Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Renegade Limited offers optional Park Assist with Rear Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Niro doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
The Renegade has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Niro doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
The Renegade Limited offers optional ParkSense to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Niro doesn’t offer a front parking aid.
The Renegade has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Niro LXS/LXS SE/Touring SE/EX Premium offers a blind spot warning system.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Renegade has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Niro LXS/LXS SE/Touring SE/EX Premium has a rear cross-path warning system.
The Renegade has standard SiriusXM Guardian, 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 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 Renegade and the Niro have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes and daytime running lights.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Jeep Renegade is safer than the Kia Niro:
|
Renegade |
Niro |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
26% |
27% |
Neck Compression |
18 lbs. |
37 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
3 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
35% |
80% |
Neck Compression |
47 lbs. |
63 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Jeep Renegade is safer than the Kia Niro:
|
Renegade |
Niro |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Abdominal Force |
161 lbs. |
196 lbs. |
Hip Force |
328 lbs. |
342 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Hip Force |
625 lbs. |
712 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, its “Acceptable” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Renegade the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 184 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Niro has not been fully tested, yet.