Latest news with #Niro
Miami Herald
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
5 Best EV Lease Deals of 2025: Kia, Tesla, BMW, and Hyundai Under $500
You don't have to be rich to drive electric anymore. With federal tax credits evaporating by the end of September, carmakers are doing what governments won't: making EVs accessible. But not with boring government forms. With actual lease deals - real numbers on real cars, often cheaper than gas equivalents. The $7,500 federal credit, originally set to last through 2032, now sunsets early on September 30, 2025, due to budget reconciliation changes. But thanks to a leasing loophole, manufacturers can still apply it upfront - on cars that wouldn't otherwise qualify. This is not a drill. This is your moment. EPA-rated at 253 miles and riding on a 64.8 kWh battery, the Niro EV feels more like a midsize crossover than a budget eco-pod. Front-wheel drive, solid regen braking, and an honest layout make it a no-fuss, all-function urban runner. The cabin? More IKEA than Apple Store, but that's fine-this deal is about substance. Right now, several California dealers are quoting under $130/month with modest drive-offs. That's cheaper than most people's internet plan. Hyundai's Kona Electric plays twin to the Niro under the skin but wears a sharper jacket. Inside, the tech is tasteful, and the ride tuned for calm, not cornering. It's the perfect commuter pod: quiet, simple, and cheap to juice. And for $169/month in many markets, it's the best answer to "what EV should I get if I hate charging apps?" Just plug it into your wall and go to sleep. Tesla's way of doing discounts is not "talk to your finance guy." It's slashing the sticker in broad daylight. The Model 3 Long Range is leasing around $399/month in major metro areas. You still get the dual-motor setup, 300+ miles of range, and an ecosystem most brands still envy: Superchargers, OTA updates, and industry-leading resale. The vibe? Spartan and fast, like if Apple built a sport sedan on a dare. Rear-drive. 335 hp. Looks like a Gran Coupe, drives like an E46 whispering in your ear. The BMW i4 doesn't brag - it balances. You get a proper driving position, clean interior lines, and enough torque to make passing a reflex. At under $500/month, this is premium EV done right. No fake grills. No startup stunts. Just Munich precision with a cable in the wall. The EV6 doesn't just look fast - it feels expensive. It's the kind of car that makes you rethink what "entry-level" means. The Light RWD trim still rides on Hyundai-Kia's superb E-GMP platform, with fast charging, strong regen, and roomy interior volume. Right now, several dealers are offering this spaceship lookalike for $199/month. No catch. Just timing. These aren't clearance-bin EVs. They're mature products getting one last price break before Uncle Sam stops pitching in. If you've ever thought, "maybe next year," this is the year. Indeed, this might be the month. Because in October, the lease math changes - and the best electric cars on the market may go back to pretending they're for someone else. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Scotsman
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scotsman
Kia EV3 review: stylish and spacious family EV that makes for a great family car
The EV3 is the smallest car in Kia's tech-filled line-up, but it's not actually all that small | Kia This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. Kia's EV3 is a practical, comfortable and cleverly priced electric car with room to rival bigger SUVs—plus a range range and great tech as standard. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Take a look through Kia's electric-car range (skip past the Niro) and you're arguably eyeing up one of the greatest automotive line-ups on sale in the UK. The EV9 is a marvel, the EV6 continues to be brilliant, the new EV4 and EV5 are proving justifiably popular, and so this EV3, the smallest of the EV-something range, had a lot to live up to. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Don't read into the "smallest" thing too much though, the EV3 is a largeish car, probably a crossover, not quite an SUV, tricky to pigeonhole, but do we even care any more? With a starting price of around £33,000 it's keenly priced, spec is as generous as you'd expect from a Kia, and it even looks pretty sharp - if you don't mind a futuristic, anti-mainstream sort of style. The interior is another big highlight, as it has been across the current EV range, with creative packaging leading to a spacious, bright, and airy cabin for all occupants, especially the driver and passenger. Kia's clever interiors are always impressively spacious - if a little quirky | Kia Kia knows its new cars need to be good because they're not only competing with more conventional offerings from the likes of the Volkswagen Audi Group, but they're now fighting off increasing pressure from the Chinese. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The irony of the Korean brands that once waded in and shook up the industry now becoming lawful prey, but the way Kia and Hyundai are being kept on their toes is what's producing some of the best cars on the road right now. It's the boxy styling that gives the EV3 the capacious interior, and Kia has certainly put that space to good use, with a floating centre console, a sensibly laid out dash, some welcome physical buttons, and acres of storage space. Their are some hard plastics, if you're boring enough to find that irritating, and you'll be reminded of so many different things with an array of different bongs that if something genuinely important happens, you'll probably overlook it. The styling is distinctive, and it certainly grows on you | Kia The twin 12.3-inch displays are nicely laid out, and function well, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android auto is a standard thing, which it jolly well should be these days. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There's a decent boot at the rear, a small frunk at the front, and nice little storage cubbies everywhere. It's a great family workhorse. The one thing we all like to talk about with EVs is range, and there are two battery options, with the standard range likely to find 230 miles easy enough, and a longer range battery which should kiss 300 miles on a long day. During a week of varied trips, I found that 3.5mi/kWh wasn't difficult to achieve and, perhaps more importantly than the range, the ability to fast charge at up to 128kW, which is handy on a long run. Handily, there's a "Max" and "Min" indicator on the central screen, which lets you know how much range you can expect if you're being frivolous, and how much you should have left if you're being careful. It's a handy indicator that more cars should have, as it'll probably make us all a bit more frugal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Interior space is impressive, thanks to the boxy body | Kia Don't expect any thrills and spills and you won't be disappointed with the EV3. It's designed for comfort, and it delivers that very well. But it's neither fast nor thrilling. Not that buyers will really be bothered. Top spec models with the larger 84kWh batteries will cost around £44,000 as a base mark, and there's some tempting finance deals to look through. Kia's current popularity, and the seven-year warranty, will help residuals, so the EV3 could make sound financial sense. Overall though, it's just a lovely car to take on your journeys in. Kia's current run of form continues to impress, and the EV3 makes for a fine entry level option. Carly 20% off!! Unlock hidden features and save money with Carly's smart car diagnostic tool £ 50.00 Buy now Buy now Ever wondered what that warning light on your dashboard actually means? Basic OBD scanners might tell you the code – but Carly goes much further. This clever German-made device pairs with a powerful app to translate those fault codes, explain what's wrong, and even guide you through potential fixes. You'll also unlock bonus features, like hidden menus and digital speedos on compatible cars. Right now, you can get 20% off as part of Carly's Birthday Sale with code BDAY20. For more details click here.
