Used car safety, rank #129 of 181
Kia Niro hybrid Safety Rating (2017-20)
Real IIHS driver death rates for the 2017-20 Kia Niro hybrid, a mini wagon or minivan, compared with its class and with the current model.
IIHS 2023 edition Β· 2018β2021 crashes. Results apply only to the model years and drivetrain shown. This is the historical edition. See the July 2026 release for newer used cars.
The 2017-20 Kia Niro hybrid has an IIHS driver death rate of 43 per million registered vehicle years against a mini station wagons/minivans average of 48.0, which is 10% below the class average. That places it #129 of 181 used vehicles with a safety score of 33.1/100.
What the Kia Niro hybrid death rate means
At 43 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, the Kia Niro hybrid beats the mini station wagons/minivans average of 48.0 by 10%. The 95% confidence interval is 15 to 71, so the upper end of the range overlaps the class average and the advantage is not certain.
The other-driver death rate of 28 measures the opposite risk: how many drivers of other vehicles died in crashes with a Kia Niro hybrid. It is no higher than the Kia Niro hybrid's own driver death rate. Remember that death rates describe vehicles and their drivers together: IIHS adjusts for driver age and gender, but not for where or how carefully people drive. Our score weights this model's own rate at 70% and its class at 30%; see how we rank used cars.
Compared with similar used station wagons/minivans
The safest mini station wagons/minivans in the IIHS study, by our score, with the Kia Niro hybrid highlighted. It ranks 1 of the 2 shown.
| Vehicle | Years | Death rate | Score | Reliability | Used price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kia Niro hybrid (this page) | 2017-20 | 43 (15 to 71) | 33.1 | n/a | n/a |
| Honda Fit | 2017-20 | 53 (25 to 81) | 25.7 | n/a | n/a |
Class average for mini station wagons/minivans: 48.0 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
Safety recalls for the Kia Niro hybrid
We do not have a verified NHTSA recall lookup for this nameplate and model year. Check by VIN rather than treating that as a clean record.
Recall campaigns from the NHTSA recalls database, retrieved 2026-09-16. A campaign covers a range of build dates, not every car of the model year, and IIHS reports this nameplate across several years while these results are for one year. Confirm against the VIN. Recalls do not affect the death rate on this page.
Kia Niro hybrid: Common Questions
Is the Kia Niro hybrid a safe car?
Yes, by the measure that matters most. IIHS recorded a driver death rate of 43 per million registered vehicle years for the 2017-20 Kia Niro hybrid, 10% below the class average (48.0 for mini station wagons/minivans). That earns a used-car safety score of 33.1 out of 100 and rank #129 of 181 used vehicles.
What is the Kia Niro hybrid driver death rate?
43 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, with a 95% confidence interval of 15 to 71. Drivers of other vehicles that collided with a Kia Niro hybrid died at a rate of 28 per million. Source: IIHS driver death rates by make and model, covering 2017-20 models.
How does the Kia Niro hybrid compare with other mini station wagons/minivans?
The mini station wagons/minivans class averages 48.0 driver deaths per million; the Kia Niro hybrid sits at 43. Among the 2 mini station wagons/minivans compared above it ranks 1 by safety score.