If your car is repaired know that some states require insurance companies to pay for diminished value. This is the difference in value of a wrecked car that has been repaired vs. one that has never been in an accident. You do have to request this. Also if the car is totaled request prorated registration costs. Please Google your rights for your state.
Repairable?
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Looks like a big SUV hit you. Makes me sad that we're equipping worse and worse drivers with larger and larger vehicles in a dumb arms race.
The Niro's unibody can take a hit. I purchased a totaled one at an auction - I was specifically looking for the PHEV.
Fixing up accident damaged cars is not something the typical mechanic shop is going to do for you. It's for hobbyists, DIYers, body shops and insurance companies. Some states will give you a hard time trying to put it back on the road if its title has been wholly or partially condemned (salvaged, totaled, etc.) by the insurance company.
A competent body shop can do an evaluation for a couple hundred dollars, provided you give them the car with mangled panels and components removed. You'd need to be good at looking through parts diagrams and will need a cooperative Kia dealer to help you with this. If the air bags went off you'll need to figure out the costs of resetting the system and replacing those (it can be a lot, and a Kia dealer will most likely have to do this).
The Niro's body is pretty bendable - what is out of alignment can be bent back so long as nothing structural is cracked.
Mine took a hit on the front right corner - you can see the red paint on the bumper area. I picked this one because the hit was minor. The front cage took all of the damage and went about 1.5" to 2" out of alignment.
The insurance company estimated over $8,000 in repairs but elected to send it to auction instead of having it repaired. I put under $2,500 in parts and expenses into it. I had a local body shop put the car on the frame machine and bend it back into alignment. I had them paint the new front bumper cover, which came unfinished. I scoured all the parts from diagrams I got from a Kia dealer and got everything I needed except two plastic clips (the diagrams can be hard to tell which parts come in sets and what come alone). It took me about three months to get it together, titled by my state, insured and registered (as a "rebuilt title" that is pretty much only good in my state - most states will not honor another states rebuilt car because many will not even allow them back on the road like Maine will). Insurance is a wild card too. I had to shop around and couldn't get comprehensive coverage.
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![Wheel Tire Car Land vehicle Sky]()
![Wheel Tire Car Vehicle Sky]()
The Niro's unibody can take a hit. I purchased a totaled one at an auction - I was specifically looking for the PHEV.
Fixing up accident damaged cars is not something the typical mechanic shop is going to do for you. It's for hobbyists, DIYers, body shops and insurance companies. Some states will give you a hard time trying to put it back on the road if its title has been wholly or partially condemned (salvaged, totaled, etc.) by the insurance company.
A competent body shop can do an evaluation for a couple hundred dollars, provided you give them the car with mangled panels and components removed. You'd need to be good at looking through parts diagrams and will need a cooperative Kia dealer to help you with this. If the air bags went off you'll need to figure out the costs of resetting the system and replacing those (it can be a lot, and a Kia dealer will most likely have to do this).
The Niro's body is pretty bendable - what is out of alignment can be bent back so long as nothing structural is cracked.
Mine took a hit on the front right corner - you can see the red paint on the bumper area. I picked this one because the hit was minor. The front cage took all of the damage and went about 1.5" to 2" out of alignment.
The insurance company estimated over $8,000 in repairs but elected to send it to auction instead of having it repaired. I put under $2,500 in parts and expenses into it. I had a local body shop put the car on the frame machine and bend it back into alignment. I had them paint the new front bumper cover, which came unfinished. I scoured all the parts from diagrams I got from a Kia dealer and got everything I needed except two plastic clips (the diagrams can be hard to tell which parts come in sets and what come alone). It took me about three months to get it together, titled by my state, insured and registered (as a "rebuilt title" that is pretty much only good in my state - most states will not honor another states rebuilt car because many will not even allow them back on the road like Maine will). Insurance is a wild card too. I had to shop around and couldn't get comprehensive coverage.
They did say that if it were to be fixed, the repairs would have a lifetime warranty. But it’s probably better to be safe than sorry…
Thank you for the advice, I’ve been looking into it and and added this to the expense spreadsheet I have been making. I’ve heard it’s difficult to prove how much your car was previously worth compared to after the damage though, without having to fight the insurance company for it. Hopefully it won’t come to that.
Under $2500 for a PHEV, that’s impressive! I didn’t know that rebuilt titles were a thing. Thank you for the advice and the walk through, luckily no air bags went off so there no need to worry about them when factoring costs.
