Compare the2023 Kia Niro Plug-In HybridVS 2023 Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid

The Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the Niro Plug-In Hybrid and the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available front parking sensors.

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 Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 17th, 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 Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked third.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 4 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

The Niro Plug-In Hybrid 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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Niro Plug-In Hybrid SX’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s 55 series tires.

For better maneuverability, the Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s turning circle is 3.8 feet tighter than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

The Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 850 pounds less than the Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid.

The Niro Plug-In Hybrid is 8.3 inches shorter than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid, making the Niro Plug-In Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid amounts to more than styling. The Niro Plug-In Hybrid has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid (.33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Niro Plug-In Hybrid get better fuel mileage.

The Niro Plug-In Hybrid has .4 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom and .3 inches more rear legroom than the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid.

The Niro Plug-In Hybrid uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid 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.

The Niro Plug-In Hybrid offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Niro Plug-In Hybrid’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

When the Niro Plug-In Hybrid 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 Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.