How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2023 Kia Niro EV?

The verdict: Kia’s compact hatchback was redesigned for 2023, and the Niro is again available in three different powertrain flavors: hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric. For this Car Seat Check, we tested the all-electric version and had some legroom issues with our rear-facing car seats. The Niro EV has about 3 inches less legroom than the hybrid model. See the models compared.

Does it fit three car seats? No.

Take a look at how the Latch system and each car seat scored below in our Car Seat Check of the 2023 Kia Niro EV.

Related: Search Car Seat Checks

A Grade

• Booster: After removing the head restraint, I was able to fit the booster flush against the seatback. The outboard buckles are stable and easy to grasp, but the middle buckle is floppy and might be tough for kids to grasp and use. The middle seat is very narrow and not the best spot for a booster.

B Grade

• Latch: The two sets of lower anchors sit just within the seat bight, where the back and bottom cushions meet. The seats are firm, so a bit of muscle is required to connect to the anchors. Three top tether anchors are clearly marked on the seatbacks, but they’re in slits in the seatback carpet, complicating access and contributing to a lower grade for the forward-facing convertible.

C Grade

• Forward-facing convertible: After removing the head restraint, the convertible fit well on the flat, wide seatback. I struggled a bit to connect to the lower anchors with the convertible’s skinny hooklike connectors. The three top tether anchors are clearly marked on the seatbacks, but they’re in slits in the seatback carpet, complicating access.
• Infant seat: Connecting to the lower anchors required a bit of muscle to get past the stiff seat cushions, but the infant seat’s chunky connectors made this a little easier than with the convertible’s skinny connectors. We moved the front passenger seat forward to accommodate our 5-foot-6-inch test passenger, but she had barely enough legroom; taller passengers will be uncomfortable.
• Rear-facing convertible: As with the infant seat, front passenger legroom wasn’t great, and Latch connection could be better.

Grading Scale

A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn’t impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.

B: One room, fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing the third row when available.

C: Marginal room plus one fit or connection issue. Difficult to access the third row when available.

D: Insufficient room, plus multiple fit or connection issues.

F: Does not fit or is unsafe.

About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks

Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Chicco KeyFit 30 infant-safety seat, a Graco Contender 65 convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a shorter passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.

We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. Learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks.

Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.

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