Compare the2023 Kia NiroVS 2023 Jeep Renegade

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Niro are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Renegade doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Niro and Renegade have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Niro has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Renegade’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

The Niro’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Renegade doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Niro and the Renegade 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available front and rear parking sensors.

Warranty

The Niro comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Renegade’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Niro 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Jeep covers the Renegade. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Renegade ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Niro’s reliability 40 points higher than the Renegade.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 43 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 23rd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 56 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 19th.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Niro is faster than the Jeep Renegade:

	Niro	Renegade
Zero to 60 MPH	9.1 sec	9.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.9 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	81.9 MPH	78.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Niro gets better mileage than the Renegade:

		MPG
Niro
	1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/54 hwy
	Touring 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/45 hwy
Renegade
	1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
	Trailhawk 1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Niro’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Renegade doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Niro uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Renegade requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Niro has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Renegade. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Niro higher (7 out of 10) than the Jeep Renegade (6). This means the Niro produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Renegade every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Niro offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Renegade doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Niro stops much shorter than the Renegade:

	Niro	Renegade
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Niro’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Renegade Trailhawk’s standard 65 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Niro’s wheelbase is 5.9 inches longer than on the Renegade (107.1 inches vs. 101.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Niro is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Renegade.

The Niro SX handles at .84 G’s, while the Renegade Trailhawk pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Niro SX executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Renegade Trailhawk (27.9 seconds @ .59 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Niro’s turning circle is .5 feet tighter than the Renegade Trailhawk’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.3 feet). The Niro’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Renegade’s (34.8 feet vs. 36.3 feet).

Chassis

The Kia Niro may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 300 pounds less than the Jeep Renegade.

The design of the Kia Niro amounts to more than styling. The Niro has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Renegade (.36 to .37) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Niro get better fuel mileage.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Niro has standard flush composite headlights. The Renegade has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Passenger Space

The Niro has .3 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room, 4.7 inches more rear legroom, 1.1 inches more rear hip room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Renegade.

Cargo Capacity

The Niro has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Renegade with its rear seat up (22.8 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The Niro has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Renegade with its rear seat folded (63.7 vs. 50.8 cubic feet).

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

Servicing Ease

The Niro uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Renegade 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.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Niro SX, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Renegade doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Niro SX’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Renegade doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

On a hot day the Niro’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Renegade can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In addition to a parabolic reflector, optical-grade lenses in the Niro’s standard projector headlights precisely focus the beam, providing more even illumination of the road for better visibility and a sharp cut-off that prevents blinding oncoming drivers. The sharp cutoff allows the use of a stronger light. The Renegade’s standard uses a simple reflector to direct its standard headlights.

Consumer Reports rated the Niro’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Renegade’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Niro has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The Renegade only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

When the Niro SX is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Renegade’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Niro has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Renegade.

The Niro has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Renegade doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

Both the Niro and the Renegade offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Niro EX/SX/Touring has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Renegade doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Niro EX/SX/Touring has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Renegade doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Niro, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Renegade isn't recommended.

The Kia Niro outsold the Jeep Renegade by 1195 units during 2022.