That was my repair cost, not including purchase price at the auction.
The advice about alignment issues above is not true. It's a FWD (which are easier to align) and suspensions are adjustable for a reason. Once the unibody is straightened back out the car can be made to drive true again.
The Cobalt in one of the pictures was also an auction car with a rebuilt title that we ran for 10 years. The Niro replaces it. Modern unibodies will absorb a hit, if the collision is minor, in the zone where it occurs. Nothing on the exterior of the vehicle is structural - plastics and thin sheet metals, so they can look awful but the vehicle could still be worth saving. It's all down to the costs of the parts involved. When I rebuilt a 2019 in 2020 junk yard PHEV parts were scarce. Now they're more readily available.
Looking over the pictures though, I'm pretty sure the rear bumper absorbed most of the energy of the hit. But you have a few panel issues, trim issues, tail light issues and suspension issues. I'm sure that's $5,000 minimum in dealer parts, at the body shop's cost. The seals in the hatch and rear door will not likely line up well again. I wouldn't be surprised to have this be a $12,000 or more claim by the adjuster if it's deemed repairable. This is well into the territory where they will consider totaling it and selling it at the auction (it will go for parts - only older irredeemable cars go right to the crusher). Many states have a "for parts only" salvage title that means the car can never be made road legal again.
2019 White PHEV EX Prem, Mich Premier AS tires, LED BU lights, window visors 2022 Subaru OB Touring
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I was hit in rear passenger door when making a sudden, impulsive lane change, Car that hit me was going about 15 mph. Thankfully no one was hurt but passengers (wife & 6 yr old granddaughter are not gonna forget when grandpa decided to make a sudden U turn (my fault 🤮) ! There was some damage that was more than skin deep and cost of my repair about $6500. Looks like yours has way more damaged parts than mine. Glad to hear no one was hurt in your accident. Good luck with repairs or replacement. The used Niros with reasonable mileage (4-10K / yr) are selling for about 10% below the cost of new.
replacement
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replacement
A piece of my poor car’s tail light was dangling from the bottom like a zombie eyeball 😭 The Jeep hit us twice actually, the initial impact and then he swung the wheel or hit the accelerator in panic, I think. Initially slammed into the back corner of the car and then where the wheel is. Well, if they choose to total it, I can think of my car as being an organ donor. Saving the lives of other Niros, it will live on!
I’m glad you and your family were okay too! I’ve been putting a spreadsheet together of cost of Niros of the same year/trim/area code/mileage (27k)/color/condition(great condition and also after similar rear end damage), and they’ve been consistently around 23-25k, average 24k. Sources like NADA, KBB, Edmunds, Carfax, Carmax, TrueCar, IAA, etc. I’m hoping for at least 20k if they decide to total it, and then definitely the prorated registration fees that @Glenn mentioned. I appreciate the well wishes!
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227 Posts
To follow up on my post #14 above where I was rear ended in the driver's rear corner in a hit & run, the total cost to repair it in Sept 2019 was $1,500. This was less than I was expecting so I was happy with the result.
Now I have a new situation. On the night of March 4, I merged on the local I-81; traffic was heavy and I was stuck in the right lane behind a semi tractor-trailer when it started to swerve. Next thing was a truck tire tread appeared in my headlights from under it and I had no choice but to go over it. Next I could see a line of cars pulled over on the shoulder that had already gone over it, sustained damage, and drivers shining flashlights under their cars. I had no warning lights on the dash and so I continued the short drive home. Next morning I went to a local tire shop to have the damage assessed. They found the lower bumper torn off along with everything else that was covering the undercarriage incl mudflaps; bent front radiator, AC condensor, lower rad support, air dam, coresupport, grill damage. They said my Niro was compromised but driveable and to report it to my insurance asap.
I contacted Geico and they had me submit pictures of the car from specified angles online. From what they could see, they estimated the damage at $950. After a week, the same body shop as above upped that estimate to $3,500. Now it's been in the shop 2-1/2 weeks and all parts are in except the front bumper/grill, which is on back order with no confirmed date of delivery. They are now scrambling to find it in the after-market. This same body shop used to have loaner cars, but since Covid they stopped doing that and I'm stuck with a rental car with the costs adding up. Their service used to be good and prompt; now it seems those who used to work there are gone and it's different. To add insult to injury, Geico just upped my 6-month premium by 20%. When I inquired why; they said the accidents in my area have gone up and the increase is on everyone to cover their costs.
