Do You Want An Affordable And Efficient New Car? Maybe Just Buy A Kia Niro Hybrid

New cars have gotten unnecessarily expensive and this is keeping a lot of buyers on the sidelines. Given that new cars have an average transaction price approaching $50,000, it sometimes feels like there are no good deals to be had. That’s not entirely true. If you want an affordable, gas-sipping car and are a little unclear about what to buy, maybe just buy a Kia Niro Hybrid.

After the success of my “Maybe just buy a Dodge Charver V8” post, which encouraged those in the market who wanted something powerful and unusual to maybe try and get a big discount on a rare RWD sedan, I’ve decided to turn this into a recurring series. This is new so I’m still deciding the parameters and want your feedback. Overall, I think the goal will be to make car buying suggestions that aren’t entirely obvious.

Obviously, if you want a sports car, Miata Is Always The Answer. If you want a cheap and affordable car, the easy thing to do is just buy a nice and reliable Toyota Corolla. Do you think you need or, maybe, just want a crossover and don’t care about fuel economy? It’s hard to go wrong with the Chevrolet Trax.

And if you do want something a bit green? You could hardly go wronger with a Kia Niro or Kia Niro PHEV.

Reason #1: You Have The Choice Between A Regular Hybrid And A Plug-In One

Hyundai and Kia are joining the growing list of automakers who offer a vehicle in both plug-in (PHEV) and traditional flavor hybrid (HEV). That photo above is of the Kia Niro PHEV I drove earlier last year, plugged in at a Porsche Destination Charger.

If you can plug your vehicle in, the PHEV version offers 33 miles of pure-EV range from a small battery pack for about $36,000 for a base EX trim car. Combined, the PHEV gets a combined 47 MPG according to the EPA. If you want the regular HEV version (the Niro is only available as some kind of hybrid) you can expect to pay about $29,000 for an LX version, which gets a slightly better 49 MPG combined.

The car you want depends entirely on what your situation is. If you can plug your vehicle in where you live and, assuming an average commute, those 33 miles of EV range might be all you need. Bonus points if you can charge at work. Some employers now offer free EV charging (The Autopian does) and that’s a huge benefit right there.

If you can’t plug in easily at work or home there’s no reason to buy a PHEV. You’ll make up the savings versus a non-hybrid CUV of a similar size faster and you won’t be dragging along extra weight you don’t need. It’s still rare to be able to make the choice and it’s one of the better features of the Niro, which also comes in a pure EV version.

Reason #2: It’s A Lot Of Car For Not That Much Money

If you time it right, you might be able to get the affordable Toyota you want at something close to MSRP without waiting too long. Unfortunately, Toyota’s brand is so good right now and its cars so desirable that getting the car you want at the price you want within a reasonable time window is often difficult. I considered buying a Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid and started tracking deliveries/pricing online but eventually decided it wasn’t worth the effort.

According to Cars.com, there are about 600 Kia Niro Hybrid and 250 Kia Niro PHEVs for sale right now. That’s not a huge number of vehicles, but there are enough available nationwide that you should be able to find one nearby if you live in a decent-sized market. If not, buy it over the phone and have our friends at Nexus get it shipped to your place.

You can see the version I built online, which is the LX package model of the Niro Hybrid. I spent a little extra money (+395) for Runway Red, which brought the price to $28,760 delivered. You can pay a lot more and get an SX Touring model with bigger wheels and a slightly nicer interior if you like, though it’s not as good of a deal.

I also built an EX Niro PHEV and it was $36,465, including the great Mineral Blue paint (free!) and the cold-weather package ($600), which adds heated rear seats. These days, both cars are quite a good deal. This is a small crossover that can fit five people (four comfortably) and does everything you need basic transportation to do.

The PHEV version has 180 combined horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, which is enough to take it to an autocross track and not embarrass yourself. You’ll never feel slow unless your other car is a Mustang or Kia EV6. In the normal sub-30 mph, stop-and-go driving that makes up most of our lives the small electric motor helps get the Niro moving zestfully. The regular hybrid version is appreciably slower, with a 0-60 mph time in the high eight-second range, but that’s the price you pay for efficiency.

Both versions come with a dual-clutch six-speed instead of the ubiquitous CVT or eCVT and this gearbox makes the car feel better than a lot of the competition.

Reason #3: You’re Not Going To Feel Bad About Driving It

What Kia does better than almost any other automaker is making affordable cars feel nicer than you expect. A low-end Niro doesn’t seem appreciably worse than a high-end Telluride. How did Kia pull this off? The company hired some of the world’s best designers and let them build a cohesive design language that achieves a techno-cool look.

The Niro’s exterior has a dynamic presence with a lot of small details that aren’t expensive to produce and, yet, make the car seem more expensive than it actually is. The little chrome piece around the window, the complex headlight signature, and the thoughtful use of black plastic combine to make the Niro appear more premium than a vehicle like the rugged Subaru Crosstrek.

This is even more pronounced on the inside, where Kia makes a lowly Niro LX feel almost as nice as a Kia Telluride SX. I think the Kia Niro PHEV in EX trim stands up to the much more expensive Kia EV6 GT. There’s a little bit of a reliance on piano black plastics, which isn’t my favorite material, but it’s used sparingly enough that it isn’t super annoying.

Design is a front-loaded cost as a complex plastic mold isn’t dramatically more expensive to produce than a simple one, but it takes more time and attention to design. This is where Kia shines. The willingness to take the time to get a car’s design right is what makes a Kia worthwhile.

Reason #4: Kia Is A Good Automaker

There are still people who are surprised when I suggest they buy a Kia. The brand did start out as a highly-discounted Toyota alternative with products that weren’t always of the best quality. This stigma has persisted, even with buyers I’ve spoken with who admit the cars look great. The company did cut corners when it came to security, which is how we ended up with the Kia Boyz situation, and that’s understandably extended this perception.

I’ve now driven enough Kia products over enough miles to not have many concerns. Over thousands of miles, I can’t remember any issues and, in fact, most Kia products I’ve tried have felt as well-built as anything coming out of Japan. Will a Kia last as long as a comparable Toyota or Honda? It’s hard to say, but the 10-year-, 100,000-mile power warranty should ease some fears.

My parents have had a Kia Soul for almost a decade and have put over 170,000 miles on the vehicle, including multiple cross-country trips. The little Soul has never failed and somehow managed to get to cover this distance without needing any major maintenance. My dad just replaced the spark plugs and front wheel bearings.

If you’re like me, you probably get asked by people what they should buy all the time. If what they want is something that’s efficient, stylish, and affordable … maybe just tell them to buy a Kia Niro Hybrid?