Kia Niro Hybrid (2016-2022) practicality & boot space

With its roomy five-door body and practical boot, the Kia Niro is an attractive option for families with busy lifestyles. Because it was designed from the outset as a hybrid, clever packaging means the battery doesn’t impinge on space for people or their luggage.

Kia Niro Hybrid interior space, storage & comfort

There’s loads of space in the front of the Niro, but rear-seat passengers do well, too – at least the two sitting on the left and right. The centre seat is a little bit squashed, it must be said, and the big centre console between the front seats steals foot room, but the rear seats are certainly roomier than those in the standard Toyota Corolla hatchback. 

Accessing the rear seats in the Niro is easy, too, thanks to the high roof and fairly wide door aperture, although the Niro is closer to a normal hatchback like the Kia Ceed or Ford Focus than it is to a full SUV in terms of its height off the ground. There’s plenty of interior storage in the Niro, with good-sized cubbies and door bins, so you can stash drinks bottles and oddments easily. There’s space for your smartphone, too, with wireless charging on all but the Niro 2 entry-level model.

Boot space

Toyota manages to fit a considerably bigger boot into the Prius than Kia manages with the Niro, but the Kia’s 382 litres still feels pretty generous if you don’t have a 502-litre Prius on hand to compare it with. it's certainly usefully bigger than the boot in the Hyundai Kona Hybrid. The wheelarches take fairly big bites out of the usable space, but you can fold the rear seats completely flat to free up a 1,425-litre load bay. That said, the seats are quite heavy to raise again.