Kia Picanto (2024) Review

Introduction

It is over twenty years since Kia first launched the Picanto. Unveiled in 2003, its name is taken from the Spanish word' picante', which means 'spicy' (the same in Italian, albeit with a double 'c').

Few would have called the first generation spicy, but the ‘second coming’ of the Picanto certainly had added character when it arrived in 2011.

The third-generation model was unveiled six years later, and Kia has finally launched a facelifted version.

It is about time, too, as the Picanto has been in its current form for seven years.

Most car manufacturers operate on a life cycle of approximately eight years – but they usually give the vehicle a makeover around halfway through this period. Hence, the Picanto's updates have kicked-in around three years later than expected.

This suggests that Kia is trying to stretch out the lifespan of the Picanto, with the Korean automaker known to be keen on electrifying it at some point. So, this could be the final combustion-engined iteration.

An electrified Picanto will require a new platform, so it’ll survive for a few more years before Kia replaces it with an all-new model or calls its replacement the 'Picanto EV'.

As the smallest Kia in the range, it has a vital role to play for those wanting a nippy city car.

So, is this revised petrol-fuelled Picanto enough to tide us over until an electrified version comes along? We took it for a spin to find out.

At a Glance

Given this is a facelifted version, the changes are usually quite subtle.

However, if you saw the new Picanto next to the old one, you’d be forgiven for not realising it was the same car.

The front end is completely overhauled, bringing the Picanto into line with other vehicles in the range. Kia says the EV9 electric SUV inspires the features.

The headlights are angular and sprawl out from all sides, almost as if a pickaxe silhouette has been folded around the corners. At the same time, the already-thin grille is now even thinner, with the lower grille still dominating.

However, rather than a plain, open-mouthed shape, the lower grille is now shapelier, including being wider and filled with mesh and body-coloured air intakes on GT-Line and GT-Line S models.

The headlights thin out as they hover over the upper grille, and on all but the entry-level model, they're connected by an LED lightbar that runs along the width of the car, immediately underneath the Kia badge.

It follows a similar theme at the rear, with vertical taillights, which interconnect with one another via another horizontal LED lightbar beneath the rear windscreen. At the same time, the bodywork's shape at the bottom is more squared off than before.

The sides also look more aggressive, boasting more prominent wheel arches and a thicker side skirt on the GT-Line models.

Overall, it’s a big step forward.

Much like Kia did when it overhauled the Sportage, this takes the Picanto into new territory, away from the safe, family-friendly looks of before.

It now looks meaner, more aggressive and sportier.

Key Features

The Picanto is available in five different trim levels.

The entry-level '2' (above) gets 14-inch alloys, an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a 4.2-inch digital driver's display, black cloth upholstery, automatic headlights, electrically adjustable door mirrors, day running lights, rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera.

GT-Line (below) acquires 16-inch alloy wheels and adds an LED front lightbar, LED headlights and day running lights, gloss black door mirrors, GT-Line interior and exterior styling, alloy pedals, and black and grey artificial leather upholstery.

The '3' trim adds a start/stop button, keyless entry, electrically folding door mirrors, automatic air conditioning, a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, and a wireless mobile phone charger.

Shadow trim is a limited-edition version identical to the ‘3’ but changes the colour of the artificial leather upholstery to the curiosity-inducing ‘Adventurous Green’.

Finally, the top-of-the-range GT-Line S gets a tilting and sliding sunroof, gloss black radiator grille and a couple of additional safety systems.

In terms of power, the 100PS 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine has been discontinued, so there is now a choice of two alternative naturally aspirated petrol mills.

Mind you, in practice, there isn’t a choice, as the trim level dictates which engine you’re obliged to have.

The '2', GT-Line, and '3' trims have a 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit producing 62PS, while Shadow and the flagship GT-Line S have a 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine producing 78PS.

Performance & Drive

We are disappointed by the decision to withdraw the 1.0-litre turbo, as it was great to drive and arguably the best model in the range.

Instead, we’re behind the wheel of two Kia Picantos with the entry-level 1.0-litre engine – the base ‘2’ model and the GT-Line trim.

In both cases, the acceleration is hardly mindblowing - it takes 15.4 seconds to get from 0 to 62mph - and that's with the five-speed manual gearbox we're testing.

