The passenger compartment of the Niro remained stable in the frontal offset test. Dummy numbers showed good protection of the knees and femurs of both the driver and passenger. Kia showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sitting in different positions. Measurement of pedal displacement indicated marginal protection of the feet and ankles of the driver. Analysis of the deceleration of the impact trolley during the test, and analysis of the deformable barrier after the test, revealed that the Niro would be a benign impact partner in a frontal collision. In the full-width rigid barrier test, good or adequate protection was provided to all critical body areas, for both the driver and rear passenger. In both the side barrier test and the more severe side pole impact, protection of all critical body areas was good and the car scored maximum points in this part of the assessment. Control of excursion (the extent to which a body is thrown to the other side of the vehicle when it is hit from the far side) was found to be marginal. The Niro has a counter-measure to mitigate against occupant to occupant injuries in such impacts and this performed well in Euro NCAP's test. Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision.  A geometric analysis of the rear seats indicated marginal whiplash protection.   The Niro has an advanced eCall system which alerts the emergency services in the event of a crash.   The car also has a system which applies the brakes after an impact to avoid secondary collisions.

In the frontal offset test, protection of the 6 year dummy was good for all critical body areas and that of the 10 year dummy was good apart from adequate protection of the neck.  In the side barrier test, dummy readings of acceleration in the head of the 10 year dummy revealed weak protection of that body region, probably related to bottoming-out of the airbag, but protection of all other critical areas was good for both the 6 and 10 year dummies.  The front passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position.  Clear information is provided to the driver regarding the status of the airbag and the system was rewarded.  All of the restraint types for which the Niro is designed could be properly installed and accommodated.

The protection provided by the bonnet to the head of a struck pedestrian was predominantly good or adequate, with poor results recorded at the base of the windscreen and on the stiff windscreen pillars.  The bumper offered good protection to pedestrians’ legs and protection of the pelvis region was also good at all test locations.  The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system of the Niro can respond to vulnerable road users, as well as to other vehicles.  The system performed adequately in tests of its response to pedestrians and well when tested using targets representing cyclists, with collisions avoided or mitigated in most scenarios.

The Niro is equipped with a camera-only AEB system as standard but the optional ‘DriveWise’ safety pack adds a radar.  In tests of this system’s response to other vehicles it performed well, with improved performance all-round compared to the standard car and, in particular, a response to cars cutting across its path.  A seatbelt reminder system, which includes occupant detection, is fitted as standard to the front and rear seats.  'Driver Awareness Warning' also detects fatigued or distracted driving and issues a warning to the driver.  The camera-based traffic sign recognition system did not meet Euro NCAP’s requirements and was not rewarded but the speed assistance system was awarded some points for the accuracy of its speed control.  The lane support system gently corrects the vehicle’s path if it is drifting out of lane, and also intervenes in some more critical situations.