Compare the2024 Acura ZDXVS 2024 Kia Niro EV

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Acura ZDX 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.

Both the ZDX and Niro EV have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The ZDX has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Niro EV’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Acura ZDX 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 ZDX offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Niro EV doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The ZDX Type S has a standard Surround Vision System 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 ZDX 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 and rear cross-path warning.

The Acura ZDX weighs 1700 to 2331 pounds more than the Kia Niro EV. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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

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

The ZDX A-Spec’s standard electric motor produces 157 more horsepower (358 vs. 201) and 136 lbs.-ft. more torque (324 vs. 188) than the Niro EV’s electric motor. The ZDX A-Spec AWD’s standard electric motors produces 289 more horsepower (490 vs. 201) and 249 lbs.-ft. more torque (437 vs. 188) than the Niro EV’s electric motor. The ZDX Type S’ standard electric motors produces 299 more horsepower (500 vs. 201) and 356 lbs.-ft. more torque (544 vs. 188) than the Niro EV’s electric motor.

The ZDX can travel longer on a full charge than the Niro EV on a full charge:

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

The ZDX’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.

For better traction, the ZDX has larger standard tires than the Niro EV (265/50R20 vs. 215/55R17). The ZDX Type S’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Niro EV (275/40R22 vs. 215/55R17).

The ZDX A-Spec’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Niro EV’s standard 55 series tires. The ZDX Type S’ tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Niro EV’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the ZDX A-Spec has standard 20-inch wheels. Only 17-inch wheels are available on the Niro EV. The ZDX Type S has standard 22-inch wheels.

The Acura ZDX’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Kia Niro EV only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The ZDX has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Niro EV doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires standard on the ZDX can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Niro EV doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

The ZDX offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Niro EV’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the ZDX’s wheelbase is 14.7 inches longer than on the Niro EV (121.8 inches vs. 107.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the ZDX is 4.3 inches wider in the front and 4.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Niro EV.

For greater off-road capability the ZDX has a 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Niro EV (7 vs. 5.9 inches), allowing the ZDX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The ZDX has 12.8 inches more front hip room, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, 2.5 inches more rear legroom, 13.6 inches more rear hip room and 2.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Niro EV.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the ZDX’s rear seats recline. The Niro EV’s rear seats don’t recline.

The ZDX has a much larger cargo volume than the Niro EV with its rear seat up (29.7 vs. 22.8 cubic feet).

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the ZDX’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Niro EV doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The ZDX has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The Niro EV has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the ZDX uses the Vehicle Stability Assist sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Niro EV doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Acura service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Acura 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 37% lower rating, Kia is ranked 26th.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Niro EV Wave, the ZDX Type S has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The ZDX’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.

The ZDX’s standard Keyless Access System allows you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the vehicle, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Smart Key standard on the Niro EV doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

The ZDX’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.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the ZDX to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Niro EV doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The ZDX 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 Niro EV.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the ZDX has a standard Adaptive 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.