If you opt for the automatic, you won’t have to worry about gear changes, but the added convenience comes at a cost – it takes 18.2 seconds.

That is enough to make the Picanto about the slowest car money can lease.

It is also somewhat surprising because, despite only having 67PS, power isn’t the be-all-and-end-all of acceleration: weight is also a significant factor – yet the Picanto weighs less than a tonne, so we didn't expect the 0-62mph times to be as high.

Even upping the ante to the more potent 84PS unit only brings the 0-62mph time down to 13.1 seconds in the manual and 16.5 seconds in the automatic.

Admittedly, the point of a city car is, perhaps obviously, to be driven around cities, which are often congested and have many 90-degree turns that can only be taken at a few miles per hour.

Therefore, the Picanto is a car at home on the city streets or around your town centre, where sluggish acceleration costs you little.

While the Kia’s lightness makes it feel quicker than it is, overtaking is more difficult than it needs to be on a dual carriageway or motorway. What’s more, there's plenty of road and wind noise at higher speeds, too.

But, you likely won't notice any of the above in stop-start traffic or when taking those slow, tight bends into urban side streets.

Besides this, you can enjoy the Picanto going quickly - it just takes some time to get there. Once there, you get another benefit of its lack of bulk: handling.

It is fun to nip around on a twisty B-road, feeling well-planted and confidence-inspiring thanks to its nicely weighted steering, which firms up nicely around corners.

This was especially true of the GT-Line test car thanks to its bigger alloys, although even the entry-level ‘2’ trim on its 14-inch rims performed admirably well.

We took it near some built-up areas, and it was more than capable of darting in and out of traffic, with its tininess coming in very handy.

Nippy, zippy and altogether trippy – the Picanto can put a smile on your face.

It is also comfortable, with the suspension doing a reasonably good job soaking up potholes and pock-marked road surfaces. Also, the smaller alloys of the ‘2’ trim feel slightly more at ease than models with larger wheels.

Running Costs & Emissions

The 1.0-litre petrol we tested returns 52.3mpg in the GT-Line trim, increasing to 54.3mpg in the '2' trim, emitting 121 and 116g/km of CO2, respectively.

Other grades return the same figures as the GT-Line trim.

The fuel economy is the same in the automatic, although CO2 emissions range from 119 to 123g/km, depending on your chosen model.

If you'd prefer the Shadow or GT-Line S trims, which come with the higher-powered 1.2-litre petrol, the manual version still returns a healthy 51.4mpg and 124g/km of CO2 and the automatic version 50.4mpg and 128g/km of CO2.

Despite its impressive economy figures, the Picanto is unlikely to be suitable as a company car because it lacks plug-in hybrid or all-electric versions.

There are plenty of worse choices, but the Benefit In Kind tax heavily penalises cars whose CO2 emissions aren’t minimal – or even zero.

Servicing intervals are every 12 months or every 10,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Kia has also earned a reputation as one of the most dependable brands, with an excellent reliability record.

Interior & Technology

Unlike the exterior, the latest Picanto’s interior looks, by and large, the same as before.

That is no bad thing, though, as it was already perfectly acceptable, offering a well-designed, nice-looking layout which exceeds expectations for a car at this price point.

The steering wheel is thick, flat-bottomed and sporty. It has many buttons to efficiently operate numerous features of the car, while two rounded, pill-shaped air vents sit on either side.

There is plenty of silver garnish on offer, too, in the form of a horizontal strip across the dashboard, the air vent handles, around various dials, on the gear lever, plus the bottom spoke of the steering wheel.

This silver décor, added to the light grey seat outlines, helps to contrast against the otherwise all-black interior, although the grey outline is absent from the entry-level '2' trim.

The significant change in the Picanto’s cabin is the new digital instrument cluster, fitted as standard across the range. It provides a clear speed and RPM readout and other valuable information.

Another difference is the inclusion of the infotainment touchscreen on all models (you didn’t get it at entry-level before), meaning all trim levels also get navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, too – although the smartphone mirroring is wired only.

Nevertheless, the infotainment system is decent, offering an easy-to-use, simple and intuitive menu layout with a clear screen which is responsive to prods and touches.

