Kia Picanto Review 2025: Price, specs & boot space
Written by Andrew Brady
Quick overview
Pros
- Reasonable running costs
- Mid-spec cars come loaded with kit
- Neat and tidy handling
Cons
- Non-turbo engines are slow
- Not the roomiest in the back
- Fidgety ride on 16-inch wheels
Overall verdict on the Kia Picanto
"The Kia Picanto is a compact city car with a spicy attitude and styling, but a sensible approach to practicality and interior design. It’s available as a five-door hatch with space for five, and petrol engines. We'll save you the suspense of reading on, and say it's a brilliant all-rounder and one of the best in its class."
Like any great city car worth its salt, the Kia Picanto has good visibility, short overhangs, and light controls. That makes it a doddle to manoeuvre in tightly-packed supermarket car parks, and stress-free to drive smoothly in the city. Visibility is great, and the cabin is a triumph of simple, logical design. It looks good, but is also easy to use. Find out all you need to know with our Kia Picanto review.
The Kia Picanto was facelifted in 2024, with the front end design of the car benefitting from a significant update. The new design has what Kia calls 'Opposites United' styling cues that have been inspired by the recently launched Kia EV9 large electric SUV. Opt for a Picanto in either GT-Line or GT-Line S trim and they look more imposing thanks for sportier looking front and rear bumper designs.
For 2024 and Kia has dropped the stripped out rental car-spec Picanto 1, with the Picanto 2 now the entry point in the range. All cars now get an 8-inch touchscreen and 4.2-inch digital driver display as standard, while the priciest Picanto GT-Line S and Shadow models are brimming with technology, and impressive luxury features. Have you heard of a city car with a wireless charging pad, faux-leather seats and a heated steering wheel? You have with this top flight Kia Picanto.
While Kia Picanto is not the best for passenger space in a small car, you can get adults in the back. Kia reckons it's possible to fit five, but while there are enough seat belts for the task, we'd advise against it unless you want to start a squabble.
Still, the Kia Picanto has a decent-sized boot at 255 litres, folding seats, and enough luggage space to handle shopping trips or the odd weekend adventure, although bulkier items like a baby buggy might call for some careful re-arranging inside. Fold the rear seats and you have up to 1010 litres of room.
Small petrol engines are the order of the day under the bonnet, and for the 2024 facelift model, it's been reduced down to two non-turbocharged units. The buzzy 62PS 1.0-litre is characterful and perfect for town use. Here it feels more urgent and free-revving than its paltry performance figures would suggest, thanks to its thrummy three-cylinder layout.
If you're considering a Kia Picanto in GT-Line S or Shadow trim then there's a more powerful (and we use the term powerful in the loosest sense of the word) 77PS 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine that's a slightly better option for buyers who plan on covering bigger distances. While still fairly sedate, you'll be thankful for the extra oomph it has. Whichever engine you choose, the Picanto is good fun to drive, with accurate steering, decent grip, and nice body control. It feels agile but remains planted through bends; the trade-off is a slightly firmer ride than rivals.
Kia also offers a 100PS 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine that was much peppier to drive, but this has since been dropped from the line-up since the car was facelifted in 2024.
There were originally a dizzying seven different specifications to choose from with the Kia Picanto: 1, 2, 3, X-Line, X-Line S, GT-Line, and GT-Line S. Plus two special editions. Thankfully Kia has streamlined the range, with the 2, 3, GT-Line, GT-Line S, as well as the Shadow special edition. The '3' is our favourite, but buyers might be swayed by the sharper looks of the GT-Line cars. Thanks to a long warranty, the Kia Picanto also makes a fantastic used car, and with so few weaknesses, you'd be a fool not to try it.
Looking for a used car for sale? We've got 100s of Kia Approved Used Cars for Sale for you to choose from, including a wide range of Kia Picanto cars for sale.
Is the Kia Picanto right for you?
What other cars are similar to the Kia Picanto?
Comfort and design: Kia Picanto interior
"Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Picanto is its uncluttered, thoughtfully designed interior. A dash layout that places the majority of the controls right in your eye-line helps, but all its fundamentals are spot-on. "
The clearly printed text on the switches makes spotting them intuitive, with bright and sharp instruments too. Some drivers will have to squint to read the dot-matrix display between them, but really we're just nit-picking.
There are a few buttons hidden by the driver's right knee, but everything you'll need to use on a regular basis is put front and centre, and there are no annoying quirks to befuddle you or become frustrating over time.
The driving position of the Kia Picanto is excellent, and while you can’t adjust the steering wheel for reach (as is the case with most city cars) the front seats are comfortable and supportive. They'll stop you sliding about in corners, but keep you fresh on longer journeys, and all but the entry-level car come with height adjustment for the base.
