Kia e-Niro long-term test review: report 4
What's the first-ever electric winner of our Car of the Year title like to live with? We find out...
The car Kia e-Niro First Edition Run by Jim Holder, editorial director
Why it’s here To find out just how good the first fully electric What Car? Car of the Year really is
Needs to Do everything a conventional SUV can do, without compromises
Price £32,995 (after grant) Price as tested £33,560 Miles covered 5436 Official range 282 miles Test range 268 miles Options Premium paint (£565)
20 May – A comfortable, relaxed car to drive
If you describe a family SUV as riding and handling like a family SUV it sounds like you are damning it with faint praise, but for any electric car to be described as such – what with half a tonne of batteries in the boot unsettling conventional thinking – is quite an achievement.
And that’s exactly how I’d describe the Kia e-Niro: its driving manners are viceless, from the way it rides most bumps to the way it corners, it is comfortable and reassuring and only rarely unsettled or skittish. The only minor negative is the odd thump over bigger road imperfections, a legacy of that weight. Rivals including the Hyundai Kona do not have quite the same composure.
This matters not because I’m looking for hot hatch standards from an electric family SUV – heights the laws of physics ensure this car will never reach – but because it adds to the e-Niro’s allure as a family hatchback, giving the driver confidence (and thereby a more relaxing car to drive) and everyone on board a more comfortable journey.
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