The Kia Niro has been given four stars by Euro NCAP, although this is increased to five if you spec the safety pack.

The body is made from a combination of high-strength steel and aluminium, while seven airbags are installed as standard along with Isofix child seat-lashing points.

Particular attention has been paid to scoring well in NCAP’s Safety Assist section, so the Niro can be specified with a number of advanced features in this regard:

• Automatic low-speed braking – will stop the car for you if a collision is imminent
• Adaptive cruise control – adjusts speed to the car in front up to your selected speed
• Lane-departure warning – warns if you drift out of your lane without indicating
• Lane-keeping assist – actively steers to keep you between the white lines on the road
• Blindspot detection – lets you know if there’s a car in your blindspot
• Rear cross-traffic alert – warns of vehicles crossing behind you that you may not have seen

The 2019 E-Niro will come with all of the above as standard. Our initial test showed that Kia’s safety systems have been very well developed, with non-intrusive operation of adaptive cruise and lane-departure systems and smooth application of the controls.

WATCH: Kia Niro SUV Euro NCAP crash test

There’s room for four adults in the Kia Niro but five will be a squeeze. Its doors open fairly wide, however, which makes getting in and out easier.

The Niro’s footprint is similar to that of a medium hatchback, so while you may be thinking it’s a large vehicle, in actual fact it’s easily manageable for most drivers.

Higher-spec cars get more kit to help when parking, such as acoustic sensors and third-party navigation through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

The Kia Niro’s boot measures 324 litres in volume for the plug-in hybrid model, rising to 382 for the hybrid and 451 for the E-Niro electric version. Folding the back seats down liberates 1,322, 1,380 and 1,405 litres respectively.

A false floor in the boot makes for a flat load surface, though the lip is fairly high for large dogs to hop up into.