2023 Kia Niro: recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings
EPA rates the 2023 Kia Niro at 48–53 mpg combined (gas versions) and 113 MPGe combined with 253 miles of EPA-rated range across 4 versions. NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 65 owner complaints for this model year. Its best NHTSA overall crash-test rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
Safety recalls
4
EPA combined mpg
48–53
NHTSA overall rating
5/5
Recall file dated Oct 27, 2026 · EPA file dated Sep 29, 2026 · updated Oct 27, 2026, 7:34 AM EDT
NHTSA lists this vehicle as NIRO EV, NIRO PHEV.
Check your own car: enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls for that exact vehicle, and contact a Kia dealer to schedule the repair — safety recall repairs are free. The list below covers the whole model year, so not every recall applies to every car.
2023 Kia Niro recalls
NHTSA's recall file lists 4 safety recalls for the 2023 Kia Niro, newest first.
Seats and 1 more component
NHTSA 25V024000Reported Jan 17, 2025
Filed by
Kia America, Inc. (manufacturer recall no. SC332)
Components
Seats; Electrical system: Wiring
Units affected
80,255 (estimate)
Problem
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Niro EV, Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and Hybrid vehicles. The floor wiring assembly beneath the front passenger seat may become damaged, which can prevent the front air bags and seat belts from deploying properly or cause an unintended side curtain air bag deployment.
Risk
Air bags and seat belts that deploy improperly or an air bag deploying unintentionally can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect, replace and reroute the floor wiring assembly, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, dealers will install wiring covers. Owner notification letters were mailed February 27, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC332.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Niro EV and 2024 EV9 vehicles. The differential gear bolts in the gear drive unit may not be tightened properly, which can result in a loss of drive power or cause the differential to lock up.
Risk
A loss of drive power or differential lock up can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the gear drive unit, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC308.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Niro EV and 2023 EV6 vehicles. One of the drive shafts may have been improperly heat-treated, allowing it to break under load and resulting in a loss of drive power.
Risk
A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the drive shaft, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC295.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage Plug-in Hybrid, Niro Hybrid, Niro Plug-in Hybrid, Soul, and Telluride vehicles equipped with a digital instrument cluster containing a 4.2" LCD screen.  The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started.  As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays," and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Risk
A blank instrument cluster display will not show critical information, such as tire pressure, warning messages, and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC270.
Recall summaries are written by NHTSA from manufacturers' defect reports. Dates are when NHTSA received the report.
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2023 Kia Niro fuel economy by version
EPA city/highway/combined estimates for each engine, transmission and drive combination; electric figures are in MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent). Annual fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year (55% city, 45% highway) at EPA's current fuel-price assumptions; your cost will vary.
Source: FuelEconomy.gov (U.S. DOE and EPA), file dated Sep 29, 2026. Each version links to its FuelEconomy.gov record.
EPA estimates come from standardized lab tests so cars can be compared fairly; real-world mileage depends on speed, weather, load, tires and driving style.
2023 Kia Niro crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the tested versions. More stars mean a lower chance of serious injury in that type of crash. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
2023 Kia Niro NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Tested vehicle
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Rollover risk
Forward collision warning
2023 Kia Niro EV SUV FWD
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
—
Standard & Optional
2023 Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid SUV FWD
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
Not rated
—
Standard
2023 Kia Niro SUV FWD
5 stars
4 stars
5 stars
4 stars
11.8%
Standard & Optional
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program), checked Oct 26, 2026.
Star ratings compare vehicles of similar size and weight; a frontal rating for a large pickup is not directly comparable with one for a small car.
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2023 Kia Niro owner complaints
Owners have filed 65 complaints with NHTSA about the 2023 Kia Niro, most recently on Sep 5, 2026. 10 mention a crash, 0 a fire, 9 injured people and 0 deaths. These are unverified reports; a complaint is not proof of a defect.
Most-cited components in 2023 Kia Niro complaints
Component named in complaints
Mentions
Unknown or other
23
Electrical system
22
Power train
10
Fuel/propulsion system
8
Air bags
7
Forward collision avoidance: Warnings
7
Service brakes
7
Vehicle speed control
6
Engine
4
Forward collision avoidance: Adaptive cruise control
4
Source: NHTSA consumer complaint files (complaints received since January 1, 2015). One complaint can name several components.
