Kia Niro

FINAL REPORT Our hybrid had more than its fair share of problems, but there was much to like, too

- Pete Gibson

THERE are times, it must be said, when you have to look beyond a certain issue or problem with a car, and try to see the bigger picture. And that's certainly been the case with our Kia Niro Hybrid, which has occasionally put us through the mill over the past six months, while still managing to demonstrate plenty of pleasing qualities.

To recap, Kia sells the Niro in three versions - full hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and highly rated EV. We elected to not be thrown at the mercy of the UK charging network, which would have been challenging, given the number of miles I rack up on a weekly basis. Instead we chose to see what sort of efficiency we could get out of the most transitional of the three, the full hybrid.

This was, in fact, the first fleet car I've had that is not a purely combustion-engined offering. And I'm sure this is precisely the sort of scenario that lots of car buyers are going through - knowing that we need a car with some form of electrification, but cautious about sacrificing the petrol or diesel power altogether, just yet.