Living with the Kia E Niro - Is 2000 miles in an EV easy ?!

Thanks to Kia UK I got to live with the all electric E Niro for 2 weeks. Now the last time I tried to live with an EV it didn’t go well. This time I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’m ready for another go. 2000 miles in a week. What could possibly go wrong ?!

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[alaneasthope]

Your first mistake I noticed was using Ecotricity. They are notoriously unreliable. The second mistake was not filtering the networks in Zap-Map. I have the contactless networks filtered so they are the only ones that show on the map. Since I have done that, EV road trips have been stress free. A very good, fair and realistic review of what it's like to own an EV. Well done.

[lemecdewigan]

Very objective video, answered pretty much all of my questions about EV's. Enjoyed this video so much, it convinced me, so I went and bought an E-Niro. My BMW no longer suited my driving profile, most of my drives are now "local" and any of my infrequent long drives are actually less than 220 miles return so I can drive there, drive back and recharge at home - perfect fit. The last time I made a private car journey which would consume 100% battery one way, meaning a full public recharge, was in 2016 to Devon - I can live with that. Very comfortable car, lovely to drive, very well equipped, just missing the BMW's head up display.

[martinoutdoors]

I don’t understand the criticism for the last video, I think you highlighted the real world issues and concerns people are having.

[MatthewWetherbee]

All the EV enthusiasts have the exact same complaint you do about how fragmented and complicated the charging network is. I liked the Shell one where it is simple and you just use your credit card. I think that is how they all should be.

[Beevreeter]

I get the feeling that electric vehicles are going to be really good for the coffee industry.

[themanofmead]

I was one of those critics of your Etron review, so I watched this presentation with interest. Hats off to you, you have made a proper attempt to get to grips with understanding EV ownership. The result a very fair and reasonable review of the current state of EV ownership. Thank you for your commitment to giving it a committed review. It really comes across that you have made the effort this time. As an owner of both a Kona and Tesla my advice to friends considering EV ownership is that if you do very high mileage (like you did in the video) then maybe EV ownership isn’t for you yet, but if you do up to say 15k miles/ year then you should be fine. An excellent, fair, balanced review. It’s all I ask. Well done.

[ayzee]

I’ve owned this car for 18 months, so just to say this is a very comprehensive and true to life review of the car and charging life. Best car chargers are the contactless and go, and i basically keep the car in eco+ unless going in the motorway

[chrisogilvie]

Hi. I have a Nero here in NZ; nearly all houses have a garage, so charging at home is the norm. Because this car has such a formidable range, when we go someplace we can nearly always go there and back on a single charge. However there is a reasonable public charging infrastructure, if needed. We have done nearly 16, 000km so far and used a public charger just five times. We carry a "tucker box" (kiwi for "lunch basket!") so don't waste the savings on fast food. We also have a solar set up so we mostly top up on sunshine. That makes me smile! Overall we find having this car is very satisfying and a good experience. Recommend.

[DKTek]

My FE has over 337, 000 miles. Last October, 2021 I did 16, 800 miles. Some days, I do 1, 100 miles. I seriously doubt anyone else has as much Niro time/miles. I gotta say that I love this vehicle. Very reliable. Best tank lasted 670 miles but most are 520-540 miles.

[janeparkin]

We have had an e Niro 2 years now. Totally agree with you about the complications involved with various charging units. Also need to have far more fast charges available. Scotland is particularly poor for charging units. We had some stressful days finding charges many out of order.

[hopperavenue]

Took an e-Niro for a test drive today. This video has been really helpful as it gives an insight into the reality of owning one. Thanks

[classicmini]

Well, I thought at first, yet another electric car review, but no, you have done a great talk-through of what too and not too expect. This is the first time a have watch a video from 0 to 60 without skipping through. Loved it. Well done

[richardallsop]

SHELL appears the way forward, it looks so easy, great vlog.

[craig]

Just about to take delivery of an Nero for work and your account of the pros and cons is very helpful especially the planning aspects of charging. 
Thankyou.

[shadowxk]

Like watching his videos as he gives a warts and all view of owning an EV. As a potential purchaser of this type of vehicle, I want to to know the pitfalls *before* I buy rather than afterwards. Great video, good to see you have done your research but it highlights the fragmented landscape for charging in the UK. Hopefully something, whichever government we get in, will tackle as a matter of urgency.

Keep up the good work.

[davewatts]

Last week I had a holiday in the lakes. It was 80 miles from home to our base, we did 3 drives total 60 miles and 90 miles coming home. So total mileage was 230 enough to get me there and back. I'm now convinced ev works for me especially as my average weekly mileage is less than 100. So upto 2 minutes from the end I'm a Nero man then you dropped the bomb shell about the lights. Yours is the only review that picked this up. So now I'm not so sure

[RogerBaileyOnCars]

this whole EV thing polarises opinion evoking emotionally driven views for and against. Peter this is a thorough, balanced and useful review. The infrastructure is seemingly insufficient to cater for the needs of many, and will face big challenges keeping up with the expected future EV uptake. I'd be interested to know if you kept a record of how many hours & minutes you awaited your Niro to receive it's charge.

[JustfishNascar]

AMEN! one APP, or at least make it possible to use as a guest with a credit cart. I appreciate that you took a second chance on an electric car. I was one that didn't like the eTron video that you didn't prepare for, but will give you a bit of credit for planning this use much better.

[francoisg]

I totally agree with you little rant about the mess of different charging companies. It makes no sense that you had to download five different apps in order to charge the car. For EV up take to really take off we need to have one app for all of the different charges. Let's hope that in the future the process of charging will be cohesive and more user friendly.

[KristoferOlafsson]

The charging networks payment issue is something i just don't get. Snack and soda vending machines take credit cards. Why can't the EV stations just all take CCs... silliness holding back an industry.