[nguthrie]

Just bought my Niro Plug-in on Saturday and I am loving it so far. Apparently the MA registry of motor vehicles has never heard of this car so they cannot figure out how to register it, and my insurance company put me down as having a Stinger. Looks like I am on the bleeding edge here, let's hope I don't regret it!

 

[olimpiaKIA]

what trim did you get for your plug-in?

 

[DennisSylvesterHurd]

Looks like I am on the bleeding edge here, let's hope I don't regret it!

Congratulations on your purchase. At least KIA itself knows about the vehicle on the USA website. It's not yet made an appearance on KIA Canada's. My dealership is still waiting for information ...

It's good to see PHEV topics here now. The forum topics need shuffling and updating.

 

[nguthrie]

what trim did you get for your plug-in?

I got the LX. I was about to pull the trigger on the regular LX and then I realized that with the tax credits the cost was lower for the plug-in, and it was more fully featured (smart cruise control, emergency braking, etc...). My only concern was that once the battery is depleted the combined mileage is 46MPG vs. 49MPG for the regular LX. I did the math and realized that with 105MPGe in all electric mode that I only need to do 11% of my miles on battery to break even on energy usage. My commute is almost exactly 26 miles round trip (which is the electric only range) so I have done well over 50% of my miles on electric.

 

[PAULRIDES]

I hope it works for you, interesting to see follow ups posts.

Personally, I can't imagine being limited on Miles Round Trip on any car.

That said, MAYBE CONSIDER if I had a routine commute daily (I don't, as I am retired).

 

[morestuff]

Similar experience in Virginia. Got mine on 17 Jan and my insurance company had to code it as "other".

Just bought my Niro Plug-in on Saturday and I am loving it so far. Apparently the MA registry of motor vehicles has never heard of this car so they cannot figure out how to register it, and my insurance company put me down as having a Stinger. Looks like I am on the bleeding edge here, let's hope I don't regret it!

 

[yticolev]

Just bought my Niro Plug-in on Saturday and I am loving it so far. Apparently the MA registry of motor vehicles has never heard of this car so they cannot figure out how to register it, and my insurance company put me down as having a Stinger. Looks like I am on the bleeding edge here, let's hope I don't regret it!

Insurance is higher for a muscle car than a hybrid. Make sure you are not paying too much for insurance.

 

[nguthrie]

Insurance is higher for a muscle car than a hybrid. Make sure you are not paying too much for insurance.

Yeah, I am on top of it. Kia and the RMV are talking. As soon as they figure things out I will call my insurance company back and get my premiums fixed. I am also hoping that since this car has LKA and AEB I will get an even better deal.

 

[nguthrie]

I hope it works for you, interesting to see follow ups posts.

Personally, I can't imagine being limited on Miles Round Trip on any car.

That said, MAYBE CONSIDER if I had a routine commute daily (I don't, as I am retired).

I can plug in at work every day, but I figure that worst case scenario I never plug the car in and just get great gas mileage (46MPG) instead of really great gas mileage (49MPG).

 

[eddarrah]

Insurance is higher for a muscle car than a hybrid. Make sure you are not paying too much for insurance.

Exactly! Here in insurance heavy NY state, we got a $20.00 discount, "Hybrid Discount" line with Travelers Ins. listed with all the other "safety" discounts. I guess they are betting that hybrid drivers are easier on the gas pedal!

 

[eddarrah]

I can plug in at work every day, but I figure that worst case scenario I never plug the car in and just get great gas mileage (46MPG) instead of really great gas mileage (49MPG).

Is that all the "plug in" gets??!!?? We bought the EX standard hybrid in July and are seeing 55-57mpg Highway. (NOT in the cold, NY winter weather however)

 

[yticolev]

EPA rating. Real world results vary.

 

[nguthrie]

Is that all the "plug in" gets??!!?? We bought the EX standard hybrid in July and are seeing 55-57mpg Highway. (NOT in the cold, NY winter weather however)

46 is the EPA combined rating vs. 49 for your car. So if you are seeing 57, I'll plan on getting 54. When it is running on battery the EPA says I get 105MPGe, so that is way better assuming I can keep it charged up. I don't have real world numbers yet since I haven't had to fill the tank yet. It might be a while since I have driven 200 miles and it still says I have 400 to go before empty!

 

[olimpiaKIA]

46 is the EPA combined rating vs. 49 for your car. So if you are seeing 57, I'll plan on getting 54. When it is running on battery the EPA says I get 105MPGe, so that is way better assuming I can keep it charged up. I don't have real world numbers yet since I haven't had to fill the tank yet. It might be a while since I have driven 200 miles and it still says I have 400 to go before empty!

Keep us posted with your findings. I'm sure you'll be able to get better than 46MPG when the gasoline engine kicks in.

 

[Chis2k]

I can plug in at work every day, but I figure that worst case scenario I never plug the car in and just get great gas mileage (46MPG) instead of really great gas mileage (49MPG).

Agreed...I think the extra bells and whistles that come with the PHEV is nice too...plus the bigger battery supposedly puts out more power. Another thing is you can regen more power than the regular HEV.

 

[Chis2k]

Waiting to see a Gravity Blue version in person first before we pull the trigger. It's now down to color...Gravity Blue or Platinum Graphite. Would be a slam dunk if we could get it in Deep Cerulian Blue...but unfortunately that's not available in the PHEV. That and the sunroof!

 

[nguthrie]

Update on my registration woes for those that care: I was finally able to get the car registered with the state 9 days after my purchase (meaning I drove for two days illegally, oops). They typed the VIN wrong the first time, handing me a registration form for a 1981 Orange Kia Niro. Got that fixed. Now my insurance company still can't get it straight. Was on the phone for an hour with a nice woman in Texas who tried really hard, but she needs IT to get into the system to work on it. The NHTSA VIN decoder just calls my car a "2018 HYUNDAI - MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE". I have emails into Kia customer service and NHTSA to see if they can figure out who dropped the ball.

 

[frizzle]

Congrats on your new PHEV.

I'm having a nightmare getting dealers in my area to trade with other dealers who have the car in stock already. Local dealers are totally jerking me around by saying they're certain they can make the trade yet when I try to finalize a deal they ask me to wait while they try to negotiate the trade. Super frustrating and annoying, I wish everything was the Tesla no-dealer style, I hope dealers are all out of business in less than 5 years.

Speaking of which is there any way possible to order directly from Kia? I plan to call Kia USA on Monday citing my difficulty buying one of their cars and perhaps they can step in and force their stupid dealers to play ball and sell me a car.

 

[yticolev]

Why not buy directly from dealers who have it in stock? If the car is desirable, the originating dealer is not going to trade. If there is a reasonable trade to be made, it will still result in $100 plus of extra costs. You won't be charged directly, but you can bet it will reduce your negotiating power. At least there is some available stock, unlike Tesla's Model 3. As far as finalizing a deal, why not try CarGurus? You might get a better price than negotiating directly, or at least have a better basis for a starting point. I think the game you are playing is that if the final deal is extra profitable for the dealer, they are more likely to be able to negotiate a trade. Right now, they probably cannot unless you pay an above average price.

 

[NNolan]

Waiting to see a Gravity Blue version in person first before we pull the trigger. It's now down to color...Gravity Blue or Platinum Graphite. Would be a slam dunk if we could get it in Deep Cerulian Blue...but unfortunately that's not available in the PHEV. That and the sunroof!

Gravity Blue is such a dark navy that in most lights it looks black. I like it, though.

My insurance company (Allstate) doesn't have any discounts for the new safety features, only the things that have been around for 20 years, like ABS brakes.