The Kia Niro EV won’t continue into the era of the EV3, EV4 and EV5. The automaker confirmed it’s dropping the older all-electric subcompact, despite having introduced a refreshed 2027 Niro just two months ago in South Korea. That new-look Niro will instead be available only as a straight hybrid variant, Kia having already confirmed earlier this year that it is killing the Niro PHEV after the 2026 model-year.
Kia has for years offered the Niro in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric configuration, making it a rarity on the market. But its very versatility made the Niro a bit of a compromise product. It is not, for example, built on Kia’s advanced E-GMP platform, which underpins the brand’s newer EVs. The Niro EV has a 64.8-kWh battery that helps deliver an output of 201 hp; official range is 407 km.
Kia Corporation VP Jung Won-jung characterized the Niro this week as a first step towards full electrification for the company. The coming of the far more advanced EV3 made the Niro’s EV version irrelevant.
That model was also priced less and less competitively; even within the Kia lineup, the 2026 edition of the subcompact is priced almost $2,000 higher than the larger EV5 compact SUV in Canada; the new EV3 subcompact SUV undercuts it by a whopping $7,000.
That redesigned 2027 Niro will thus come only with a 1.6L 4-cylinder straight hybrid powertrain, with output set at 141 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, working with a 6-speed auto transmission. Fuel consumption is quite stingy at 4.4L/100km and should keep the model relevant on the market.