I know this is a Niro forum so there might be some pro-Niro bias, but I nevertheless want to hear people's thoughts--especially anybody who considered both and ended up choosing a Niro. Comparing the Niro EX to SV+ w/ Tech Pkg, you've got similar features overall (e.g., power seat w/ lumbar support, adaptive cruise, etc) and moderately similar range (Niro wins by 10-15%). To me, the most noteworthy differences might be (1) Chademo vs CCS fast charging, (2) exterior styling/shape (especially of trunk space & volume), (3) active vs. passive battery cooling, and (4) reliability, which I think is a bit of a wildcard at this point for the Kia, whereas proven pretty solid with the Leaf. Am I missing any? Anybody care to speculate on how reliable the Niro EV will be over the years? Browsing both Leaf and Niro forums, I feel like I see more problems with the Niro, but that's just an impression based on eyeballing forums. Would value any input. BTW, at least in my area, an SV+ w/ Tech Package and a Niro EV EX are fairly comparable in price. If anything the Leaf is probably a little bit cheaper, but probably not enough to make it a factor in decision making.
My daughter has a Leaf+, I have a Niro SX. I have a large dog, the back of the Niro is comfortable for her. I like the seat coolers, regen paddles, great visibility and gear selector. I think you'll be fine either way.
I considered the Leaf, but no spare tire is just not OK. The Niro has a space for one...which I filled.
There is a dedicated space in the back under the storage lid that lifts up. See thread: Kia Niro EV Spare Tire Kit | Inside EVS Forum It is a compact spare, but there is a big difference between that and just a mostly useless can of gunk.
I got the dealer to discount the spare...having had blowouts in poor/no cell service areas, I would never get a car without a spare of some sort.
We own both a Leaf and a Niro. While we do like the Leaf as a commuter, but we no longer recommend purchase of the Leaf especially for those that want to roadtrip. CHAdeMO is on it's way out as a standard, even Nissan is replacing it with CCS Combo on their next EV (Ariya). Passive thermal battery management leads to much high degradation, even in moderate climates. While the cargo space is ample, it is also awkward - when you lay the seats down it is not flat and makes hauling many items very cumbersome. We do recommend our Niro. We have had a direct hand in selling about 10 of them now as we had the first one in our state (having driven 425ish miles to buy ours in a ZEV state). We use it as our travel/long distance vehicle and after 2 years of driving still find it to outperform our expectations. Unlike the Leaf, even with nearly the exact same mileage on them and much more frequent fast charging on the Niro it still shows no signs of degradation.
Looked at both, but no active battery thermal management on the leaf plus pushed me over to the Niro. Pro-pilot seems better kia's system. The Niro had better range numbers. Even now, Niro is still a good option. VW ID4 is bigger than I need, and they did a poor job on regeneration and efficiency. Hopefully kia will have some models at the $ 40,000 price level.
I leased a 2018 Leaf SL and after one year into the lease I traded it in for a 2019 Niro EV EX Premium. The Leaf was fine around town but the battery charging speed when the battery gets ( and it gets very hot) and the lack of CHAdeMO chargers along the highways make driving the Leaf a real challenge on long trips. In Texas it seems like going anywhere is a long trip so after a year I couldn’t wait to get into something with active thermal battery management and CCS charging. Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
I have a Nissan Leaf (2018) and I have plenty of juice for in-town. However I'v only been on a few road trips due to the range (170 in-town, 120 Hwy.) I'd love to have a range extender just for trips. Ideas?
Think you are going to have to plan your out of town recharge stops...don't think hauling around a generator is a viable solution. PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find a place to charge your car! is a good place to start. There are areas where there are lots of fast chargers, others, not so much.
