Picked up a 2021 Kia Niro Hybrid from an authorised dealer back in February for £14k (came with 2 years of manufacturer warranty left). It ticks all the practical boxes for me — mainly short nursery runs and weekend trips, no daily commute. Getting around 40–45 mpg which seems decent for how I use it.
This is my first car in the UK, and objectively there’s nothing wrong with it… but I just don’t feel it. Hard to explain — it just doesn’t excite me or make me enjoy driving it.
At first I thought it was the sluggish acceleration, but Sport mode does make it feel a lot better (at the expense of fuel, which I can live with occasionally). Still, even after getting used to it, something feels “off” for me.
I keep thinking about what else I could’ve bought in the £17–18k range (which was actually my original budget), and whether I settled too quickly.
Plan was always to keep this until it breaks and then upgrade, but now I’m second guessing whether I’m just overthinking or if this is genuine buyers’ remorse.
For context: I do need something this size because of family/pram/etc.
Anyone else had this feeling? Did it pass, or did you end up changing cars?