Compare the2024 Toyota MiraiVS 2024 Kia Niro EV

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Mirai 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 EV doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Toyota Mirai 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 EV doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Mirai has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats (WIL), which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WIL system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Niro EV doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Mirai 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 EV 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 Mirai offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Niro EV 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 Mirai and the Niro EV 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Toyota Mirai weighs 534 to 614 pounds more than the Kia Niro EV. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Mirai for 3 years and 35000 miles. Toyota will pay for tire rotations, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Niro EV.

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 Mirai’s warranty.

The battery on the Mirai is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Mirai’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Niro EV’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Kia is ranked 10th.

The Mirai’s electric motor produces 33 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 188) than the Niro EV’s electric motor.

The Mirai can travel longer on a full tank of hydrogen than the Niro EV on a full charge:

The Mirai’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Niro EV are solid, not vented.

The Mirai stops much shorter than the Niro EV:

For better traction, the Mirai has larger standard tires than the Niro EV (235/55R19 vs. 215/55R17). The Mirai Limited’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Niro EV (245/45R20 vs. 215/55R17).

The Mirai Limited’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Niro EV’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Mirai has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 17-inch wheels are available on the Niro EV. The Mirai Limited offers optional 20-inch wheels.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Mirai’s wheelbase is 7.8 inches longer than on the Niro EV (114.9 inches vs. 107.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Mirai is 1.4 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than on the Niro EV.

The Mirai XLE handles at .84 G’s, while the Niro EV Wave pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Mirai has .7 inches more front legroom, 3.2 inches more front hip room, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room and .1 inches more rear hip room than the Niro EV.

With its sedan body style, valet key and remote trunk release lockout, the Mirai offers cargo security. The Niro EV’s sport utility bodystyle defeats cargo security.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Mirai. The Niro EV doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Niro EV Wave, the Mirai Limited has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster) and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Mirai’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 EV’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Niro EV Wave’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Mirai the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Niro EV can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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

A power rear sunshade and manual rear side window sunshades are standard in the Mirai Limited to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Niro EV doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

Standard air conditioned seats in the front and rear seats keep the Mirai Limited’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Niro EV doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Mirai has a standard Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Niro EV doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.