[mscoulter]

OK, so I bought it. A brand new 2018 Kia Niro LX. I chose it over a Subaru with AWD because of the promised mileage. However, all I have been getting is 35-37 MPG for mostly local driving. The battery rarely gets over halfway charged. Cruising range is only at 350 miles. Is this due to the break in period or is something wrong?

 

[NJ Niro]

Lots of threads talking about this. It's due to the cold temperatures and short trips. It takes awhile for the engine to heat up in cold and therefore, it is running the engine a lot more than in the summer with EV and a warm engine. Not what I was expecting but still better than my old gas only engine.

The battery will never go above 70% charged.

 

[mscoulter]

Thank you. It has been freezing cold since I got it and I read in the manual that its best not to warm it up, just to start driving slowly. I let it warm up a few times before I read that. It takes a long time for it to blow heat, and the battery thus far has never reached 70%. It was the first tank of gas it had when I bought it and it had about 120 miles on it when I took delivery. I feel like I could have bought the Subaru and gotten almost the same MPG with AWD.

 

[fredct]

The battery part is normal. In 3 months I've rarely seen the battery gets too far from 50% in either direction (maybe 30-70%). This is intentional. The car is keeping the battery moderately charged to extend the battery life. If the charge runs high it will use the electric engine more. If it runs low it will use it less. That way it stays in the middle. So that part is perfectly normal.

The mileage is low, but I agree the cold is definitely a factor. In my short drives the gas engine spends a lot of time heating up to provide heat when it otherwise wouldn't need to. It uses the energy somewhat to charge the battery so it's not all lost. In the last week over the Xmas holiday I've been averaging in the low 40 mpgs with cold weather, mostly local shopping trips and a few highway trips. But on my first trip back to work today - a ~50 minute drive with one stop to drop my kid at daycare - I got 50 mpg again (a bit lower than the same drive in warm whether).

You don't say where you are, but much of the country right now is ~20 deg colder than normal. Here is NJ it's been highs in the 10's to around 20 where typical January high is mid/upper 30s. So it'd probably be worthwhile seeing if it improves a little when the temps go back to normal (or even a little above normal). If you see some improvement, then it's certainly reasonable to think you could add at least another 5 if not 10 mpgs in warmer weather.

 

[mscoulter]

The battery part is normal. In 3 months I've rarely seen the battery gets too far from 50% in either direction (maybe 30-70%). This is intentional. The car is keeping the battery moderately charged to extend the battery life. If the charge runs high it will use the electric engine more. If it runs low it will use it less. That way it stays in the middle. So that part is perfectly normal.

The mileage is low, but I agree the cold is definitely a factor. In my short drives the gas engine spends a lot of time heating up to provide heat when it otherwise wouldn't need to. It uses the energy somewhat to charge the battery so it's not all lost. In the last week over the Xmas holiday I've been averaging in the low 40 mpgs with cold weather, mostly local shopping trips and a few highway trips. But on my first trip back to work today - a ~50 minute drive with one stop to drop my kid at daycare - I got 50 mpg again (a bit lower than the same drive in warm whether).

You don't say where you are, but much of the country right now is ~20 deg colder than normal. Here is NJ it's been highs in the 10's to around 20 where typical January high is mid/upper 30s. So it'd probably be worthwhile seeing if it improves a little when the temps go back to normal (or even a little above normal). If you see some improvement, then it's certainly reasonable to think you could add at least another 5 if not 10 mpgs in warmer weather.

I am in the lower Hudson Valley of NY. We have hills and the temps are unusually cold this year. Teens during the day to single digits at night since I got the car. I thought there was a law that car manufacturers can no longer over state the MPG and must provide realistic numbers. The actual MPG I am getting is 12-15 miles below the promised MPG average. I am coasting wherever possible and not gunning the gas pedal. This is so disappointing.

 

[hyperbnx]

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/coldweather.shtml (US govt site)
Learn the facts: Cold weather effects on fuel efficiency | Natural Resources Canada (Cdn govt site)

Fuel Economy in Cold Weather
Person driving in snowy weather
Cold weather and winter driving conditions can reduce your fuel economy significantly.

Fuel economy tests show that, in short-trip city driving, a conventional gasoline car's gas mileage is about 12% lower at 20°F than it would be at 77°F. It can drop as much as 22% for very short trips (3 to 4 miles).

The effect on hybrids is worse. Their fuel economy can drop about 31% to 34% under these conditions.

 

[GMowery]

I am in the lower Hudson Valley of NY. We have hills and the temps are unusually cold this year. Teens during the day to single digits at night since I got the car. I thought there was a law that car manufacturers can no longer over state the MPG and must provide realistic numbers. The actual MPG I am getting is 12-15 miles below the promised MPG average. I am coasting wherever possible and not gunning the gas pedal. This is so disappointing.

Hang in there mscoulter. I have a 2018 EX and have gotten up to 60 MPG on a whole tank. Most other tanks have been between 45 and 55 MPG. The tank I am on now is running 36 and I have about the same conditions you do. Short cold trips to work. The mileage will be there once the weather comes around.

 

[smck]

I am having the same MPG problems in cold weather. I am seeing many explanations. I was getting about 48 MPG in simmer and now am getting around 32 MPG, very disappointing. I had a Toyota Prius before this and went from 50 MPG in summer to 48 MPG in winter. Kia needs to research this more.

 

[fredct]

I am in the lower Hudson Valley of NY. We have hills and the temps are unusually cold this year. Teens during the day to single digits at night since I got the car. I thought there was a law that car manufacturers can no longer over state the MPG and must provide realistic numbers. The actual MPG I am getting is 12-15 miles below the promised MPG average. I am coasting wherever possible and not gunning the gas pedal. This is so disappointing.

Not quite. The EPA defines the tests and in 2008 they revised their tests to be more realistic. Faster acceleration, higher top speeds, some using AC. Before that they used to not test at over 55 mpg for instance.

So the tests are more realistic than they used to be, but there’s not guarantees and it’s not up to the manufacturer.