FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2021 Kia e-Niro EV SUV

How big is the boot of the 2021 Kia Niro EV (e-Niro)?

I was surprised by the size of the boot of the Kia e-Niro and it is really deep. From empty, I could fit 10 shopping bags in there, when compared to the Hyundai Kona Electric which holds 9 shopping bags, the Kia Sportage which holds 13 and the Volvo XC40 T5 Recharge PHEV which holds 12.

There is a lot of space below the retractable roller blind which may be lost in the PHEV and HEV variants because their boot floor is higher due to a sub battery being stored under the boot floor space. This is also why they come with only a puncture repair kit rather than a space-saver spare tyre. The charging leads are also stored under the boot floor in the EV.

The twin stroller fits in the boot of the Kia Niro EV with two shopping bags.

The tandem stroller fits into the Kia e-Niro boot with four shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

The single stroller fits with four shopping bags beside it.

The compact stroller fitted with eight shopping bags beside it.

Or you could fit a medium-sized dog in the boot of the Kia e-Niro.

I like that the boot of the e-Niro has a retractable roller blind rather than a parcel shelf, so you don't have to remove the parcel shelf and store it somewhere every time you want to carry something larger in the boot.

The boot floor is carpeted but a little bumpy, though it would be fine for an emergency nappy change if you could reach over the dip!

There is a plastic storage box on the right-hand side behind the wheel arch.

How good is storage inside the 2021 Kia Niro EV (e-Niro)?

Storage in the cabin of the Kia e-Niro is good, in the front there is a large storage area in the central console where there are two cup holders that roll out and you can retract too. They will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup and a large refillable water bottle fits in them too.

Behind them, the central console storage box is quite small and has a 12V socket inside.

The glove box is practical in size and it would hold my wallet and iPad with the manual.

The central console in the e-Niro is strikingly shaped to have a shelf lower down, which is great for holding your handbag.

There is a phone charging shelf in the dash with two USBs and a 12V socket.

The door bins in the front will hold a large refillable water bottle and an iPad easily fits in them too.

There is a lined glasses case in the ceiling and mirrors in both lit front visors.

In the back, the door bins are a fair bit smaller but will still hold a large refillable water bottle.

There is a single net map pockets on the back of the front passenger seat that will hold but not conceal an iPad.

In a fold-down armrest in the central seatback are two cup holders. They will hold a disposable or reusable coffee cup or a large refillable water bottle fits in them also.

How noisy is the 2021 Kia Niro EV (e-Niro)?

Being a fully electric SUV, the 2021 Kia e-Niro is a lovely quiet BabyDrive. The electric motor means it starts silently and then there is a whale song/ice cream van sound when you are at low speeds (under 25km/h). In the short time I had with the Kia e-Niro I found it a smooth drive and the cabin felt spacious and comfortable. I will have a more thorough test in a few weeks time when I drive the Kia Niro PHEV model.

You can watch the energy flow in the driver display screen. On the left, you can see your range remaining in the battery. The Kia e-Niro shares a lot of its technology with the Hyundai Kona electric which we loved using with our family but found it a little small to be our main family car. We found the Hyundai Kona EV did around 480km on a full battery which is likely to be a little bit more than the Kia Niro EV because of the difference in size.

The media screen in the Kia e-Niro also has controls for the EV system.

You can set a time for charging as well as the air-con temperature too, so you can have the car cooled down or warmed up using mains electricity while it's plugged in, saving as much battery as possible for your journey.

It also shows where your nearest charging stations are and what type of charger they have. Kia says the Niro EV can charge from empty to 80% in less than an hour if you use a 100kW fast charger. You'd not let get it that low in reality and we found that the Kona would be good to go after about 45 minutes of charging on a road trip, which after 400km is high time for the kids to stretch their legs anyway!

The media system in the Kia e-Niro is very simple to use. Like most recent Kia models I've reviewed, such as the Carnival, it has ‘voice memo' system to record your voice (excellent for keeping those cute in-car conversations with your children forever).

The Kia Niro EV S I tested has a 8-inch screen. The more expensive Sport models come with an 10.25-inch screen and ‘Sounds of Nature' which is fantastic white noise at your finger tips!

All models have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can access Spotify or ABC Kids Listen App for example, or whatever your children listen to on journeys in the car.

You can control the climate through the media screen also.

One of my favourite functions in the Kia e-Niro is the ‘Driver only' button so you only have aircon on the driver's seat area, to save battery when you are in the car on your own. You can also use the climate controls on the dash.

The reversing camera image is great, it is a clear image.