You sit close to the windscreen, and the window pillars are nice and thin, so you get a great view out and it's easy to judge the dimensions when you're trying to thread the Picanto through a narrow gap or into a space.
The rear view isn't quite as straightforward, but over-the-shoulder visibility is still decent and mid-spec cars and up come with parking sensors and a reversing camera, so you'll be able to park it with millimetre-fine precision.
Quality and finish
Infotainment: Touchscreen, USB, nav and stereo in the Kia Picanto
Space and practicality: Kia Picanto boot space
Handling and ride quality: What is the Kia Picanto like to drive?
"First and foremost, the Kia Picanto does all the crucial city car stuff well. It feels compact on the road, letting you nip through gaps in traffic and the steering is nice and light at parking speeds, making it an easy car to drive."
Avoid the 16-inch alloy wheels (standard fit on Kia Picanto GT-Line models and above) and you'll be in for a smooth ride, although the Volkswagen Up and Hyundai i10 are softer over bumps, and don't fidget as much on patchier roads.
This jittery character is only noticeable at lower speeds, where the Kia Picanto can thud into potholes, but does a good job of stopping the disturbance created spreading from one corner to the whole car. A firmer setup also means it doesn't bounce you about over longer compression's or float queasily up and down dips and crests.
With thinner sidewalls giving the suspension less travel, higher spec'd cars can get quite bumpy on an undulating surface, but the trade off is excellent body control, and strong mid-corner grip. In fact, the Kia Picanto is a real hoot to drive, with better body control than its peers, accurate steering, and lively, agile responses.
It manages to feel connected to the road in a way that's rare in city cars, staying alert and upright as it turns without becoming nervous at higher speed. Grip in tighter bends is plentiful, and the handling is predictable.
A Hyundai i10 feels more grown-up, but we like the Kia's youthful exuberance. We're sure many new drivers will welcome the fact that while it's not a particularly quick car, it can definitely put a big smile on your face.
What engines and gearboxes are available in the Kia Picanto?
Refinement and noise levels
Safety equipment: How safe is the Kia Picanto?
MPG and fuel costs: What does a Kia Picanto cost to run?
"The Picanto is a value-driven city car, and while not a budget option, it won't cost you much to run every day. According to the latest WLTP figures the 1.0-litre engine should return over 52mpg, the best in the line-up."
You won't sacrifice too much by going for the punchier 1.2-litre though as it can still achieve an official 51.4mpg, and since it won't require thrashing to make decent progress, you're likely to get close to that in real world driving.
With a 35-litre tank, you should be able to go around 350 miles between fill-ups, about right for a town car.
How reliable is a Kia Picanto?
Insurance groups and costs
VED car tax: What is the annual road tax on a Kia Picanto?
How much should you be paying for a Kia Picanto?
"New prices start from £15.595 and climb to £19,145 for the top-spec Kia Picanto GT-Line S. Of course, you can pay a lot less than that if you're willing to buy a used version, and there are plenty available."
The cheapest route into Picanto ownership is picking up an early car of this generation fitted with the 1.0 MPi engine in basic 1 Air spec, which should cost around £7,000. That's in line with a Hyundai i10 but cheaper than the Volkswagen Up.
Expect to part with at least £1000 more for one of the posher trims, or the larger petrol engines. At the other end of the scale, since the 1.0 T-GDi turbo triple only comes in Picanto GT-Line trim it starts from £10,000.
At that price you'll be getting a car with very low mileage from 2019 with a spotless interior and bodywork. To get discounts on pre-registered new cars is harder, but it's possible to find deals of £1000 off the list price. Alternatively, if you're looking at car finance, you should be able to track down a good PCP deal on a Kia Picanto.
Trim levels and standard equipment
Ask the heycar experts: common questions
Is the Kia Picanto a good car?
Will a used Kia Picanto be reliable?
Does the Kia Picanto come with an automatic gearbox?
Is the Kia Picanto fuel efficient?
Kia Picanto cars for sale on heycar
Kia Picanto1.25 X-Line S 5dr
201910,000 milesPetrol£259 mo£11,495
Kia Picanto1.0 GT-line 5dr [4 seats]
202417,098 milesPetrol£203 mo£12,995
Kia Picanto1.0 GT-line 5dr [4 seats]
202127,261 milesPetrol£172 mo£10,795
Kia Picanto1.0 X-Line S 5dr Auto
20232,106 milesPetrol£17,095
Kia Picanto1.0 3 5dr Auto
2024215 milesPetrol£17,395
Kia Picanto Alternatives
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