Does anyone understand one pedal driving?

My 2019 Niro manual says holding the left paddle for half a second activates one pedal driving. It mentions that the car will stop completely when under 3 km/h if I let go of the accelerator, but above that speed, it doesn’t seem to stop.

It also says holding the left paddle should bring the car to a full stop, but I’m confused about how this works in all situations.

Another issue is that my left paddle often gets stuck. When it does, I feel the regenerative braking increase, and the car will stop when I let go of the accelerator. I don’t mind it being stuck since I like the extra braking, but I’m worried it might be active even when I’m accelerating. I haven’t noticed much change in efficiency, but I’m still unsure.

I thought it worked differently. One pedal slows the car to about 3 km/h, but you still have to use the foot brake or hold the paddle to make it stop completely. I always use the left paddle, and holding it definitely stops the car.

I don’t think the paddle engages the brake pads until you press the brake pedal, but mixed braking has been debated a lot on this forum. If the car is getting input from the accelerator, it shouldn’t keep increasing regen. It sounds like your paddle might be faulty, sending mixed signals to the car. If it’s still under warranty, you should get it checked out.

@Bailey
This might depend on the model year. For mine, once one pedal driving is activated, the brake pedal doesn’t do much. The car stops completely when I take my foot off the accelerator. I don’t have to tap the paddle.

@Tobin
Mine is a 2019 too.

Bailey said:
@Tobin
Mine is a 2019 too.

When you double-tap the left paddle after the regen is maxed, does anything show up on the dashboard? Maybe an icon or something that says Auto Brake?

The first-gen Niro and Kona don’t have true one pedal driving. Holding the left paddle is the closest thing, and it uses the motor to slow the car all the way down, even while stopped. It’s not variable, but you can ease off by pressing the accelerator slightly.

The newer Niro and Kona models have iPedal, which is a proper one pedal mode, but it’s not a setting that stays on. The paddles on the older models switch between fixed regen levels 0 to 3.

Brake pedals prioritise regen over friction braking when possible, so they’re quite efficient without needing special modes. Honestly, the left-paddle-hold feature is more of a gimmick.

Tesla relies on one pedal driving because their brakes don’t integrate regen the way these cars do, so their system works differently.

You said you didn’t see much difference in efficiency, and that’s because maximum regen or one pedal driving isn’t as efficient as coasting or auto minimum regen.

Axel said:
You said you didn’t see much difference in efficiency, and that’s because maximum regen or one pedal driving isn’t as efficient as coasting or auto minimum regen.

One pedal driving seems better for city traffic, while auto regen works well for highways and steady speeds with gentle slopes.

Axel said:
You said you didn’t see much difference in efficiency, and that’s because maximum regen or one pedal driving isn’t as efficient as coasting or auto minimum regen.

Do you have any data to back that up, or is it just your opinion?

@Jules
It’s basic physics.

When you convert momentum to electricity and then back to momentum, there’s always some energy lost. Coasting doesn’t have that loss.

In Kia’s EVs (and many others), pressing the brake pedal usually triggers regen rather than friction braking. You can see on the dashboard that regen is almost always in use.

So, while one pedal driving or max regen is fine for how you want to drive, it’s not going to save more energy.

@Axel
Are you assuming that auto regen mode doesn’t allow for coasting?

I use auto regen, and I can coast just fine by not completely letting off the pedal.

Using the actual brakes is inefficient, but in stop-and-go traffic, I rarely have to engage the friction brakes.

@Blair
Are you really coasting, though? Or is it small amounts of braking and accelerating happening in cycles?

Even if you balance it perfectly, you’re still not doing any better than just letting the car coast normally. That’s a lot of effort for no extra benefit.

And with auto minimum regen, I can go the same distance without using the friction brakes, even if I’m pressing the brake pedal when necessary. One pedal driving isn’t more efficient, but it does feel smoother for some.