Compare the2023 Jaguar I-PaceVS 2023 Kia Niro EV

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Jaguar I-Pace 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 I-Pace and Niro EV have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The I-Pace 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 I-Pace 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 I-Pace offers an optional 360° Surround Camera 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 I-Pace and the Niro EV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 Jaguar I-Pace weighs 1063 pounds more than the Kia Niro EV. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The I-Pace’s corrosion warranty is 1 year and unlimited miles longer than the Niro EV’s (6/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

Jaguar pays for scheduled maintenance on the I-Pace for 5 years and 60,000 miles. Jaguar will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Niro EV.

The I-Pace’s electric motors produces 193 more horsepower (394 vs. 201) and 221 lbs.-ft. more torque (512 vs. 291) than the Niro EV’s electric motor.

As tested in Motor Trend the Jaguar I-Pace is faster than the Kia Niro EV:

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

The I-Pace’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 I-Pace stops much shorter than the Niro EV:

For better traction, the I-Pace has larger standard tires than the Niro EV (245/50R20 vs. 215/55R17). The I-Pace’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Niro EV (255/40R22 vs. 215/55R17).

The I-Pace’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Niro EV’s standard 55 series tires. The I-Pace’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Niro EV’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the I-Pace has standard 20-inch wheels. Only 17-inch wheels are available on the Niro EV. The I-Pace offers optional 22-inch wheels.

The I-Pace offers an optional 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 EV; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The front and rear suspension of the I-Pace uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Niro EV, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The I-Pace offers an optional 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 I-Pace has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The I-Pace’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Niro EV doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The I-Pace 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 EV doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the I-Pace’s wheelbase is 10.7 inches longer than on the Niro EV (117.7 inches vs. 107 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the I-Pace is 2.9 inches wider in the front and 3.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Niro EV.

The I-Pace HSE handles at .90 G’s, while the Niro EV Wave pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The I-Pace HSE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.5 seconds quicker than the Niro EV Wave (24.8 seconds @ .77 average G’s vs. 27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the I-Pace has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Niro EV (6.5 vs. 5.9 inches), allowing the I-Pace to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The I-Pace has a much larger cargo volume than the Niro EV with its rear seat up (25.3 vs. 22.8 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the I-Pace. The Niro EV doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The I-Pace has a 1653 lbs. towing capacity. The Niro EV has no towing capacity.

The I-Pace’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 I-Pace 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.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the I-Pace to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Niro EV doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The I-Pace’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.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The I-Pace offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Niro EV doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The I-Pace’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.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the I-Pace has a standard Adaptive 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.