Where each one leads
Kia Niro
- Fewer Kia Niro cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (1.3% against 2.0%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Kia Niro uses 4.4 l/100 km, the 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan 8.5.
- New Kia Niro cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 42 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 145 for the Volkswagen Tiguan in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid Kia Niro uses 5.1 l/100 km on the road, the Volkswagen Tiguan 7.2.
Volkswagen Tiguan
- Against cars of the same age, the Volkswagen Tiguan comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 5% more often than average) than the Kia Niro (passes 2% more often than average).
- Against cars of the same year, the Volkswagen Tiguan comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 3% less often than average) than the Kia Niro (fails 51% more often than average).
- NHTSA rates the 2027 Volkswagen Tiguan at 5 of 5 stars, the 2026 Kia Niro at 4.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Kia Niro | Volkswagen Tiguan | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2017–2026 | 2005–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 330,361 (2016–2022) | 2,083,956 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 133,566 | 347,496 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 88,523 | 94,315 |
| In traffic in Finland | 10,532 | 10,223 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Kia Niro | Volkswagen Tiguan | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 88% | 82% |
| … against cars of the same age | +2% | +5% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.5% | 1.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | +51% | −3% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 1.3% | 2.0% |
| US owner complaints | 350 | 2,326 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Engine |
| Model year with most complaints | 2017 (82) | 2018 (287) |
| US recall campaigns | 6 | 39 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 403 | 10,719 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 5 | 19 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Kia Niro | Volkswagen Tiguan | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 4★ (2026) | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Kia Niro | Volkswagen Tiguan | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 4.4 l/100 km (2026) | 8.5 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 5.1 l/100 km | 7.2 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 6.8 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 8.1 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 42 g/km | 145 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 97 kW (131 hp) | 119 kW (159 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,645 kg | 1,669 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €38,705 | €43,330 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 94,000 km | 181,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).