Can You Use A Kia Niro To Jump Start Another Car? A Big One?

In need of a jump start and only have a Kia Niro available? It might be good to know if the vehicle can jumpstart. A Kia Niro is a hybrid, which makes the process of jump-starting a little different, and to be honest, a little more nerve-wracking for people who are still learning about hybrids.

Can A Kia Niro Jump Start A Car?

In short yes, a Kia Niro can be used to jumpstart another vehicle though it is generally recommended that you don’t. If you need to,  you’ll want to take a few precautions, including disconnecting any batteries connected to the 12-volt battery. The battery is also not a complete 12-volt battery, and might not work as well.

We’ll walk you through a few things, including why you should avoid using a Niro or other hybrid for a jump start – and how you can be of help otherwise. Hybrids do many things well, but jumpstarting might be outside of their strengths.

We’ve worked with cars for a long time. We’ll offer you a mix of the warnings you need to hear about jumpstarting with a Kia Niro, and some hope that you might be able to offer other help to get a car started.

Does the vehicle need a jump start?

Before jump-starting a vehicle, you should consult our list of reasons why a vehicle won’t start. This will give you a better idea of what else to consider before trying to jumpstart. 

How is the Kia Niro different from typical vehicles?

The Kia Niro is a hybrid vehicle, so it has a combination of a gas engine and a plug-in battery. This means that the Kia Niro is a potentially different setup for batteries compared to a vehicle with a standard internal combustion engine only. 

Most internal combustion gasoline engines require a 12-volt battery installed to make the engine turn over in all conditions. 

The battery is recharged with a properly working alternator. Larger engines also require more power and more cold cranking amps – which are a measurement of how much electricity is needed to start a big, cold engine.

A warning

Many manufacturers, including Tesla and Renault, warn that using your EV as a stationary battery could void your warranty. 

Other problems include most hybrids, including the Niro, offering a smaller battery than is typically required to start a gasoline engine. The Nissan Leaf in particular advises against jumpstarting because the smaller battery will not likely help power the gasoline engine.

The main battery on the Niro – which is the battery you should not use, is too powerful for a combustion engine to handle and could damage both vehicles with too much electricity.

How do I jumpstart a vehicle with the Niro?

We’ll start with always recommending you read the manual for your Niro – or any vehicle, before jumpstarting another vehicle. Some vehicles might be a little different in the process. 

You’ll need jumper cables and want to pull your Niro up to the front or side of the vehicle with the dead battery. In the case of the Niro, the battery is often located either in the back of the vehicle or in one of the wheel wells. 

Be careful here. You are actually looking for two separate batteries. One battery is your main battery and the other is a 12V battery. You want to locate the main battery and disconnect it temporarily. This could screw up your radio settings, but you can fix that later! You want to locate the 12v battery, which is most likely in a wheel well.

When you do find the main battery, which does not say 12V, the only thing you want to do to this battery is to disconnect it.

Why am I looking for the 12V battery?

A typical car battery is only be to charged by a 12V battery. Every jump pack out there is a 12V battery. Your battery and electrical system could be fried if it receives a jump from a larger amount of electricity, which the Kia Niro main battery is capable of delivering.

How to set it up

Pull your Niro to a spot where the jumper cables can readily reach from the 12V battery to the battery on the vehicle you are jumping.

You’ll want to start by connecting the red, positive end of the jumper cable to the red, positive end of the battery terminal on your Niro. You’ll then connect the black clamps to the negative terminals on both vehicles. The negative ends are grounds and could cause a spark. Keep the cables from touching any metal within your engine compartment.

Ideally, you don’t want to start the dead vehicle with the battery connected. Try letting the cars sit with batteries connected for a couple of minutes, then disconnect the jumper cables in the opposite order: In other words, disconnect the black ends first, then the reds.

Then try to start the battery deficient vehicle.

Can a hybrid jump start a hybrid or EV?

This is possible, though the scenario is unlikely to arise. You could connect the 12-volt batteries on two EV vehicles and get enough charge to keep going. 

The issue here is that without an alternator, the EV probably won’t go very far and won’t keep running with a lower battery. You could need to repeatedly charge the other EV while on the way to your destination.

The good news is that an electric vehicle should need relatively little charging to get a few miles.

Another idea

Rather than risking your Niro, battery, or the other vehicle, you could consider getting a 12-volt jump pack to keep in your Niro. This could be helpful both in case you need to jumpstart your own vehicle and are parked in a difficult spot – and to have a very low-risk backup if someone else needs a jump.

If you had a roadside assistance program, you could also offer to use it for the other vehicle. Many roadside assistance programs will allow you to have a towing company come jump a vehicle, even if it isn’t yours. In some ways, this could help benefit a tow company and reduce the risk to your vehicle.

Can you jumpstart an EV or hybrid with a conventional engine?

So long as the conventional engine has a 12v battery, it’s possible. You’ll have the same issue as starting a hybrid or EV with another in that you’ll need to leave it charging for a while to have any real effect, as they typically don’t charge on their own. This is still helpful in getting an EV to some place where it can charge.