Kia Picanto review 2025 | New car reviews

Make and model: Kia Picanto 1.0-litre petrol manual ‘2’
Description: Small hatchback
Price range: from £16,065

Kia says: “Kia’s smallest model, the Picanto, has been enhanced with an impressive new design and advanced technologies. The Picanto offers customers a modern, stylish and advanced A-segment model at an affordable price point.”

We say: Facelifted with bold styling and more tech, the Kia Picanto city car is practical, reliable and cheap to run. It’s still a top contender in this ever-declining segment of the new car market.

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Introduction

The Kia Picanto is a leading contender in the city car segment, which comprises the smallest hatchbacks currently on sale. The current model has been around since 2017, but received a major update in early 2024. This facelift introduced dramatic new styling, inspired by larger models in the family like the Kia EV3 and Kia EV9.

The city car segment has been in decline for a number of years, as car manufacturers have struggled to make new models that meet ever-more stringent safety and emissions laws, while still turning a profit. Companies like Peugeot and Vauxhall have abandoned this segment, while Kia and sister brand Hyundai soldier on.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the newest challengers are now small electric cars coming from China – like the Leapmotor T03 and the Dacia Spring. So how does an ageing petrol car from Kia stack up to the latest EVs in this space? Quite well, actually.

What is it?

The Kia Picanto is a five-door hatchback, and the smallest model in the Kia range. It shares most of its mechanical components with the Hyundai i10 (Kia is owned by Hyundai), and the current model dates back to 2017. It received a new lease of life in 2024, with a major update that should see the current model through to somewhere near the end of this decade.

Reflecting both its age and the city car market segment, the Picanto is only available with petrol power – there are no diesel, hybrid or EV models here – and a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes.

The major 2024 update touched most aspects of the car, with dramatically updated styling, revised engines and more standard equipment.

First impressions

The inevitable first reactions relate to the styling, which is surprisingly individual and distinctive for this segment. It’s quite aggressive compared to the original version before the facelift, with T-shaped headlights and a completely revised grille/front bumper section. It’s a world away from budget Kias of old, although it’s fair to say that reactions have been mixed.

The rear end has also had significant changes compared to the earlier model, continuing a more dramatic theme. The rear diffuser is a bit naff, though.

We like: Dramatoc restyling creates a clear difference to previous model
We don’t like: Not everyone will like it

What do you get for your money?

City cars sit at the lowest price point in the new car market, so you’d expect the Kia Picanto to be lacking in any kind of creature comforts. But you’d be wrong.

There are five trim levels to choose from, each with a choice of manual or automatic transmission. The lower three levels are ‘2’, ‘GT-Line’ and ‘3’, all of which are powered by a 1.0-litre engine pushing out 62hp. The upper two trim levels are ‘Shadow’ and ‘GT-Line S’, which get a 1.2-litre that raises power to 77hp.

Pricing runs from just over £16K for the entry-level 2 manual, up to just over £19.5K for the GT-Line S automatic. At each level, the only extra-cost option is premium paint.

We’re not going to regurgitate the Picanto brochure here, so if you want detailed equipment information then head to Kia’s website or your local dealership. All models get alloy wheels, automatic headlights, electric windows all round, rear parking sensors and reversing camera, 60:40 split-folding rear seat, and an eight-inch central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Top-spec models get niceties like a sunroof, wireless phone charging, and heated seats and steering wheel.

Another important point is that the Picanto’s age means its Euro NCAP safety rating has now expired. When it was tested back in 2017, the entry-level Picanto models achieved a three-star rating while the higher-spec models scored four stars. While these scores were not outstanding, they were competitive for budget-price city cars eight years ago. However, safety standards get tougher every year, and the newer Toyota Aygo X is a better choice for safety today.

As with every Kia, you get a seven-year/100,000-mile new car warranty, which is one of the best in the business.

We like: Plenty of standard kit, even on base model.
We don’t like: Safety rating now expired due to age

What’s the Kia Picanto like inside?

As with the spec sheet, the cabin of the Kia Picanto really does belie its price tag. It feels functional and solid, with mostly hard plastics, but it doesn’t feel cheap and certainly not nasty.

You settle into a good driving position with excellent visibility. The steering wheel is not adjustable for reach but it still felt ok rather than like you’re stretching. The seats are comfy, with a greyish-black fabric pattern that’s bland but fine. Our launch drive wasn’t particularly long, but the seats didn’t start to feel achey at all.

Inevitably, things are much tighter in the rear seats on such a small car. Legroom is very restricted for adults, as with any other city car, but headroom is good. The window sills are also relatively low, so visibility is good for kids in the back seats as well. The boot space is modest, but with quite a deep floor and a 60:40 split rear seat, which some city cars don’t get.

