What? Would you like to own a Tesla Model Y?

Extreme car tester Rutger drives a different electric car every month. But this Kia Niro EV endurance test has been going on for over a year. So it is high time for its conclusions.

Last week I told you about the longest endurance test with an electric car yet: the one with the Kia Niro EV which I bought with my own money and which is a family business. After more than a year and countless other electric cars next to it on the highway, I think I can answer the question: would I buy it again with what I know now?

The Niro has gotten a little better over the past year. Because of the new USB port that I wrote about last week, because of the software update that allows me to plan routes including fast chargers and because the car now allows you to use cruise control if you have a trailer. The little things that made the Niro EV the best.

Nuisance

However, one problem has not yet been solved: to load you must first open the lid and then pull the rubber cap. This is very difficult with a debit card on the other hand. There are brands that do this with a simple flip opening for the charging cable tube and brands with a rubber flap on the charging flap, so a cap is not necessary. This is a minor annoyance, but one that I encounter once every three days.

Every car in the price segment up to 45,000 euros that I drove last year was definitely compared to my own Niro. Jeep Avenger: very small, very limited range. MG4: too many wannabe racing cars, too bad driver assistance systems. Peugeot e-208: very basic inside, very small. Two cars made me doubt the Kia Niro EV: the Smart #3 and the Tesla Model Y.

Smart, Kia’s Tesla?

The Smart #3 is more elegantly finished inside, quieter, faster, but a little roomier in the trunk. The difference is not big enough to trade in the Niro now, but if I had the choice again, I would find it very difficult and because I already had a Niro, I am leaning towards the Smart.

The Tesla Model Y is a tougher hurdle. It’s more spacious, more modern, better infotainment, more driving range and a supercharger in navigation. In fact, that sounds like the best car to buy. If I had to make the choice on my own, he probably would too. But my better half is confused about the noises Autopilot makes and the decisions it sometimes makes. He also thinks the Model Y is too big. De Niro is great in his eyes.

I take comfort in the thought that I have a seven-year warranty on the Niro and can go on for a few more years. In my opinion, anyone who buys a Niro EV has made an excellent choice. But luckily for 45,000 euros you now have more options.

Rutger Middendorp makes Bright a new electric car every month. Follow his updates in Endurance Test.