Kia Picanto review

The latest version of the Picanto starts at £16,065 in the most basic 2 trim, the GT-Line comes in at £17,215, and the 3 bumps it up to £18,015. Take a breather, there’s still two rungs of the ladder left to climb.

If you want the bigger 1.2 engine, the Shadow – which was introduced last summer – starts at £18,265, while the range-topping GT-Line S is £18,915.

Regardless of which trim level you pick, the automatic gearbox costs £700 more. That’s a heck of a lot of variables for such a small car.

If you’re looking at finance, an example deal straight from Kia is £312 per month over three years for a top-spec example in ‘Azure Blue’. That includes a £1,500 deposit and an annual mileage cap of 10,000. Pays to shop around, mind.

And of course, the Picanto comes 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.

The Shadow is based on the 3 and is effectively a shortcut to the 1.2 engine – since you ask, you can only have it in Midnight Black, Astro Grey or Adventurous Green. Last up is the GT-Line S which adds further styling tweaks and a sunroof.

Which one should I go for?

We’d probably opt for the Picanto in 3 trim with the manual gearbox, but then we are fond of our heated seats. It’s the version that comes with the best balance of price and equipment.

If you’re dead set on the more powerful engine, the Shadow is only a couple of hundred quid more. Says a lot that Kia hasn’t put more distance between the engines on price.

What about rivals?

The Dacia Sandero is a bit cheaper (because Dacia) and the electric Spring is also worthy of note if going EV tempts you. 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.