Overall, the changes move the Picanto forward. But, unlike the increasingly dated exterior of the outgoing model, there wasn't much wrong with the old interior.

Boot Space & Practicality

Finding a comfortable driving position is simple, although the Picanto does not offer electric seat adjustment - but that’s typical of this class.

Despite being a tiny car, even taller drivers should be able to handle the amount of legroom or headroom on offer, with the former helped by lots of travel in the front seat.

The rear is less generous, with very tall passengers finding they need more headroom, while some rivals offer better legroom, meaning occupants will find their knees are touching the back of the front seats. Again, though, that’s okay and is considered standard in this class. After all, few will lease a city car if they need a vehicle to transport four additional adult passengers regularly.

The Picanto's boot space measures 255 litres, which is an acceptable size for such a compact car. However, you’ll get up to 50 litres more in a Honda Jazz, but, in fairness, that's not technically a city car. The Picanto’s cargo capacity can be expanded to 1,010 litres if you lie the rear seats down, which fold in a 60:40 split.

Regardless of how the rear seats are set up, you'd better hope that what you're lifting into or out of the Picanto's boot isn't awkward to move, as there's a large loading lip. Alas, no adjustable boot floor is available on the Picanto, so you can't do anything about the lip unless you improvise with a ramp or shelf that you put in place yourself.

The cabin has several places to store your belongings, including reasonably sized door bins, cupholders, and a small glovebox. There is also a cubby in the centre console, covered by a sliding lid on the Shadow and GT-Line S trims, which acts as an adjustable armrest.

Safety

The Kia Picanto hasn't been crash-tested by Euro NCAP since 2017, so its rating has expired.

It earned a three-star rating then, scoring 79% for adult occupants, 64% for children and 25% for safety assists.

Euro NCAP has raised the bar multiple times since then, so it may score lower if retested today.

An optional safety pack brought the Picanto up to a four-star rating, boosting its scores in the individual categories to 87%, 64% and 47%, respectively.

All Kia Picantos have forward collision assist, lane keep assist, lane follow assist, intelligent speed limit assist, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

The flagship GT-Line S boasts upgraded forward collision and blind spot collision avoidance assist.

Options

Kia still needs to confirm the options on the new Picanto. However, the Korean automaker offers a standard range of accessories on all its cars, including almost everything you could think of.

Expect sidestep colourings, mudguards, boot line trims, chrome wheel nuts, various alloy designs, sporty accents, wheel storage bags and even door handle foils – and that’s just the exterior.

Kia offers many interior accessories, too, from floor mats and boot liner extensions to complete rubber floor coverings, cargo separators, boot organisers, footwell lighting – and even a coat hanger for your suit.

Dash cams, a fire extinguisher and hi-vis safety vests are some of the other items that Kia offers.

Rival Cars

If you’re sold on the Picanto already, still check out the Hyundai i10 – as it's basically the same car with a different badge.

On an East Asian theme, you could also go with the Toyota Aygo X, Suzuki Ignis or Honda Jazz.

European entries include the Dacia Sandero, Citroen C3 and the Fiat Panda. Alternatively, the Fiat 500 is still going strong.

And, if you're looking for something that is East Asian but has a British badge, then look no further than the MG 3.

Of course, many of these aren’t technically city cars – some are superminis, the next size up.

Verdict & Next Steps

Overall, the Picanto does a great job keeping the city car flame burning brightly – even if the whole market is gradually declining.

If you can cope with slothful acceleration, the Kia has a lot going for it, including a reasonable level of practicality for such a small car.

It is also good fun to throw around city centre streets or rural backroads and is economical.

The interior is very nice, too, for a car that sits at the bottom of Kia’s ever-growing pile of models – and it comes very well equipped as standard.

Therefore, there's little need to step above the entry-level ‘2’ trim. However, upgrading to the ‘3’ gets you heated front seats and a toasty steering wheel, which might be handy on a cold winter’s morning.

The GT-Line trim doesn’t add much that you really need, but along with the GT-Line S, the styling is sportier, so that might be a factor if looks are a priority.

To get the higher-powered engine, though, you will need the Shadow trim and above. And if you're going to do that, you may as well lease the GT-Line S to get the best of both worlds.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Kia Picanto

**Correct as of 23/09/2024. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £1,865.07 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.