The 2025 Kia Niro is sold in the U.S. as an electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid compact SUV with 4 EPA-rated configurations. Its longest-range version, the Niro Electric, is EPA-rated at 253 miles with 113 MPGe combined efficiency. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 20 complaints, most often about the electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall. Manufacturer pricing runs from $26,990 to $44,600 across 9 trims.
MSRP excludes destination. Open a trim for the complete spec sheet and standard/optional equipment. Have the car in front of you? Decode its VIN to see which of these trims it is and what it was priced at.
Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
Configuration
Powertrain
Drive
Engine / motor
City
Hwy
Comb
Range
kWh/100mi
Charge (240V)
Annual fuel*
Niro Electric
Electric
FWD
150 kW PMSM (IPM)
126
101
113 MPGe
253 mi
30
7.5 h
$700
Niro Plug-in Hybrid
Plug-in hybrid
FWD
1.6L 4-cyl + 62 kW AC PMSM
49
47
48 (73 MPGe blended)
33 mi electric
31
2.8 h
$1,400
Niro FE
Hybrid
FWD
1.6L 4-cyl + 240V Li-Ion
53
54
53
—
—
—
$1,250
Niro
Hybrid
FWD
1.6L 4-cyl + 240V Li-Ion
53
45
49
—
—
—
$1,350
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 48370, 48666, 48067, 48066.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates
Configuration
Smog rating
Emission standard
Where it can be sold new
SmartWay
Niro Electric
10 / 10
Federal Tier 3 Bin 0 / California ZEV
All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards
SmartWay Elite
Niro, Niro FE, Niro Plug-in Hybrid
6 / 10
Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 / California LEV-III SULEV30
All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards
SmartWay
Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.
The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.
Insurers price the 2025 Niro very differently, and the gap between the best and worst quote on the same car and driver is usually larger than any option you are weighing on this page.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (1)
Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high
Electrical System
SC332
80,255 vehicles85% reported repaired
ProblemKia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Niro EV, Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and Hybrid vehicles.The floor wiring assembly beneath the front passenger seat may become damaged, which can prevent the front air bags and seat belts from deploying properly or cause an unintended side curtain air bag deployment.RiskAir bags and seat belts that deploy improperly or an air bag deploying unintentionally can increase the risk of injury in a crash.FixDealers will inspect, replace and reroute the floor wiring assembly, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, dealers will install wiring covers. Owner notification letters were mailed February 27, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC332.
These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.
Whether any of this applies to one specific Niro
A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2025 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Kia publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.
The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2025 Kia Niro, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
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Parts & accessories for the 2025 Kia Niro
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
2 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported
6.9 per 10,000 built · Kia reported 28,790 Niro built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)
Filed per year: 2025: 8 · 2026: 12
Most-cited components
Unspecified9
Electrical System5
Forward Collision Avoidance3
Suspension3
Engine2
Seats1
In owners' own words
Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.
I was slowly driving in the parking lot of the Meadowmeer Golf course on today, Monday XXX at about 11:30AM. As I began the turn to pull into a parking space, at about 5 miles an hour, the car rapidly and unexpectedly accelerated. I immediately slammed on the brakes, leaving skid marks on the payment.
Vehicle Speed ControlAug 17, 2026NHTSA owner report · ODI 11757547
Transmission was replaced but then completely shut down as I was making a right turn. Multiple indicators on dash went off and safety errors kept scrolling across dash. Vehicle then wouldn’t shift at all. TCM was replaced but vehicle has high RPMs at low speeds. Has been at the dealership now for over 90 days
Electrical SystemJun 17, 2026NHTSA owner report · ODI 11744906
The vehicle began shaking violently on the Florida Turnpike, and the factory-installed tire completely separated from the factory rim at highway speeds. This was a life-threatening equipment failure on a brand-new vehicle fully covered under Kia’s 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty.
TiresAug 14, 2026NHTSA owner report · ODI 11757072
Finally got car back from previous repairs and it was making a loud groaning noise all the time. Took it back to dealership and they said they had to repair the rack and pinion system and the gears were shredded. Employee says they now have another niro with the same problem as my original symptoms when transmission was replaced twice.
SuspensionJul 23, 2026NHTSA owner report · ODI 11752437
The contact leased a 2025 Kia Niro. The contact was stopped at a traffic light during the night. When the light changed, the contact was partially turning when the other vehicle slammed into the contact's vehicle. No injuries were reported. The contact stated that the front collision sensor failed.
I visited Car Pros Kia Tacoma for a wheel alignment on my 2025 Kia Niro EV. After the service, I was told the alignment was completed correctly and I was given a printout showing all values in the green. However, the vehicle did not feel stable or safe to drive afterward. The steering felt off, and the car did not track straight.
