Kia Niro EV - new owner in the U.S.

Hi. I purchased a Niro Premium EV in June. So far, I've had no issues with it and it's a fun car to drive. One thing my dealer has not provided me with (I don't think they know the answer and haven't been in a hurry to help me) is how I get the $7,500 tax break. I was able to find out the IRS Form that's needed, but I read something about needing a "Manufacturer's certification". I called Kia yesterday and after a lot of consultation, they told me that the information on my purchase is filed with the IRS. All I have to do is fill out Form 8936.

Does anybody know if this is true?

 

Just call the IRS and ask them. Just need to be prepared to hold on for a while. I am going to use the form I got from my dealer for the state of MD excise tax refund.

 

Just traded my 2016 Soul EV+ for a 2019 Niro Premium EV. So far so good. Range is fantastic and like everyone else I am getting much better than the EPA 239 miles. I do think I drive more steadily in an EV as I was getting over 100 miles in my Soul EV which had a 93 mile EPA range.
Had fun negotiating the price here in So Cal where the dealer started with a $5K premium. I got the car at MSRP and a great trade-in price for the Soul. Even got an additional $400 off when completing the paperwork based on my honorable discharge from US Navy. Not sure if that is a Kia thing or just the dealership.

I have been watching YouTube video reviews on the car and noticed that Doug Demuro and the Redline reviewer were road testing the very same car. You can see a weird hand written parking receipt in the center cubby hole in both reviews. I checked my cubby hole and I definitely didn't have that receipt.

 

FYI. We got a Niro EV EX trim from Wagner Kia in Shrewsbury MA for $37,000 in early July. That's several thousand under MSRP ($40,770) since it came with a heat pump and battery heater.

 

Just got Niro EV EX Premium. Sticker price. (FYI, we also have a Clarity PHEV.) We drove the equivalent Kona EV and the Niro twice each back-to-back. The two dealers were a few miles apart. Niro "won," obviously. A number of reasons. 1. We will have people ride in the back seat, which (for our needs) is significantly roomier than the Kona. 2. In order to get the goodies we desire, the Kona requires the top-end Ultimate build to be "equivalent" to the Niro, ends up same price and also gets the overly large and sticking out like a sore thumb 8" touchscreen. Yuk. 3. Kona more plastic-y and the center console is weird, even more weird than the Clarity. 4. You'd get used to it. The somewhat more sluggish ride of the Niro is also more gentle and controlled. Kona has cooler colors and trims, is sportier looking and sportier driving but that is not what we were after. If that's the desire, the Kona is an excellent choice. Just not for us. So, both excellent EV choices. One thing we learned is that our good 'ole AmazingE level 2 3.8 kw/h charger, fine for the Clarity is not adequate for the much bigger battery in the Niro. But then again I doubt we'd be recharging all that often!

 

We just bought a Kona EV a few months ago and looked at the Niro at the time. However, they only had the ICE version then and no ETA for the EV. So it's interesting to read your comparison, and don't disagree with most of it, except we do like the center under console storage space (good for fairly large items like umbrellas). But the Kona is definitely tight for back seat pax, though. If the Niro EV would have been available at that time, would have been a tough choice, and we might have leaned towards it as well.

We do love driving our Kona, though, and am really impressed with the high range and efficiency. I am sure your Niro will be similar in that respect, and you will be very happy with it.

 

Hi @laughingwell, thats an amazing deal you got!!
Would you mind sharing the price details for the NIRO EV from Wagner Kia - Any financing discounts, dealer discounts etc. Any negotiation tactics / tips would be helpful too.. Thanks!!

The $37K price you paid, was this before dealer fees?

 

So exciting! We just purchased as well.
Don't know if you or anyone around knows how to change the speedometer from miles to kilometers. We need to do that, and can't find anything stated in the owners manuals.

 

I ]purchased my premium trim in the SF Bay Area yesterday for $42,500, plus there is currently a manufacturer $1.5k financing rebate for some subset of Kias that I qualified for. I plan to pay down the loan as soon as that comes in.
I am quite excited.

 

On my kona, if I put the car in sports mode, I can see the speed in both kmh and mph. Might be the same on the niro as they are similar.

 

Which dealer did you end up buying from?

Thanks

 

I purchased from San Leandro Hyundai-Kia. I contacted 5 dealers told them exactly what I wanted and solicited bids with one second round opportunity to beat the lowest bid in the first round.

I did see that Stevens Creek was advertising premiums for $41,995 for Black Friday, but this price includes a $1500 financing rebate, so it is really $43,445 (a bit more since you will have to pay at least some interest on the loan before the rebate comes in and you can pay off the balance). Still a good deal.

Keep in mind, some dealers will sell at a loss if they are close to hitting the next tier of manufacturer-to-dealer incentives towards the end of the month. Given the reaction of some of them to the first round low bid, I suspect this is what happened.

 

Hey David - Can you clarify that you got $42,500 and then an additional $1500 for financing? Also curious what that came to OTD (IE did they tack on any other fees)? I've been negotiating for a few days now in the same area and I'm having trouble getting anyone below $48,300 OTD.

 

Yes. My OTD was $41,000 plus tax, titling and license fee (and I have my registration now so all that did indeed go to the DMV). There is also another $199 that was for some overpriced (IMO) theft protection insurance and another $199 for paint and interior protection. When I asked in the office, I was told this was standard on all cars on the lot to protect them until sale. Now that I scrutinize the paperwork I see the start date was 11/26 for those two items and also includes disclaimers that these were not required for purchase of the vehicle. Grrrr....so I am starting to think this was a crock of **** which pisses me off. Looks like I bought some form of underbody protection (rolls eyes).

[EDIT: Well, I wrote a careful email to the dealer in reply to a followup they send me a couple of days ago asking about this. I still have not replied to the Kia customer satisfaction survey and dealer incentives are tied to those results, so we will see how they respond.]

 

Thank you Dave, that was very helpful. Hasn't been easy to determine what a good price is, but happy to report I just drove home my premium today! Very happy with the purchase. Ultimately was able to get a local dealer down to $47,066 OTD before the $1500 financing rebate. And definitely got a hard sell on the extended warranty, battery conditioning service, etc. Car buying is the worst.

Thanks again.

 

Jason,
Try widening your search. I live in the East Bay and ended up going up to Santa Rosa to get under MSRP. Fantastic buy.
-Ed

 

That's still a good price.

I got the standard EX model for $41,163 after all taxes, fees, and manufacturer's rebate. Fortunately for me the dealer did not try to sell me on any sketchy add-ons. But it was one heck of a hard-sell on the extended warranty (which I declined).

After $800 PG&E rebate + $2,500 Clean Air Rebate + $7,500 tax credit, the car will end up being only a little over $30,000

 

Going to pick up an EX Premium tomorrow in Gravity Blue! Didn't really want to haggle and Kia of Oakland (my closest dealer) gave me a price over the phone of $44k which includes destination charge, all the interior/cargo carpeted mats, cargo cover, and wheel locks ($1560 off list price). Then, I get $2k off with financing (will pay off quickly) for a bottom line price of $42k before taxes and registration fees. Then, will get federal $7500 off plus PG&E $800 rebate. Final cost: $33,700 plus taxes and registration!