UPDATE 3/16/26: This story has been updated with a statement from a Kia spokesperson.
Kia's electric vehicle lineup in the United States is quietly contracting. The EV4 sedan was pushed back indefinitely before it ever arrived. The EV9 GT was postponed, and the EV6 GT didn't make the cut for the 2026 model year. Now another Kia EV appears to be exiting the market entirely. Company executives told The Korea Herald that the Niro EV has been discontinued, a report that InsideEVs also covered.
"The Niro EV, which had been produced until the previous model, has been discontinued," Jung Yoon-kyung, a senior marketing manager at Kia, told The Korea Herald. "We plan to sell the remaining inventory available."
A Kia spokesperson issued the following statement: "Kia America had made no formal announcement regarding the Niro EV. It remains an important component in our lineup of ICE and electrified vehicles."
Kia unveiled a facelifted Niro for the Korean market in January, though no powertrain details were shared at the time. Both generations of the Niro have historically been offered in hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and full EV guise. The refreshed model, which adopts a cleaner look that aligns more closely with Kia's current design language, now appears set to continue solely with the hybrid powertrain, given that the PHEV was also discontinued last month.
The demise of the Niro EV isn't especially shocking. Its single electric motor produced 201 horsepower, and its 64.8-kWh battery earned an EPA-estimated range of 253 miles. For the 2026 model year, it started at $41,195—more expensive than capable rivals like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, which is built on a purpose-designed EV platform and starts at just $36,600 following a significant price reduction this year.
Although the base Ioniq 5 doesn't match the Niro EV in every metric, the Ioniq 5 SEL starts only a few hundred dollars above the Niro, offers more interior space, produces 24 more horsepower, and carries an estimated range of 318 miles. The Tesla Model Y Standard poses an even tougher challenge at $41,630, with nearly 300 horsepower and 321 miles of range. The Niro EV's South Korean origins also expose it to the Trump administration's import tariffs, a burden that the Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6 sidestep by being assembled in Ellabell, Georgia.
The Niro EV's exit raises questions about a related model, the Hyundai Kona Electric. Last month, Hyundai confirmed the Kona Electric would skip the 2026 model year and return for 2027, but if the Niro EV is gone for good, a permanent hiatus for the Kona Electric seems plausible.
Kia has yet to say whether the facelifted Niro will be sold in the United States, but if it does come here, we'd expect it to arrive for the 2027 model year and go on sale near the end of 2026 as a hybrid-only model.