Should you buy one?

Yes. City cars may have fallen out of favour with buyers in favour of superminis and small SUVs, but the facelifted Kia Picanto proves there’s still life in the sector yet. If you can accept the limitations that a car this small imposes – compact engines, space for four only for short periods and a boot that will deal with the weekly shop but perhaps not the yearly tip run – then the Picanto is an excellent example of the breed.

It’s fun to drive even in its lowliest form, but the GT-Line S’s larger 1.2-litre engine turns it into something more usable for more people, more of the time. It’s reasonably refined, offers nippy performance up to the speed limit, and sits at speed on the motorway happily enough.

Thanks to its long warranty and good reliability record the Picanto even also makes a good used buy. So if you’re looking for a city car, the Picanto is just about the best non-electric one on sale today. We’ll take one over the similar Hyundai i10 because of its longer warranty, sharper styling and more competitive pricing.

What we like

The Picanto drives as well as many much larger cars, and its interior is equal parts spacious and well-built.

What we don’t like

Better economy is available from larger cars, and the Picanto lacks some of the design cuteness that’s helped cars like the Fiat 500 sell so well.