Stereo-wise, the Picanto is perfectly acceptable. The four-inch digital display in front of the driver, between the speedo and rev counter, is clear and not too crowded with information. The larger eight-inch central screen is easy enough to operate, even though the buttons are set up for left-hand drive, meaning you have to stretch for the volume knob more than you’d like.

We like: Functional and solid, but certainly doesn’t feel cheap 
We don’t like: Inevitably tight for adults in the rear seats

What’s under the bonnet?

In the updated Kia Picanto, you have a choice of two petrol engines:  

• a 1.0-litre unit producing 62hp and 93Nm, which is offered in the 2, GT-Line and 3 trim levels
• a 1.2-litre unit producing 77hp and 112Nm, which is offered in the Shadow and GT-Line S trim levels

Both are available with a choice of five-speed manual or five-speed automatic gearboxes.

If you look at the performance on paper, it sounds disappointing – anywhere between 13 seconds and 18 seconds to get from 0-62mph. But that’s rather missing the point of a car like this, which is very much designed to excel in urban and local driving, and we’ll explore that further in the next section.

Official fuel economy is 50-51mpg on the 1.2-litre engine, and 52-54mpg on the 1.0-litre version, based on EU/UK lab tests. In the real world, gentle driving will get you reasonably close to these figures, but if you’re trying to keep up with bigger, more powerful cars when accelerating on A-roads and motorways then you’re going to use a lot more fuel.

What’s the Kia Picanto like to drive?

We drove the entry-level Kia Picanto 2 with the 1.0-litre engine and manual gearbox, and it was a lot of fun. Compared to an electric or hybrid car, it’s a far more analogue experience – so if you’re over the age of about 30 then it’s going to feel completely natural.

Being a small car with a small engine and a manual gearbox, you’re doing a lot of work to keep moving. But this isn’t a chore, as the gear change is easy and the steering is light but responsive. It feels quite nippy, as a city car should, despite its paltry power numbers. Compared to the electric Leapmotor T03 we reviewed recently, it feels more old-fashioned but a lot more enjoyable.

Once you get beyond the suburbs and hit open roads, the performance drops off a lot – as you’d expect with only 62hp available. You can also expect it to struggle more if you’re loaded up with a full complement of passengers, or pushing up a hill. This also dials up the noise levels in the cabin as the little engine works hard to meet your demands.

The Picanto generally rides comfortably. It’s a bit bouncy at times, particularly at higher speeds, but it is a very short car so this is to be expected and you’ll find the same in any other car of a similar size.

Being an older model, the Picanto doesn’t have as many over-intrusive accident-avoidance warnings beeping and bonging all the time. However, this may change as part of minor updates, so make sure you take a test drive before buying.

We like: Enjoyable driving experience
We don’t like: Engine struggles on open roads or under heavier loads

Verdict

As a dedicated city car, the Kia Picanto is a brilliant little machine. It’s great to drive, has plenty of standard kit and is well built. Plus, you get the reassurance of a long seven-year new car warranty, making it a good bet as a used car as well.

If you regularly take passengers, or your driving involves open roads and motorways, or you tend to have a heavy right foot, you’ll find that the Picanto may struggle to keep up with your demands. But around town, it’s perfectly up to the job.

The biggest criticism of the Kia Picanto is that its safety credentials are lacking compared to the best-ranked cars in this class, like the Toyota Aygo X. In our Expert Rating Index, this drags the Picanto’s score down significantly as safety scores are a major factor in the overall ratings.

Compared to electric offerings from the likes of Leapmotor and Dacia, the Picanto does feel like a throwback. You have to work the manual gearbox to get decent performance, while the auto is sluggish. If you drive an electric city car, you’ll be shocked at how quickly they respond in urban driving compared to a small petrol engine like the one in the Kia. And, obviously, a petrol car will consume more fossil fuels and produce more CO₂ than an electric car (even if the electricity is coming from a coal-fired power station).

But if you’re not ready to make the jump to an electric car just yet, the Kia Picanto is one of the better old-school petrol choices on the market.

This review was originally published in October 2024. Last updated May 2025.

Similar cars

If you’re looking at the Kia Picanto, you might also be interested in these alternatives.

Current models: Dacia Sandero | Dacia Spring (EV) | Fiat 500 | Hyundai i10 | Leapmotor T03 (EV) | Suzuki Ignis | Toyota Aygo X

Discontinued models: Citroën C1 | Fiat Panda | Peugeot 108 | MG 3 | Renault Twingo | SEAT Mii | Skoda Citigo | Smart Forfour | Toyota Aygo | Vauxhall Adam | Volkswagen Up!

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