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Kia Niro

Every model year 2017–2027: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

11 Model years 2017–2027

24 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

530 Complaints owner reports, all years

A^* Newest grade 2027 Safety Signal

2023 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2027 Niro →Which years to avoid Compare it

Kia Niro — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Kia Niro · Photo: Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Every Kia Niro model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2027	Hybrid	A^*	0	0	—	50 mpg
2026	Electric Plug-in hybrid Hybrid	A	0	2	★★★★☆	253 mi
2025	Electric Plug-in hybrid Hybrid	A	1	20	★★★★☆	253 mi
2024	Electric Hybrid	B	2	19	★★★★★	253 mi
2023	Electric Plug-in hybrid Hybrid	C	4	65	★★★★★	253 mi
2022	Electric Plug-in hybrid Hybrid	D	3	74	★★★★★	239 mi
2021	Electric Plug-in hybrid Hybrid	B	2	12	★★★★☆	239 mi
2020	Electric Plug-in hybrid Hybrid	C	3	63	★★★★☆	239 mi
2019	Electric Plug-in hybrid Hybrid	B	1	101	★★★★☆	239 mi
2018	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid	D	3	73	—	50 mpg
2017	Hybrid	F	5	101	—	50 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2023

On the filed record so far, the 2023 is the cleanest Niro year we hold, and the 2017 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2023	C	1.3	22
2019	B	0.1	14	1 critical
2021	B	0.4	2	1 critical
2020	C	0.5	10	1 critical
2022	D	0.8	18	2 critical
2018	D	0.4	9	3 critical
2017	F	0.6	11	4 critical

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2027: dropped electric, plug-in hybrid; best combined mpg 53 → 50; 4 → 1 EPA configurations
2025: added plug-in hybrid; 3 → 4 EPA configurations
2024: dropped plug-in hybrid; 4 → 3 EPA configurations
2023: best combined mpg 50 → 53; best range 239 → 253 mi; 5 → 4 EPA configurations
2019: added electric; 4 → 5 EPA configurations
2018: added plug-in hybrid; 3 → 4 EPA configurations

Compare

All Niro head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2027 Niro vs Subaru Outback · Compact SUV	Niro +11
2027 Niro vs Jeep Wrangler · Compact SUV	Niro +15.7
2027 Niro vs Honda CR-V · Compact SUV	Toss-up
2027 Niro vs Chevrolet Equinox · Compact SUV	Equinox +5.6
2027 Niro vs Tesla Model Y · Compact SUV	Model Y +21.8
2027 Niro vs Chevrolet Blazer · Compact SUV	Niro +8.3

In the studies

Source: computed from the same record, method on each page

Same trim, next model year · 2025 → 2026 +1.2% at the median across 6 matched trims The manufacturer’s announced MSRP for the 2026 Kia Niro against the same trim in 2025; the fleet moved +1.8% on 394 matched trims. Base trim $26,990 → $27,390. MSRP excludes destination; not a transaction price.

Common questions about the Kia Niro

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Kia Niro year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2023 Niro comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade C (76/100), 4 recalls and 65 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Kia Niro years should I avoid?

2017, 2018, 2022 have the weakest recall records in this range. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every Niro model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Kia Niro have?

Across model years 2017–2027, NHTSA has posted 24 recall campaigns for the Kia Niro. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.