Compare the2024 Mazda CX-30VS 2022 Kia Niro

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-30 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Kia Niro doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Mazda CX-30 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Niro doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus has standard Rear Smart Brake Support that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Niro doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The CX-30 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Niro doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus has a standard 360° View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Niro only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The CX-30 has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 CX-30 has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Smart Braking Support - Rear Crossing on the Turbo Premium Plus automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Niro LXS/LXS SE/Touring SE/EX Premium offers rear cross-path warning.

The CX-30 has standard E911 Automatic Emergency Notification, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to 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 CX-30 and the Niro have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda CX-30 is safer than the Kia Niro:

	CX-30	Niro
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26.7%	27%
Neck Stress	216 lbs.	291 lbs.
Neck Compression	18 lbs.	37 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	179	224
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	33.5%	80%
Neck Stress	172 lbs.	207 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 Mazda CX-30 is safer than the Kia Niro:

	CX-30	Niro
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	73	138
Hip Force	275 lbs.	342 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	60 G’s	77 G’s
Hip Force	525 lbs.	993 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	178	214
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	31 G’s
Hip Force	583 lbs.	712 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CX-30 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 72 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Niro has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The CX-30’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Niro runs out after 100,000 miles.

Reliability

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

Engine

The CX-30’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 52 more horsepower (191 vs. 139) than the Niro’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The CX-30’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 111 more horsepower (250 vs. 139) and 125 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 195) than the Niro’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda CX-30 4 cyl. is faster than the Kia Niro:

	CX-30	Niro
Zero to 60 MPH	7.8 sec	9.9 sec
Quarter Mile	16 sec	17.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88.3 MPH	80.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-30 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The Niro doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the CX-30’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Niro:

	CX-30	Niro
Front Rotors	11.6 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	10.4 inches	10.3 inches
Opt Rear Rotors	11.9 inches

The CX-30 stops much shorter than the Niro:

	CX-30	Niro
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	138 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	147 feet	152 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CX-30 has larger tires than the Niro (215/65R16 vs. 205/60R16).

The CX-30 has a standard 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; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The CX-30 has engine 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 doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The CX-30 2.5 S Premium handles at .83 G’s, while the Niro LXS pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The CX-30 2.5 S Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Niro LXS (27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The CX-30 has .9 inches more front hip room and 4.9 inches more rear hip room than the Niro.

Cargo Capacity

The CX-30 has a larger cargo volume than the Niro with its rear seat up (20.2 vs. 19.4 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the CX-30 Premium has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Niro doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the CX-30 Preferred/Carbon/Premium, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Niro doesn’t offer a memory system.

The CX-30 Premium has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Niro doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CX-30’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Niro’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The CX-30’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’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window closes automatically.

The CX-30’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 Niro’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The CX-30’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Niro’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the CX-30 Premium has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Niro doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The CX-30’s optional 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 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the CX-30 and the Niro offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the CX-30 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Niro doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Recommendations

The Mazda CX-30 outsold the Kia Niro by 84% during 2022.

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