Hire the E-Niro from Volt-Age from June 2019

A whole host of Motor Industry awards are given out each year, with inevitable debate over the “judges” impartiality and decisions . So enter the Kia E-Niro to spark such debate, as it was yesterday crowned the What Car? 2019 Car of the Year. Snatching the overall prize from ICE and Hybrid vehicles is amazing news for Kia but more so for EV’s. It proves that the technology can and will be mainstream in the not to distant future, and gives EV’s as a whole, a well needed PR boost.

EV’s have a stigma surrounding them, which I see everyday in my role here at Volt-Age. Quotes range from “they’re not practical”, “too expensive” or even “it’s a computer on wheels”, there is a certain hesitation from a lot of people about even trying an EV, let alone parting with upwards of £30,000 for one. Yes, electric vehicles are more expensive to purchase than a rival diesel/petrol vehicle, and it’s deluded to think everyone can afford to buy a brand new car, that being said, there are also plenty of people who can, but choose not too, and that means a longer wait for those with a smaller budget. Let’s hope the What Car? prize will encourage some rethinking.

We now stock the Kia E-Niro and have it ready to hire having placed our order before the What Car? announcement, off of the back of other reviews and so we will have two versions available including one by Fully Charged (below) and use of the PHEV version. It’s a cracking size, comfortable for a family but not too big, with a spacious boot to match. The battery tech (the same lithium-Ion polymer setup found on the Hyundai Kona) offers a whopping realistic 250 miles of range, which is normally reserved for Tesla and Jaguar models, double the price.

It’s clear that EV’s are moving on quickly, but the E-Niro has been written in the history books, and has set the bar pretty high for the other main manufacturers. Does this spark the death of the combustion engine? not quite yet, but it’s clearly not long for this world.