Nexo uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Niro EV uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Nexo Limited’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Niro EV’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Nexo’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.

The Nexo’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Niro EV doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

The Nexo has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Niro EV doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Nexo Limited’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Niro EV doesn’t offer an automated parking system.