Compare the2023 Ford Escape FHEVVS 2023 Kia Niro

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Escape FHEV 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 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Escape FHEV has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Niro doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Escape FHEV offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Niro doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Escape FHEV offers an optional 360-Degree Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Niro 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 Escape FHEV and the Niro 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, 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 available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Escape FHEV the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 177 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Niro has not been tested, yet.

The Escape FHEV’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Niro runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Ford dealers as there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escape FHEV’s warranty.

The Escape FHEV has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Niro doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

The Escape FHEV’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 61 more horsepower (200 vs. 139) than the Niro’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Ford Escape FHEV is faster than the Kia Niro:

The Escape FHEV has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Niro (14.3 vs. 11.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Escape FHEV has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Niro doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Escape FHEV higher (8 out of 10) than the Kia Niro (7). This means the Escape FHEV produces up to 5.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Niro every 15,000 miles.

The Escape FHEV has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Niro doesn’t offer a CVT.

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

The Escape FHEV stops shorter than the Niro:

For better traction, the Escape FHEV has larger tires than the Niro (225/65R17 vs. 205/60R16).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escape FHEV has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Niro. The Escape FHEV’s optional 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Niro Touring.

The Escape FHEV has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Niro; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Escape FHEV 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 doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Escape FHEV has .9 inches more front legroom, 9.8 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear hip room and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Niro.

The Escape FHEV has a much larger cargo volume than the Niro with its rear seat up (34.4 vs. 22.8 cubic feet).

The Escape FHEV has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Niro has no towing capacity.

The Escape FHEV can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Escape FHEV can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Niro can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Escape FHEV uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Niro doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Escape FHEV SEL/Titanium’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 SX’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Escape FHEV’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Niro doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Escape FHEV’s standard 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’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Ford Escape FHEV and the Kia Niro, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Ford Escape outsold the Kia Niro by almost five to one during 2022.