Compare the2023 Toyota Prius PrimeVS 2023 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Prius Prime 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 Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Prius Prime has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid 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 Prius Prime XSE Premium offers an optional Panoramic View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid 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 Prius Prime and the Niro Plug-In Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Prius Prime the rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 36 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid has not been tested, yet.

The Prius Prime’s 5-year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid runs out after 100,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Prius Prime for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Niro Plug-In Hybrid.

There are over 59 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Prius Prime’s warranty.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Kia is ranked 9th.

The Prius Prime’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 40 more horsepower (220 vs. 180) than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Prius Prime is faster than the Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid:

The Prius Prime can travel with zero emissions on electricity, only, on a full charge for 39 to 44 miles, up to 10% further than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid‘s -mile range on a full charge and a full tank of fuel. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid has to start its internal combustion engine after only 33 miles.

The Prius Prime 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 Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better stopping power the Prius Prime’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid:

The Prius Prime stops shorter than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Prius Prime SE has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX. The Prius Prime XSE’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid SX.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Prius Prime’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid (108.3 inches vs. 107.1 inches).

The Prius Prime XSE handles at .82 G’s, while the Niro Plug-In Hybrid EX pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Prius Prime has .9 inches more front legroom and 9.3 inches more front hip room than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid.

The Prius Prime has a larger cargo volume than the Niro Plug-In Hybrid with its rear seat up (20.3 vs. 19.4 cubic feet).

The Prius Prime’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 Plug-In Hybrid’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Niro Plug-In Hybrid SX’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

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

The Prius Prime has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Niro Plug-In Hybrid SX.

The Prius Prime 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 Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Toyota Prius outsold the Kia Niro by 28% during 2022.