Compare the2025 Kia NiroVS 2025 Buick Envista

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
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 and rear seat shoulder belts of the Kia Niro have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Buick Envista doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Niro 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 Buick Envista doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Kia Niro 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 Envista doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Niro EX/SX 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 Envista doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Niro’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Envista doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

The Niro EX/SX has standard Parking Distance Warning to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or, optionally, in front of the vehicle. The Envista doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

The Niro 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 and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Envista’s blind spot costs extra.

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

The Niro’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 Envista doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Niro and the Envista have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and rearview cameras.

Warranty

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

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Niro 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Buick covers the Envista. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Envista ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Niro’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Envista’s camshafts. If the Envista’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Buick vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Buick is ranked fifth.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Buick vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 2 places higher in reliability than Buick.

Engine

The Niro’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 2 more horsepower (139 vs. 137) and 33 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 162) than the Envista’s 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Niro is faster than the Buick Envista:

	Niro	Envista
Zero to 60 MPH	9.1 sec	9.4 sec
Quarter Mile	16.9 sec	17.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	81.9 MPH	80.2 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Niro gets better mileage than the Envista:

		MPG
Niro
	1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/54 hwy
	Touring 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/45 hwy
Envista
	1.2 turbo 3-cyl.	28 city/32 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Niro’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Envista doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Niro has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Envista. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

The Niro 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 Envista doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Niro stops shorter than the Envista:

	Niro	Envista
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Kia Niro 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 Buick Envista has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Niro’s wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than on the Envista (107.1 inches vs. 106 inches).

The Niro SX handles at .84 G’s, while the Envista Sport Touring pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Niro SX executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Envista Sport Touring (27.9 seconds @ .59 average G’s vs. 28.5 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Niro’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Envista’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Niro’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Envista w/18-19” Wheels’ (34.8 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

Chassis

The Niro is 8.6 inches shorter than the Envista, making the Niro easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Niro has 7.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Envista (105.1 vs. 97.5).

The Niro has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front hip room, .2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear headroom, 1.1 inches more rear legroom, 7.2 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Envista.

Cargo Capacity

The Niro has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Envista with its rear seat up (22.8 vs. 20.7 cubic feet). The Niro has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Envista with its rear seat folded (63.7 vs. 42 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Niro’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Envista doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

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

The Niro SX’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 Envista doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Niro’s standard driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Envista’s power windows’ switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully. The Niro SX’s front power windows both open or close with one touch of the switches.

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

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Niro has a standard rear wiper. The Envista doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

When the Niro 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 Envista’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

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

The Niro’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 Envista doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Niro and the Envista offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Niro EX/SX has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Envista doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

With standard voice command, the Niro SX/EX offers the driver hands free control of the radio, climate controls and the navigation computer by simply speaking. The Envista doesn’t offer a voice control system.

Compared to the Buick Envista, the Kia Niro eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Niro, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Kia Niro outsold the Buick Envista by almost three to one during 2023.

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