Now I have a new situation. On the night of March 4, I merged on the local I-81; traffic was heavy and I was stuck in the right lane behind a semi tractor-trailer when it started to swerve. Next thing was a truck tire tread appeared in my headlights from under it and I had no choice but to go over it. Next I could see a line of cars pulled over on the shoulder that had already gone over it, sustained damage, and drivers shining flashlights under their cars. I had no warning lights on the dash and so I continued the short drive home. Next morning I went to a local tire shop to have the damage assessed. They found the lower bumper torn off along with everything else that was covering the undercarriage incl mudflaps; bent front radiator, AC condensor, lower rad support, air dam, coresupport, grill damage. They said my Niro was compromised but driveable and to report it to my insurance asap.
I contacted Geico and they had me submit pictures of the car from specified angles online. From what they could see, they estimated the damage at $950. After a week, the same body shop as above upped that estimate to $3,500. Now it's been in the shop 2-1/2 weeks and all parts are in except the front bumper/grill, which is on back order with no confirmed date of delivery. They are now scrambling to find it in the after-market. This same body shop used to have loaner cars, but since Covid they stopped doing that and I'm stuck with a rental car with the costs adding up. Their service used to be good and prompt; now it seems those who used to work there are gone and it's different. To add insult to injury, Geico just upped my 6-month premium by 20%. When I inquired why; they said the accidents in my area have gone up and the increase is on everyone to cover their costs.
This reminds me - the wiring harness on newer cars are very expensive and contain many many wires. When cars get into accidents, usually the damaged parts that fall off the car get put in the car. If you're lucky, by the time it gets to the auction yard it still has them. In one of my pictures you'll see a front wiring harness on the ground, which I pulled off at the yard because it was dangling and partially severed. That harness was something like $300 at wholesale cost (I work part time out of a garage and get to buy parts at repair shop costs through their account) to get a new one. I painstakingly rebuilt the harness that came with the car. The VESS system also was damaged (the plastic housing). I rigged that back together. In the end the only thing I could not get to work well was the hood sensor - in order to bend the bracket that supports it back into its proper position, I would have had to remove the hood release cable, which is an unnecessary ordeal. US hoods are very safe - they're engineered to have two latches so if the first fails the hood doesn't fly off. You'll notice when the hood is not fully latched. This car was so new I was determined to get all the check engine and other warning lights off the dash. I put a paperclip jumper in the hood sensor and soldered it in place. That's the only compromise to get to zero warnings.
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Sstr Maria, sorry for your issue... What a jump of $2,100 is a big difference... and what a jump of Insurance costs, but then I guess I should check ours...
The shomp couldn't offer you a temporary fix to allow you to use the car while waiting for a part?
The shomp couldn't offer you a temporary fix to allow you to use the car while waiting for a part?
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227 Posts
I've asked, and without the front bumper/grill and one other part, the car is not driveable. No temporary fix available. The problem is they have the receptionist as the only person available/tasked trying to source the parts, and the reptionist is multitasked among multiple customers, insurance companies, and other priorities (i.e. taking calls, attending meetings, etc.), and has not had a chance/time to look for my parts in the past week. Totally unacceptable, but when I talk to them, they say there's nothing they can do, and will get to it when they can. A lot of shouting/yelling going on; seems like crisis management. I'm definitely not going back there again.
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I guess this is a case where the manager hides in his office? Maybe you suggest to the owner that the receptionist be made the manager since he/she seems to be doing the managers job anyway.
I have a couple of observations:
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I was fortunate that with a firm push I was able to snap the parts back together:
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- The traction battery on the first generation Niro was at the left front corner, ahead of the wheel??? That's an invitation to an expensive repair. The 2023 Niro moved the battery to a more "traditional" and protected location in the engine bay.
- I'm hoping that I can avoid any "incidents" for the next year, as I suspect that replacement parts for a 2023 Niro will be made from unobtainium until well into 2024.
I was fortunate that with a firm push I was able to snap the parts back together:
Air bags can generally be replaced by the body shop with air bags from cars that have been totaled out. If a car gets destroyed from behind, the air bags have not deployed. You can buy them at a salvage yard for a fraction of the price of new ones. I had a vehicle repaired that way. That's why people steal them.
No. The HEV has the traction battery under the rear seat. The PHEV has the battery in the back, down where traditional cars kept a spare tire, under the rear floor panel. The EV has the battery back under the passenger compartment floor, which covers the front and back seat areas.
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