2019 Kia Niro
Electric Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Wagon
The 2019 Kia Niro is sold in the U.S. as a electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid wagon with 5 EPA-rated configurations. Its longest-range version, the Niro Electric, is EPA-rated at 239 miles with 112 MPGe combined efficiency. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 98 complaints, most often about power train. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Range | kWh/100mi | Charge (240V) | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niro Electric | Electric | FWD | 150 kW IPMSM | 123 | 102 | 112 MPGe | 239 mi | 30.0 | 9.5 h | $700 |
| Niro Plug-in Hybrid | Plug-in hybrid | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl + 32kW IPMSM | 48 | 44 | 46 (66 MPGe blended) | 26 mi electric | 32 | 2.2 h | $1,350 |
| Niro FE | Hybrid | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl + 240V Li-Ion | 52 | 49 | 50 | — | — | — | $1,250 |
| Niro | Hybrid | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl + 240V Li-Ion | 51 | 46 | 49 | — | — | — | $1,250 |
| Niro Touring | Hybrid | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl + 240V Li-Ion | 46 | 40 | 43 | — | — | — | $1,450 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
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Recalls (1)
Power Train
criticalProblem: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2022 Niro and 2018-2022 Niro Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. Fluid may leak into the printed circuit board inside the hydraulic clutch actuator, which can result in an engine compartment fire.
Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the hydraulic clutch actuator as necessary and install a new fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 29, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC276.
NHTSA investigations
Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds (closed)
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005
Owner complaints
98 complaints filed
5 involved a crash, 2 a fire, 3 injuries, 1 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2019: 5 · 2020: 8 · 2021: 10 · 2022: 12 · 2023: 17 · 2024: 22 · 2025: 12 · 2026: 12
Most-cited components
- Power Train — 38
- Electrical System — 22
- Engine — 16
- Service Brakes — 15
- Unknown Or Other — 13
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV FWD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 12% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Other Niro model years
2027 Niro
0 recalls · 0 complaints
A2026 Niro
0 recalls · 2 complaints
A2025 Niro
1 recalls · 19 complaints
B2024 Niro
2 recalls · 18 complaints
D2023 Niro
4 recalls · 65 complaints
D2022 Niro
3 recalls · 73 complaints
C2021 Niro
2 recalls · 12 complaints
D2020 Niro
3 recalls · 62 complaints
F2018 Niro
3 recalls · 71 complaints
F2017 Niro
5 recalls · 98 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 41060, 40863, 40788, 40786, 40787). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.