SteeringFeb 24, 2026NHTSA owner report · ODI 11720308
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
Source: NHTSA NCAP
Configuration
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Rollover risk
SUV FWD
★★★★☆
★★★★☆
★★★★★
★★★★☆
12%
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications
Communicationsfiled with NHTSA38
Most recentmanufacturer date2026-08-28
Kindsas classified by NHTSA24 service bulletins, 12 service campaigns, 2 others
Most often about: Visibility/Wiper, Electrical System, Power Train, Structure, Back Over Prevention.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR – ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the partial repair of the Air Conditioning (A/C) compressor assembly on some 2011MY~ Optima Hybrid (TF HEV, JF HEV/PHEV), 2015MY~
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN GEN 5.0 WIDE SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin provides information on the Audio Video Navigation (AVN) system software update for certain vehicles equipped with AVN5W and Navigation System listed in the table below. Affected vehicles may overestimate travel times during route calculation.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE. KIA. COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable Kia vehicles using the Kia Navigation Updater available at update.kia.com. The software update may improve system performance, enhance existing features, and apply the latest operating software for sup
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN5.0W DTC P17A000 DAIGNOSTIC PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information regarding a potential illuminated Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) accompanied by DTC P17A000 on some 2022-2025MY Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) equipped with AVN5.0Wide head units listed below. This condition occurs when the Global Positioning Syste
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: INCORRECT AMOUNT OF AIR CONDITIONING REFRIGERANT (SC358) - This bulletin provides information regarding an incorrect amount of air conditioning refrigerant in certain 2025MY Niro EV, HEV, and PHEV (SG2 P/HEV, SG2 EV) vehicles manufactured between September 2, 2024 and May 19, 2025. During assembly, the affected vehicles may have been produced with the incorrect amount o
PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal transmission and reception times between the vehicle (ultrasonic sensor) and an object. The membrane
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: AVN SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR OTA INSTALLATION (SA619) - This bulletin provides the procedure to install the Over-The-Air ‘OTA’ feature on the Audio Video Navigation ‘AVN’ head unit on certain 2025MY Niro PHEV (SG2 PHEV) vehicles produced from June 21, 2024 through April 09, 2025. Over-the-Air Software Updates mark a significant transformation in how Kia owner
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: RIGHT FRONT BODY PANEL SEALANT APPLICATION (SA607) - This bulletin provides instructions to add body sealant to the right front panel seam area, which may not have sufficient sealant applied during assembly on certain 2025MY Niro HEV, PHEV, and EV (SG2 P/HEV, EV) vehicles produced between October 31, 2024, and December 13, 2024. The affected vehicles may
A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.
At the New York inspection station
Source: New York State DMV
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2025 Kia Niro failed the safety inspection on 0.24% of first inspections — lower than the 0.36% for every 2025 model-year vehicle inspected.
New York inspections0.24%
failed the safety inspection
850 initial inspections of 843 vehicles.
Measure
The 2025 Niro
Every 2025 vehicle
Behind it
Failed the safety inspection
0.24%
0.36%
850
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit
0.12%
0.16%
850
Miles driven a year
7,760
8,354
odometer at inspection
Average odometer
11,476
12,194
odometer at inspection
Electric vehicles get no emissions test in New York, so the safety inspection is the record here. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2025 vehicle” is every 2025 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).
Manufacturer pricing runs from $26,990 for the LX FWD to $44,600 for the Niro EV Wave FWD, across 9 trims. Those are MSRPs from the manufacturer's own press material; they exclude destination, options, taxes and whatever the dealer adds. Every trim and price is listed above.
Does the 2025 Kia Niro have any recalls?
NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2025 Kia Niro. The most serious on file is 25V024000, covering Electrical System. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.
How safe is the 2025 Kia Niro?
NHTSA gave the 2025 Kia Niro 4 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it A (92/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2025 Kia Niro?
Across the 4 EPA-rated configurations of the 2025 Kia Niro, the best EPA combined figure is 53 mpg (MPGe on the electrified versions) and the longest EPA range is 253 miles on a charge. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What do owners complain about on the 2025 Kia Niro?
Owners have filed 20 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Kia Niro, most often about unspecified, electrical system, forward collision avoidance. Of those, 2 involved a crash. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.
How clean is the 2025 Kia Niro?
The EPA smog rating for the 2025 Kia Niro runs 6 to 10 out of 10 across its configurations. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III SULEV30, California ZEV, Federal Tier 3 Bin 0, Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2025 Kia Niro?
The manufacturer has filed 38 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2025 Kia Niro, most often covering visibility/wiper, electrical system, power train. The most recent is dated 2026-08-28. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.
How does the 2025 Kia Niro do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2025 Kia Niro failed the safety inspection on 0.24% of first inspections — lower than the 0.36% for every 2025 model-year vehicle inspected. The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.
Which 2025 Kia Niro trim is the best value?
$17,610 separates the cheapest of the 9 trims from the most expensive, so the answer depends on which of the differences you would actually use. Every trim has its own page here with the manufacturer's full specification and equipment list, plus a short summary of exactly what it adds over the base trim — worth reading before a dealer frames the walk-up for you. The trim-by-trim ladder shows what every step up costs and what it makes standard.
What we hold, and what an empty row means
Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.
Data
Held
Source
What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations
4 configurations
EPA certification records
Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates
4 configurations
EPA emission certificates
Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls
1
NHTSA recall campaigns
A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints
20
NHTSA complaint database
Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings
1 tested
NHTSA NCAP
Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins
38
NHTSA manufacturer communications
Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations
none
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports
none
NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01
No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA
none
NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns
We had no VIN pattern to decode for this model year, or the manufacturer filed nothing usable.
Trims, pricing & equipment
9 trims
Manufacturer press kit
Transcribed from the manufacturer's own press material, every value carrying the document it came from.
Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.
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). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly. Trim-level specifications and pricing are transcribed from the manufacturer's official press kit; every value carries its source in the data file.
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