Kia Hybrid Cars: Discover the Latest Technique and Technology – Click Here!

Perhaps those cars came before the market embraced hybrids in a big way (when you didn’t have to wear a sticker on your windshield). Kia was then not such a recognized brand as it is now and people did not dare to bet on it. What is certain is that it served as a testing ground and now, with the most established brand, is one of its sales pillars.

Kia Micro Hybrids

The easiest (and cheapest) way to opt for an Ecolabel is to opt for a mild Hybrid (also called a semi-hybrid), a small electrical aid that does not start the car itself, but helps the combustion engine at those moments. that it is less efficient (such as when pulling away or when accelerating strongly).

There are Mild Hybrid versions in almost the entire Kia range. It is the one chosen to give a touch of electrification to small models, in the case of the Kia Stonic or the Kia Rio, where the brand has not yet gone further.

Kia Hybrid Cars (HEVs)

Kia Niro

The Kia Niro was the model with which the brand began developing cars designed from the outset to be powered by a hybrid system, similar to the Hyundai Ioniq within the same group. It’s a rational car that performs 141 hp (104 kW) power and 265 Nm of torque. It achieves this by combining two propellants:

• 105 hp (77.2 kW) 1.6 GDI engine direct injection gasoline.
• 44 hp (32 kW) electric motor.

The set is completed by a six-speed dual-clutch transmission and a 1.56 kWh battery which has an energy density and which allows the car to drive a few kilometers in electric mode.

Kia Sportage HEV

The great novelty of the Sportage 2022 is the arrival of electrified versions. Among them is this conventional hybrid that delivers: 230 hp (169 kW) power and 350 Nm of torque. The combination is of two propellants:

• 1.6 T-GDI engine with 179 hp (132 kW) and 265 Nm of torque. It is a block of four cylinders in line, petrol, with direct injection and turbo feed.
• 60 hp (44.2 kW) electric motor and 264 Nm of torque.
• Equip a battery 1.49 kWh capacity and the six-speed gearbox with torque converter.

Kia Sorento HEV

The brand’s large SUV offers a drive system identical to that of the Sportage, with an output of 230 hp (169 kW) and a torque of 350 Nm, which it achieves with the same combination:

• 1.6 T-GDI engine with 179 hp (132 kW) and 265 Nm of torque. It is a block of four cylinders in line, petrol, with direct injection and turbo feed.
• 60 hp (44.2 kW) electric motor and 264 Nm of torque.

You can count on four wheel drive, as the protagonist of our in-depth test, with different driving modes. The battery, with a capacity of 1.49 kWh, powers the car for several kilometers and significantly reduces consumption on urban routes.

Kia plug-in hybrids (PHEV)

Kia Niro PHEV

The KIA Niro plug-in hybrid It is a very interesting plug-in hybrid SUV for city tours with zero emissions (or restrictions) without giving up travel. Like the conventional hybrid variant, it delivers 141 hp of maximum power and 265 Nm of torque in combination with comparable engines:

• 105 hp 1.6 GDI engine, a four-cylinder petrol engine with 147 Nm of torque.
• 61 hp electric motor (44.5 kW), more powerful than in the conventional hybrid

The biggest change is from the lithium polymer battery, with 8.9 kWh capacity, achieving 55 km of 100% electric autonomy and the Zero label.

Kia Xceed plug-in hybrid

This variant of the Kia Xceed is equipped with the same drive system as the Kia Niro plug-in hybrid, which combines a 105 hp petrol engine and a 61 hp electric motor to deliver a maximum power of 141 hp.

Thanks to the battery 8.9 kWh capacity, which is located in the rear central, manages to homologate between 42 and 48 kilometers of autonomy in electric mode, earning it the Zero label.

Kia Ceed Tourer plug-in hybrid

The Ceed’s family body (the Ceed Tourer) is the only one to offer the plug-in hybrid engine, modeled after the Niro and the Xceed, with 141 hp. The trunk shrinks, but it’s still quite capable of this drivetrain.

Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid

The brand’s large SUV reached 265 hp and 350 Nm torque, making it the most powerful version of the Sorento the brand has ever sold in Europe. Combine two boosters:

• 1.6 T-GDi engine with 180 hp (132 kW) power and 265 Nm maximum torque. It is a direct injection turbocharged petrol block.
• electrical motor, 91 hp (67 kW) power and 304 Nm, located between the thermals and the gearbox.

Power is sent to the front wheels or to all four wheels, depending on road conditions or the selected mode (see test).

The high capacity lithium ion polymer battery has: 13.8 kWh capacity and with that you can drive up to 57 km electrically before you plug it back in. It is located under the front seats, on the transmission shaft, so as not to limit the space in the passenger compartment or the load. The built-in charger accepts loads up to 3.3 kW of power.