2025 Kia Niro SX Hybrid Review

Written By: Jerry Reynolds | Aug 12, 2025 11:30:13 AM

This week I am reviewing the 2025 Kia Niro hybrid compact SUV. Kia Niro has been around since 2017, but as of last year it became longer, wider, and taller than in the past. If you are looking for an incredibly fuel-efficient, comfortable small SUV that won’t break the bank, keep reading! Just to be clear, this is NOT a plug-in hybrid, it is a traditional gas/battery hybrid setup that works great. If you want a plug-in hybrid, or a full-electric Niro, those are offered as well, but there is no regular gasoline option in this SUV.

My review vehicle is the SX Touring trim, and of the six available hybrid levels, this is the top-of-the-line.

Exterior

The exterior looks are sharp and crisp in this Runway Red color.

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Wide black trim runs along the bottom of the Niro to offset the red between the front and rear wheels. I was glad to see the wide aero blade some of them have on the sides, toward the rear is gone, I just never really loved that.

Beautiful 18” alloy wheels and a rear spoiler really enhance the cool factor of the Niro along with its overall shape.

Performance

The 2025 Kia Niro’s hybrid system pairs a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with a 32-kW electric motor and a 1.32-kWh lithium-ion polymer battery, all managed by Kia’s hybrid control unit. In low-speed or light-load driving, the electric motor can power the car alone for short distances, drawing energy from the battery. Under heavier acceleration or higher speeds, the gasoline engine kicks in—sometimes working in tandem with the electric motor for extra power. Regenerative braking captures energy during deceleration and sends it back to the battery, reducing the need for engine power and improving efficiency. Power is routed through a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which gives the Niro a more conventional driving feel compared with hybrids that use CVTs. It has 139-horses but puts out 195 pound-feet of torque and this SUV is light, so getting up on the freeway is not a problem. On a straight stretch of highway with no cars around, I hit 100-miles per hour, just to see if it would. It did!

Interior

Inside, you find mostly recycled materials and a very uncluttered, clean interior. Seats are made from Vegan materials, and the center of the seats is made from eucalyptus leaves. One complaint is the large amount of gloss black materials on the doors and the center console, but you don’t get that on the lower trims. It is very difficult to keep clean and shows fingerprints very badly.

As you sit behind the steering wheel, there is a nice-sized digital gauge cluster that you can configure from the steering wheel. It will show you your battery strength, gasoline range, speed, speed limit where you are, and there is a tachometer. In the center, it will show you if you are running on hybrid mode, idle mode, and when the hybrid battery is being charged.

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On the steering wheel you can change drive modes from Eco to Sport. Moving to Sport will put you in all gasoline mode and it is a night and day difference in the amount of power. I stayed in Sport mode the entire week, seeking faster takeoffs and sacrificing the fuel economy.

Center dash is a 10.25” digital screen that handles the 7-speaker Harmon/Kardon sound system that has SiriusXM and HD radio, navigation, Bluetooth, and a lot more including Quiet Mode, which turns off rear speakers if there are sleeping children. There is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but they are not wireless.

The center console has 2 USB-A and 1 USB-C ports, a wireless phone charger, the T-handle gear shifter, and buttons to turn on the heated and cooled front seats, heated steering wheel, park assist, camera views, and auto hold, which I always love.

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Back seat room is exceptionally good for a compact SUV, both for head and legroom. Rear passengers get their own air conditioning vents and there are USB-C ports built into the back of the front seats. There is also a fold-down armrest with cup holders.

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In the rear, there is a very good amount of cargo, with more room underneath. If you need more, you can fold down the rear seats to access 63.7-cubic feet of floor space. The lift gate is power, always a nice touch, and not always something you find on compact non-luxury SUVs. Underneath the load floor, there is a tire repair kit instead of a spare.

Standard Features and Options

My tester came loaded with nice features. Besides what I already wrote about, you get remote start, power driver’s seat, a power sunroof, rearview camera, aluminum pedals, LED headlights and fog lights, dual zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, and parking distance warning.

Options are scant with floor mats, a cargo mat, and a cargo cover to hide valuables for $420, and the beautiful red paint runs $395.

Safety

On the safety side, you get automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist, forward collision avoidance, safe exit warning, rear cross traffic alert, and driver attention warning.

Ride and Drive

The Niro drives and handles great. There isn’t much road noise at all, and the Niro is not bouncy like many small SUVs. This is a very poised SUV, and it was quieter inside than many small SUVs in this class.

My biggest complaint: Niro uses a slim, touch-sensitive control panel beneath the infotainment screen that can toggle between climate control and infotainment shortcut functions. In climate mode, it displays temperature settings, fan speed, airflow direction, and seat heating/ventilation status, with physical rotary knobs at each end for adjusting temperature. Switching to infotainment mode changes those same knobs and touch points to control audio volume, tuning, and navigation shortcuts. I found this to be cumbersome. Twice I went to turn the radio volume up and made the air conditioning temperature rise to over 80-degrees. This is not a deal killer for me given the other attributes, but at best it is an annoyance.

MPG

The EPA fuel economy ratings are 53 in town, 45 on the highway, and 49 combined. I was in Sport mode the entire time and driving with a lead foot, as always, and still averaged 35.

There is something truly wonderful about filling a gas tank that only holds 11 gallons of regular unleaded and having 600 miles of range. In extended driving-part my miles and part another reviewer’s miles-it averaged over 40 miles per gallon.

Verdict

MSRP as equipped is $37,600 fully loaded, and today, that is just an outstanding value. It is comfortable, it has really nice features, and as always, you get an outstanding warranty with it. If you just want the bare basics, the LX trim starts under $27,000 before any discounts or incentives.