Scotsman
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scotsman
Kia EV3 review: stylish and spacious family EV that makes for a great family car
The EV3 is the smallest car in Kia's tech-filled line-up, but it's not actually all that small | Kia This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. Kia's EV3 is a practical, comfortable and cleverly priced electric car with room to rival bigger SUVs—plus a range range and great tech as standard. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Take a look through Kia's electric-car range (skip past the Niro) and you're arguably eyeing up one of the greatest automotive line-ups on sale in the UK. The EV9 is a marvel, the EV6 continues to be brilliant, the new EV4 and EV5 are proving justifiably popular, and so this EV3, the smallest of the EV-something range, had a lot to live up to. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Don't read into the "smallest" thing too much though, the EV3 is a largeish car, probably a crossover, not quite an SUV, tricky to pigeonhole, but do we even care any more? With a starting price of around £33,000 it's keenly priced, spec is as generous as you'd expect from a Kia, and it even looks pretty sharp - if you don't mind a futuristic, anti-mainstream sort of style. The interior is another big highlight, as it has been across the current EV range, with creative packaging leading to a spacious, bright, and airy cabin for all occupants, especially the driver and passenger. Kia's clever interiors are always impressively spacious - if a little quirky | Kia Kia knows its new cars need to be good because they're not only competing with more conventional offerings from the likes of the Volkswagen Audi Group, but they're now fighting off increasing pressure from the Chinese. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The irony of the Korean brands that once waded in and shook up the industry now becoming lawful prey, but the way Kia and Hyundai are being kept on their toes is what's producing some of the best cars on the road right now. It's the boxy styling that gives the EV3 the capacious interior, and Kia has certainly put that space to good use, with a floating centre console, a sensibly laid out dash, some welcome physical buttons, and acres of storage space. Their are some hard plastics, if you're boring enough to find that irritating, and you'll be reminded of so many different things with an array of different bongs that if something genuinely important happens, you'll probably overlook it. The styling is distinctive, and it certainly grows on you | Kia The twin 12.3-inch displays are nicely laid out, and function well, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android auto is a standard thing, which it jolly well should be these days. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There's a decent boot at the rear, a small frunk at the front, and nice little storage cubbies everywhere. It's a great family workhorse. The one thing we all like to talk about with EVs is range, and there are two battery options, with the standard range likely to find 230 miles easy enough, and a longer range battery which should kiss 300 miles on a long day. During a week of varied trips, I found that 3.5mi/kWh wasn't difficult to achieve and, perhaps more importantly than the range, the ability to fast charge at up to 128kW, which is handy on a long run. Handily, there's a "Max" and "Min" indicator on the central screen, which lets you know how much range you can expect if you're being frivolous, and how much you should have left if you're being careful. It's a handy indicator that more cars should have, as it'll probably make us all a bit more frugal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Interior space is impressive, thanks to the boxy body | Kia Don't expect any thrills and spills and you won't be disappointed with the EV3. It's designed for comfort, and it delivers that very well. But it's neither fast nor thrilling. Not that buyers will really be bothered. Top spec models with the larger 84kWh batteries will cost around £44,000 as a base mark, and there's some tempting finance deals to look through. Kia's current popularity, and the seven-year warranty, will help residuals, so the EV3 could make sound financial sense. Overall though, it's just a lovely car to take on your journeys in. Kia's current run of form continues to impress, and the EV3 makes for a fine entry level option.
