The facelifted Kia Picanto is finally on sale in the UK. Prices start from £15,595, which is a big jump over the £13,000-odd starting price of the outgoing model – but Kia reckons it can justify that increase with the styling and technological changes it’s made to the car.
Most manufacturers have pulled out of the city car class to chase down bigger profits from their SUVs. But Kia spotted the vacuum that pattern would create in the market – and it went bold for the Picanto’s facelift.
Kia hopes the tweaks it’s made to the Picanto will help it to become the leading brand in the city car market. And the firm’s in with a shout of claiming that title because, in 2023, the Picanto accounted for a fifth of all A-segment sales in the UK.
Stand-out features include new LED daytime running lights that stretch the full width of the bonnet, vertically stacked LED headlights, a choice of fresh alloy wheel designs, a new digital gauge cluster and an updated colour palette. Scroll down to learn everything about the car.
What models and trims are available?
The Picanto range is separated into four trims, called 2, GT-Line, 3 and GT-Line S. The cheapest 2 model comes as standard with positively miniscule 14-inch alloy wheels, a rear parking camera, an 8.0-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and heated door mirrors. You also get a bank of driver assistance tech that includes lane assist, cruise control, automatic emergency braking and a speed limiter.
GT-Line models are priced from £16,745. They get a sporty body kit, larger 16-inch alloys, LED headlights, privacy glass and some gloss black exterior trim. The car’s interior also gets a lift with alloy pedals and artificial leather upholstery.
Above that, there’s the Picanto 3, priced from £17,545. It gets the same exterior styling as the base model, but gains a load of extra interior equipment, such as heated front seats, a heated steering wheel (in a city car!), automatic air conditioning and a wireless smartphone charger.
The top spec GT-Line S trim wears the same sporty body kit as the Picanto GT-Line, but it also gets a lot more equipment. Which it should because it costs £18,445. Upgrades over the Picanto 3 include a customisable ambient lighting system, a sunroof and a blind spot collision avoidance assist system. It’s also exclusively available with Kia’s more potent 1.2-litre petrol engine.
Speaking of which, what engines are available?
Kia has been rather less adventurous with the Picanto’s engine range for this facelift. There are just two petrol options to choose from.
The first three models in the car’s range are fitted with a 63hp 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit, while the GT-Line S trim features a slightly sprightlier 78hp 1.2-litre four-cylinder unit. Both are teamed with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard, although you can have a five-speed automatic as an optional extra.
We’re not going to bother rhyming off the engines’ performance stats, partly because you need a calendar rather than a stopwatch to measure them. We will, however, tell you about their claimed fuel economy figures. They’re more impressive, anyway.
Kia says the 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol can return between 54.3 and 55.4mpg on the WLTP combined cycle. What’s more impressive is that larger 1.2-litre engine is only marginally less efficient, with claimed figures of between 49.6 and 51.4mpg.
What does this mean for me?
If you’re in the market for a small car, one of our favourite options on the market just got better. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive than the previous version of the Picanto, but the new looks and generous standard equipment might just make it worthwhile.
Kia is also offering the Picanto with a £1,000 finance deposit contribution if you take out a PCP agreement on one. Plus, every Picanto benefits from a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty – so it should be relatively painless to own.
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Luke Wilkinson is Deputy Editor of Parkers. He has five years of experience as a car journalist, and spends his time writing news, reviews, features and advice pieces for both Parkers and its sister site CAR magazine.
