Kia Picanto review

The latest version of the Picanto starts at £15,595 in 2 trim, you’ll need to add a smidge under £700 for the automatic version. The GT-Line comes in at £16,745, the 3 trim at £17,545 and the top spec GT-Line S at £18,445. Feels like a lot of variables for such a small car.

If you’re looking at finance, an example deal straight from Kia is a smidge under £300 a month for the top-spec Picanto with a £1,500 deposit over three years and 30,000 miles.

And of course, all of these models come with Kia’s impressive seven-year/100,000-mile warranty that can be transferred between owners for as long as it’s still valid.

What are the trims like?

The entry 2 gets a reasonable spec as standard, with aircon, electric windows all round, 8in touchscreen infotainment with 14in alloys, satnav, rear parking sensors and camera, plus Android and Apple connectivity. 

The GT-Line adds 16in alloys, ‘sportier’ styling, LED lights front and rear, electric folding mirrors and a rear USB charging port.

The 3 comes with auto aircon, heated seats and steering wheel, keyless entry and wireless phone charging. GT-Line S gets the more powerful engine, further styling tweaks and throws in a sunroof.

Which one should I go for?

We’d probably opt for the Picanto in 3 trim with the manual gearbox, but we do like our heated seats. It’s the version that comes with the best balance of price and equipment. You’d only want the top-spec car if you’re desperate for the extra power of the 1.2.

What about rivals?

The Dacia Sandero is a bit cheaper (because Dacia) and the electric Spring is also worthy of you consideration if going EV is something you're tempted by. The Hyundai i10 is almost like-for-like in terms of price, while the Fiat Panda is marginally more affordable. That's a very old car now though.