Business Upturn
27-06-2025
- Automotive
- Business Upturn
Automakers Are Expanding EV Charging Options, Prioritizing Convenience and Accessibility for Drivers
By GlobeNewswire Published on June 27, 2025, 20:03 IST IRVINE, Calif., June 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With more than 5.2 million EVs now on U.S. roads, the need for convenient and reliable charging continues to grow. Automakers are responding with new partnerships and upgrades that make charging easier, especially for long-distance drivers. A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available in this link. Kia Corporation is helping meet that demand by giving its EV owners access to more than 21,500 additional Supercharging stations nationwide. These join the 22,000-plus public fast-charging stations already available, significantly expanding the charging network. Drivers can locate and charge at these stations using the Kia Access app, which also provides real-time updates on station availability and pricing. For owners of the Kia EV6, EV9 and Niro with CCS1 ports, the update allows charging at Tesla Superchargers using a compatible adapter. This feature is built directly into the app for a seamless user experience. These additions are part of a larger industry effort to reduce 'charge anxiety' and make long-distance travel accessible by expanding options and making them easier to find and use. As more automakers adopt shared charging infrastructure, drivers benefit from greater flexibility and more reliable access. 'Access and ease are top priorities for EV drivers,' said James Bell, head of corporate communications at Kia America. 'Expanding our network and making it user-friendly helps support the future of mobility and brings real peace of mind to our customers.' Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash GlobeNewswire provides press release distribution services globally, with substantial operations in North America and Europe.
The Courier
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Courier
Dundee to Arran road trip in the Kia Niro plug-in hybrid
Want a car that's practical, economical, pleasant to drive and doesn't cost the earth? May I present to you the Kia Niro. I write this shortly after returning from driving my test Niro from Dundee to Arran for a four-day family holiday, during which I developed a lot of affection for Kia's little SUV. One great thing about it is there's a Niro for everybody. You can go for a hybrid petrol model on one end of the scale to a fully electric version at the other. I tested the middle-ground model. The plug-in hybrid Kia Niro has a 1.6 litre petrol engine that's paired with a 11.1kWh battery and electric motor. The result is a car that can cover up to 38 miles on battery power alone but has a petrol engine so there's no range anxiety or concern about finding a charger. I plugged the Niro into the Ohme home charger I had installed a few months ago and topped it up ahead of our trip. A few hours later the battery was reading 100%. A button allows you to set the car's mode to 'save' which preserves the battery charge until you want to use it. This meant I didn't empty the battery blatting along the M77, where it wouldn't have added much efficiency. Instead I was able to drive through Troon, onto the Ferry, and halfway around Arran on pure electric power. I could have filled up the battery at the charging station in Brodick but I didn't. Public charging costs three times more than I pay at home (and can be up to 10 times more if you're on an EV tariff at home). This made it at least as expensive as filling with petrol. It's an efficient car, however. Ignore the official fuel economy figure of 314mpg – that's ludicrous. Over our Dundee-Arran trip we averaged 57mpg, which I was more than happy with. After plugging in again back at home, where electricity it more affordable, I was able to pootle around Dundee using fully electric power. This is where the car really can be run for pennies. If you have a cheap overnight tariff you'll pay 5-7p per unit, compared to 55-85p at public chargers. You can top up the Niro's modest battery for around 60p and enjoy 30-35 miles of real-world electric driving. This is the second generation Niro and it has been redesigned from the ground up to have more interior space and better technology. The new interior mimics that of the excellent Kia EV6. The materials are softer touch and higher quality than the previous version, and there are more gloss black and chrome details to enhance the upmarket feeling. A pair of screens swoop round from the centre of the dashboard to behind the steering wheel. You get a mixture of dials and haptic buttons for the heating and media/navigation controls. Frustratingly you can't have both at once – you need to toggle between the two systems using a little icon. It makes the dash less cluttered but I can't believe it's the most user-friendly system Kia could come up with. Still, it's better than dumping everything onto a touchscreen. Although it has a modest footprint the Niro is a practical car. Leg and headroom are good in the front and back and the boot is a decent size. We were able to fit our baby daughter and our luggage on the back seats and our two golden retrievers in the boot. As long as you're not expecting a hot hatch, the Niro drives well. A 9.8 second 0-62mph time doesn't endow it with blistering pace but it pulls strongly enough even when fully laden. Ride and refinement are above average for the class and it's particularly quiet when in fully electric mode. Prices for the Kia Niro start at around £30,000. There are three trim levels, which, inexplicably, are labelled 2, 3, and 4. My plug-in hybrid in 3 spec cost a very reasonable £37,865. It came with plenty of kit, including heated seats, an electric driver's seat, and wireless smartphone charging. Even entry level models get adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera, keyless entry and a 10.3in touchscreen. My only real gripe is Apple CarPlay only works if you connect your phone with a cable – virtually all the Niro's rivals can connect wirelessly. All Niros come with Kia's industry leading seven-year, 100,000 mile warranty. Apart from a couple of very minor niggles the only thing to criticise the Niro for is that it's not terribly exciting. But it isn't meant to be. It's affordable, practical, cheap to run, well equipped, and should be reliable. It is, in short, everything most people look for in a car. Price: £37,865 0-62mph: 9.8 seconds Top speed: 100mph Economy: 313.9mpg CO2 emissions: 21g/km
