See the 2019 Kia Niro EV in Photos

The similarities stop at the motor tuning, however. Someone steeped in the Gospel of Hoon got hold of the Kona, which encourages frequent and excessive wheelspin, whereas the Niro can barely squawk a tire when pointed straight.

Yet the 152-pound-heavier Kia with its mature tune is but a tenth of a second off the Hyundai's pace to 60 mph.

That sophistication carries over to the Niro's driving experience, where the front seats coddle and wind and road noise are more hushed than in the Kona, Bolt, or Model 3.

The Kia is not sporty, and it occasionally clomps heavily on its 17-inch Michelin Primacy MXV4s, but it looks and feels solid, sturdy, and well built in a way that the Chevy and Tesla don't.

Less impressive are some of the economy-car finishing details, including large sections of soulless black plastic. But the need to package the large battery leads to a few compromises.

The Niro EV is offered in two feature-rich trim levels: EX ($39,495) and EX Premium ($44,995).

Standard content includes passive entry with push-button start, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, automatic climate control (single zone), and a host of driver aids such as adaptive cruise control, lane-centering steering assist, and blind-spot warning.

The Premium trim we tested adds LED head- and taillights, a sunroof, leather front seats that are heated and ventilated, an 8.0-inch center touchscreen rather than a 7.0-inch unit, and Harman/Kardon stereo.

The Niro also has standard 100-kW DC fast-charging capability, which is more than both the Nissan Leaf and the Bolt EV, even though Chevy charges extra for the feature.

Hooking up to a 100-kW fast charger—if you can find one—can get the pack to 80 percent in an hour. A 7.2-kW onboard charger enables recharge times on a 240-volt Level 2 power supply of 9.5 hours.

The floor in the rear cabin is raised almost two inches, which pinches footroom under the front seat. It also elevates knees, which is particularly noticeable for tall riders, although the legroom is more than adequate and more than what the Model 3, Leaf, or Kona offer.

We suspect the car's optional heat pump—an expensive piece of hardware that's a much more efficient way to warm a vehicle's cabin than the resistive heat found in most competitors—was much of the reason why the Niro delivered an impressive 180 miles on our highway-range run, a 20-mile advantage over the Kona (both were tested in mid-20-degree winter temperatures).

One-pedal driving is possible but not without fiddling with the wheel-mounted paddles, which are at first engaging, then tiresome.

Brake feel is fine when the pedal is used gently, but large or quick stabs show the typical blended-brake nonlinearity of many of these systems.

On-center steering effort is a bit heavier than the small-crossover norm, but it imparts a sense of security in shepherding the half-ton battery pack. That's right: Today's state of the art requires a claimed 1008 pounds to house the same amount of energy that's found in 1.9 gallons of gasoline.

Kia isn't helping its sales prospects by limiting the Niro EV to only 12 states (California and seven of the other ZEV states—but neither Vermont nor Maine—plus Georgia, Texas, Washington, and Hawaii).

The Niro EV is being produced in Kia's Hwaseong, South Korea, plant and, at $39,495, is priced $1500 higher than the Kona Electric.

Something that makes any of this electric trio—Niro, Soul, or Kona—a smart buy is that Hyundai and Kia have sold so few electrified vehicles that theirs will get the maximum $7500 federal tax credit for years to come—a perk for which Teslas and Chevys no longer qualify.