The Lemon IndexKia Niro reliability.
Is it reliable? About average. About as many complaints as the average car.
About average · 2017–2022
20181st generation
What owners say on YouTube
2017–2022 Niro · 197 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Fixes owners look up most
- Infotainment, battery & electrical399K views
- No-start: theft light, key & ignition48K views
- Gauges, lights & wiring44K views
Before you buy, watch
2023–2025 Niro · 200 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Fixes owners look up most
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Looking at a 2023 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2025 best.
Engines & versions
Fewest complaints
2021.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average, too new (2023+: a partial score, marked “partial”) or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 7 Kia Niro years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/kia-niro/" title="Kia Niro reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="376" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/kia-niro/">Lemon Index</a> (Kia Niro reliability by year)</p>YouTube rank: we read 397 YouTube videos about the Kia Niro, 2017 to 2025, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2025. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the Kia Niro.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the Kia Niro reliable?
About average. It draws about as many complaints as the average car, and YouTube owners rate it about average for its age. Fewest complaints: 2021. Most complaints: 2019 and 2022.
Is the Kia Niro a good car?
It is about average, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2017-2022: Lemon Index 104; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2021 drew the fewest complaints and 2022 the most.
What are the best Kia Niro years to buy?
By owner complaints per car sold: 2021, 2018, 2017. 2021 drew the fewest.
What Kia Niro years should you stay away from?
The 3 years with the most complaints per car sold: 2022 (worse than average, Lemon Index 165), 2019 (worse than average, Lemon Index 135). 100 is the average car; lower is better.
How many recalls does the Kia Niro have?
24 safety recalls across the 9 model years we track. Most: 2017 (5), 2023 (4), 2018 (3). Each year's page lists them, and every Kia Niro recall is in one list here.
What are the most common Kia Niro problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name electrical, transmission & drivetrain and automatic emergency braking most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 97 | about average | 28 | electrical (18%) | 5 | — | 43–50 |
| 2018 | 67 | about two-thirds as many complaints as the average car | 19 | engine (21%) | 3 | — | 43–50 |
| 2019 | 135 | about one and a half times the average car's complaints | 35 | transmission & drivetrain (43%) | 1 | ★★★★☆ | 43–112 |
| 2020 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 20 | transmission & drivetrain (35%) | 3 | ★★★★☆ | 43–112 |
| 2021 | 32 | about a third as many complaints as the average car | 8 | electrical (25%) | 2 | ★★★★☆ | 43–112 |
| 2022 | 165 | about one and a half times the average car's complaints | 59 | electrical (25%) | 3 | ★★★★★ | 43–112 |
| 2023 | 150 | about one and a half times the average car's complaints | 65 | electrical (35%) | 4 | ★★★★★ | 48–113 |
| 2024 | – | too few complaints to score | 19 | electrical (32%) | 2 | ★★★★★ | 49–113 |
| 2025 | 106 | about average | 20 | electrical (25%) | 1 | ★★★★☆ | 48–113 |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: en.wikipedia.org. How it works
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Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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