You can turn the parking sensors off with a button in the central console.

The Kia e-Niro makes a low whale song sound when reversing so people surrounding can hear it moving. The sound is melodic and wouldn't disturb any little passengers.

The indicators are nice and quiet in the Kia Niro EV and wouldn’t disturb a sleeping baby.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

There are buttons in the driver's door control panel that lock the doors and windows and I found both the doors and windows are really nice and quiet and would not disturb small sleeping passengers when opening and closing them.

Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!

I LOVE that I can sit with the aircon running while my kids are napping in the e-Niro and not be burning through fuel, as well as being nice and quiet without an engine running and polluting the local area.

There is a seatbelt removal alarm and a really good visual on the dash that lets you know exactly which passenger has removed their seatbelt in the rear seats.

How many child seats fit in the 2021 Kia Niro EV (e-Niro)?

I'm excited to say the Kia e-Niro EV fits three child seats across! WOOP WOOP!! This little electric SUV gets better and better!!

There are top tether anchorages on the back of all three seatbacks, they are all clearly labelled and within plastic guides and are easily accessible through the boot.

There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats. They are not within plastic guides but I found them nice and easy to connect to.

Legroom is very good in the Kia Niro EV. We found a 186cm driver could sit in front of a rear-facing child seat or a 186cm passenger could sit behind a similar-sized driver. So you know your teenagers will fit as well as your infants and toddlers!

This was just a sneak peek at the new 2021 Kia e-Niro so I didn't get to do my full BabyDrive testing using my own children! So I will have to see how it fares with them when I test the Kia Niro PHEV in a few weeks time.

How comfortable is the 2021 Kia e-Niro? And How good is the 2021 Kia Niro EV to drive?

In the front of the 2021 Kia e-Niro EV, the seats are very comfortable, they are black/grey leather with minimal fuss in the S model I tested.

For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the rear seats are comfortable too.

There is a low hump in the central footwell, although it is easy to straddle with your feet.

For the first year of my baby’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Bub so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The steering wheel was fully adjustable in/out and up/down.

Cruise controls are on the right on the steering wheel and are nice and simple to use, I will test accuracy when I have some time with the PHEV model.

There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two central ones underneath the media screen and one at either end of the dashboard.

There are also air vents in the back of the central console box for rear passengers as well, I could reach those to adjust them while driving.

You can control the aircon and climate with controls on the dashboard…

…as well as digital controls in the media screen…

…for when you set the climate control to run when the e-Niro is charging and save as much battery as possible for your journey.

The rear interior lights are located centrally in the ceiling but a little too far back to reach them from the driver's seat while driving!

I have found my babies do not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.

Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!

It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

There are handles above both the rear doors to hang a child's toy from.

Visibility in the Kia e-Niro is good, I didn't encounter any problems with visibility in my quick test driving, however, I will get a better sense in a few weeks time when I have child seats and my family on board.

Aesthetically the Kia Niro EV looks and feels like a modern SUV, it doesn't look spaceship-like or futuristic like some electric cars.

The closed in front grille with the charging point flap differentiates the Niro EV model from the HV and PHEV which both have a normal mesh grille.

I am super excited by how practical Kia e-Niro is for families. For a family of four or five the Niro EV would serve as a comfortable, practical and relatively affordable electric car. I am very excited to test this further with my family soon in the Kia Niro PHEV model.

How safe is the 2021 Kia Niro EV (e-Niro)?

The Kia Niro HEV and PHEV models scored a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating in 2016, scoring a total of 91% or adult occupancy and 80% for child occupancy. which Kia is using for Australia but they will not be locally testing the EV model.

Seven airbags come as standard, including driver’s knee airbag as well as dual frontal airbags and front side airbags and side head curtain airbags for the front and the rear side passengers.

As standard, all models of the 2021 Kia e-Niro come with anti-lock braking system (ABS) with EBD & BA, electronic stability control (ESC) with traction control, hill-start assist control (HAC), vehicle stability management (VSM), autonomous emergency brake (AEB), forward collision warning system (FCWS) – car, pedestrian, cyclist, lane-keeping assist (LKA), lane following assist (LFA), driver attention alert (DAA) with lead vehicle departure alert, manual speed limit assist, dusk-sensing automatic headlights, LED daytime running lights, rear occupant alert, tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and impact sensing auto door unlocking.

The Sport models come with blind-spot detection (BSD) with rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), LED headlights (Projection Type), halogen projection front fog lights, high beam assist (HBA) and auto-dimming rearview mirror.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!