2018 Chevrolet Bolt Ev vs 2018 Kia Niro
Two wagons from the same model year, side by side. Every figure is a raw NHTSA/EPA count — not normalized by how many were sold.
Side by side: 2018 Niro has fewer recorded recall campaigns (3 vs 5), and no recorded owner complaints for either. 2018 Bolt Ev carries more NHTSA investigations (3 vs 1). Neither has NHTSA crash ratings, and both have EPA fuel-economy data.
| Metric | 2018 Chevrolet Bolt Ev | 2018 Kia Niro |
|---|---|---|
| Recall campaigns | 5 | 3 |
| Owner complaints | 0 | 0 |
| NHTSA investigations | 3 | 1 |
| NHTSA crash rating | Not rated | Not rated |
| EPA fuel economy | Available | Available |
Where these two actually differ
2018 Kia Niro carries 2 fewer recall campaigns (3 against 5). Every campaign listed is repaired free by a dealer regardless of which side it falls on, so this gap matters most if the specific car you are looking at still has work outstanding.
Owner complaints are level at 0 each.
EPA fuel-economy figures exist for both, so running costs can be compared on the individual reports.
Counts are raw NHTSA and EPA totals for each model year. They are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle were sold, so a high-volume model will tend to show more of everything — a larger complaint count is not by itself evidence of a worse car. Use the per-vehicle reports for the underlying records.
How to read this
- A green check marks the lower raw count — fewer recorded issues, not a declared winner.
- Complaint totals are not normalized by vehicle population; a big-seller shows more of everything.
- Where a rating or EPA record is absent, that is missing data — not evidence of safety.