Compare the2024 Kia Niro EVVS 2023 Chevrolet Bolt

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Niro EV are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Bolt doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Niro EV Wave has standard Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Bolt doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Niro EV 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. A system to reveal vehicles in the Bolt’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Niro EV has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Bolt and the Bolt’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

The Niro EV’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 Bolt doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Niro EV and the Bolt have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available front parking sensors.

Warranty

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

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Niro EV 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Chevrolet covers the Bolt. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Bolt 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 EV’s reliability 33 points higher than the Bolt.

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 Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chevrolet is ranked 10th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 11 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

As tested in Car and Driver the Kia Niro EV is faster than the Chevrolet Bolt:

	Niro EV	Bolt
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	6.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94 MPH	92 MPH
Top Speed	106 MPH	93 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Niro EV has a standard locking charge port which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The Bolt doesn’t have a locking charge port. A locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Niro EV’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Bolt:

	Niro EV	Bolt
Front Rotors	12 inches	10.9 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	10.4 inches

The Niro EV stops much shorter than the Bolt:

	Niro EV	Bolt
70 to 0 MPH	175 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	143 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Kia Niro EV has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Chevrolet Bolt has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Niro EV has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Bolt’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Niro EV has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Niro EV flat and controlled during cornering. The Bolt’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Niro EV’s wheelbase is 4.7 inches longer than on the Bolt (107.1 inches vs. 102.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Niro EV is 2.8 inches wider in the front and 3.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Bolt.

The Niro EV Wave handles at .87 G’s, while the Bolt LT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Niro EV Wave executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Bolt (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

The front grille of the Niro EV uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Bolt doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Niro EV has 5.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Bolt (99.7 vs. 93.9).

The Niro EV has .4 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear legroom, 2.1 inches more rear hip room and 2.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Bolt.

Cargo Capacity

The Niro EV has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Bolt with its rear seat up (22.8 vs. 16.6 cubic feet). The Niro EV has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Bolt with its rear seat folded (63.7 vs. 57 cubic feet).

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

Servicing Ease

The Niro EV uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Bolt 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 EV Wave, 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 Bolt doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Niro EV Wave’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 Bolt doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Niro EV offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed 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 Bolt doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Niro EV Wave’s front power windows both open or close with one touch of the switches. The Bolt’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

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

The Niro EV’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 Bolt’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

When the Niro EV Wave 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 Bolt’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Niro EV has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Bolt. The Niro EV also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Bolt.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Niro EV Wave keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Bolt doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Niro EV’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Bolt doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Niro EV and the Bolt offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Niro EV has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Bolt 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 EV has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Bolt.

The Niro EV Wave 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 Bolt doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Niro EV Wave’s Smart Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Park Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Bolt doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

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

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