The all-electric Kia e-Niro has been named a ‘Game Changer’ at the 2019 Autocar Awards. The ‘Game Changer’ award is given to cars that bring new, higher standards to a hard-fought class, or for defying conventions to bring unexpected benefit for buyers. This comes only 12 months after the Kia Stinger also won the same accolade at the previous year’s awards.
The Kia e-Niro has been designed to merge crossover-inspired design with a class leading driving range of 282 miles, zero-emissions driving and enjoyable performance. It achieves this with a next-generation electric powertrain, using new production technologies developed specifically for Kia electric vehicles. The 64kwh battery can be charged to 80 per cent in as little as 54 minutes.
Mark Tisshaw, Autocar Editor, commented: ‘The e-Niro is a battery-powered crossover that hits the sweet spot for range, performance, packaging and price. It places Kia at the very top of the practical electric class – even ahead of models seen as class-leading only a year or two ago. The e-Niro makes an ideal choice for an owner buying a first electric car or choosing one as an only car.’
Collecting the award, Simon Hetherington, Commercial Director at Kia Motors (UK) Ltd said: ‘We are thrilled the e-Niro has been named a Game Changer by Autocar. This is a tremendous achievement for the e-Niro and indeed for Kia. The positive impact this car has had on our brand, is as strong and important as what Stinger did for us at launch in 2017. This car has come at the right time and this is evident by the huge demand we are experiencing.’