Kia Niro

344 complaints across 4 scored model years and 6 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Kia Niro Full report

Grade 2017–2020

2017 vs model median 1.1×

Model median3× median

Body & Interior 6

Electrical 5

Drivetrain 4

Weakest

2017 · 2019

Best

2018 · 2020

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Kia Niro
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2017	1.09×	40	C
2018	0.91×	32	C
2019	1.17×	54	C
2020	0.72×	24	B
2022 P	1.56×	58	C
2023 P	2.47×	81	F
2024 P	0.77×	18	B
2025 P	0.73×	28	B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	49
City / Highway	53 / 45
Engine	1.6L, 4 cyl
Drive	Front-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$1,250

Recalls

6 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
23V534000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:CLUTCHES/BANDS:ACTUATORS/SOLENOIDS	2017–2022	121,411
23V298000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL	2023	108,936
25V024000	SEATS	2023–2025	80,255
18V666000	HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM	2017, 2018	27,030
22V836000	HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM	2017, 2018	27,030
18V257000	HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM	2017	27,029

Others in Compact Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura ILX	20142016	C
Audi A3	20152017	C
BMW 1 Series	none flagged	C
BMW I3	none flagged	C
Buick Verano	none flagged	C
Chevrolet Bolt EV	2017	C
Chevrolet Cobalt	none flagged	C
Chevrolet Cruze	20112012	C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2017 Niro

Complaints in window: 40
Severity-weighted: 61.5
Model median (weighted): 57
vs model median: 1.09×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 4
Open investigations: 0

Score 62.8 C