Kia Niro EV and Kias reliability and warranty

[Nicolai]

Hi all,

I realize this is a T forum, but hoping anybody has some experience with Kia's reliability and warranty. 

I like the Corolla but would appreciate a car with a higher profile due to easier in and out access. Also, I'd really like an EV as I believe it's more future proof than the HSD and with the largest Battery, the EV range would be just fine for me. 

But does Kia provide good aftersales and do they truly honor the 7 year warranty or is it a mere marketing trick that, when scrutinized, reveals too many exceptions in comparison to the one offered with Toyotas. 

I've read that Kia paint is very soft so gets a lot of chips. Drivetrain reliability? Gearbox etc? 

Any experience appreciated! 

Thanks, 

 

 

[flash22]

7 year warranty attracts most buyers, to keep it you need serviced by an authorized dealer aka Kia stealership, As for the EV ask what the waiting time is on one 6-12 months depending on spec is about right, EV has come a long way but it still isn't matured enough, Hybrid is here to stay, Toyota's HSD is a proven system with some cars up in the 3-400k miles

 

Don't forget you will also need to factor in the cost of a home charger and any upgrades that are needed to your electrical supply on top of the £33-40K asking price (Less any Grant you may have it your country)

 

[Nicolai]

I always have my cars serviced at authorised dealers, so not an issue for me. I don't think any electrical upgrades will be needed. 

As I'll keep the car for 8 years, I figure 300 miles of EV are more promising than, say, 63 mpg in a hybrid would be 5 years from now.

Just wondering if Kias are as durable and reliable as the HSD. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Kia is (minority) owned by Hyundai, and engines, running, gear etc are commonly shared between the two. Additionally some models are/were effectively the same with cosmetic differences (eg different frontal treatment, etc) - the Rio is the same as the i20, the Venga was the same as the ix20, etc.

We've had three i20's from new. Our last 2015 i20 just had servicing from new over the 4.75 years we owned it - changed in March for a new 2020.

As regards paint, we've had no problem with soft paint on our Hyundais, certainly no better or worse than Toyota, and presume Kia's would be similar.

Servicing, as with any car under the new car warranty, may be carried out by a VAT registered garage under Block Exemption, but in this instance, think Kia are quite hot on whether correct parts and lubricants are used. Obviously servicing and service intervals may vary from country to country - eg in the UK service intervals are 12 months/10,000 miles, Europe 12 months/15,000km.

I'm sure neither Hyundai or Kia offer extended warranties, though, again, that may vary from country to country - so, for example, hybrid batteries would be covered for just the new car warranty period.

 

 

[stevecrvn]

I went from a Yaris into a  Hyundai i20 for 3 years .It was a diesel but was 100% reliable . We have gone back to a Yaris as I wanted a small hybrid and did find the i20 quite low. I general the Hyundai Dealer we used was fine , The servicing costs were about the same as Toyota but the dealer did not do lift to work etc when the I20 was in for servicing and if I wanted a Courtesy car had to book weeks in advance

[flash22]

63 in a hybrid is easy there are some Prius owners who see high 70's to low 80's on a regular basis, i get mid 50's in the winter and mid 60's-70's in the summer in my yaris

EV range say 300 is when its new it will drop 15-25% over 5+ years due to pack degradation

 

Have a watch of EVM on YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCigsK5EITQdgrY6f5qwRxkw

 

[Nicolai]

I have lot of 1-5 miles runs as my car is for a disabled driver. As you can Se, I've only manged 52 mpg over the life of the car due to loads of cold starts. 

I know that on longer runs, I can see 70s mpg. 

Also, the Prius is more aerodynamic than the Corolla, so it will have better mpg. 

[flash22]

Mine are on the low side as 90% are short journeys, It stays in eco most of the time too and use the top 1/4 of throttle pedal as well, coast up to junctions and let the car do the braking rather than hitting the brakes

in the uk we have ridc that lists things like access measurements there is also motability what is good for comparisons

 

https://www.ridc.org.uk/

https://www.motability.co.uk/

[Nicolai]

On 7/22/2020 at 10:01 PM, flash22 said:

Mine are on the low side as 90% are short journeys, It stays in eco most of the time too and use the top 1/4 of throttle pedal as well, coast up to junctions and let the car do the braking rather than hitting the brakes

in the uk we have ridc that lists things like access measurements there is also motability what is good for comparisons

 

https://www.ridc.org.uk/

https://www.motability.co.uk/

I take it, yours is a Prius then? A hybrid from the ground up, it's more efficient than the Corolla or Auris...

[flash22]

Nope a 2016 Yaris Hybrid - 1.5

[Nicolai]

19 minutes ago, flash22 said:

Nope a 2016 Yaris Hybrid - 1.5

Yeah, I see that now. Sorry.

[FROSTYBALLS]

5 hours ago, Nicolai said:

A hybrid from the ground up, it's more efficient than the Corolla or Auris...

The current Corolla and Prius share the same TNGA modular platform so that will have been designed as a hybrid from the ground up. Differences will probably be in the aerodynamics.

[Nicolai]

2 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

The current Corolla and Prius share the same TNGA modular platform so that will have been designed as a hybrid from the ground up. Differences will probably be in the aerodynamics.

Yeah, I'm referring to the better aerodynamics. 😀