Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 71%

Kia’s TV adverts for the Picanto are aimed squarely at young, female buyers. A voiceover coos about how ‘smart girls’ can get a five-door Picanto for the same price as a three-door model from another brand.

But would a ‘smart girl’ – or boy for that matter – really spend £5,895 on a new Picanto when there are so many other good value superminis available?

Read on for our verdict on the Kia Picanto, or click the links below to skip to a section.

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance

Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor

1. Looks

Kia’s styling is evolving from ‘South Korean bargain basement’ towards ‘Euro-chic’. The Picanto has a few neat styling touches - the rear tail lights are pleasingly chunky and the whole model is nicely proportioned.

The doe-eyed headlights clearly belong to Kia’s current generation of design, but still manage to pull of a cute look which appeals to many of its potential buyers. A set of 14-inch alloys are small, but a surprising addition given the low purchase price for our test car.

7/10

2. Looks inside

The two-tone upholstery in our 1.1 LX test car certainly looks the part, but it emphasises the drab interior with too much reliance on grey plastic. The JVC stereo, which plays CDs and MP3 files sounds good, but looks like an afterthought. Many of the controls are mounted on the indicator and wiper stalk controls, so fall straight to hand; avoiding a situation where the driver needs to take his or her eyes off the road to find an obscure button. It's important to remember the Picanto is a cheap car, so sumptuous, tactile materials are definitely out.

6/10

3. Practicality

The Picanto's rear seats have an almost Tardis-like appeal, which means all but the tallest occupants can fit in without fuss. It’s a similar story in the boot, which can fit 220 litres of luggage, although we found the shape of the boot compromised the amount we could squeeze in. But with 800 litres of room with the seats folded, it's less of an issue. Unusually for a car with such small wheels, the Picanto doesn't have a spare; instead Kia have opted for a 'Tyre Inflation System' which is essentially a bottle of resin and a compressor to patch the tyre up to get you home. The problem is, using it means the tyre can't be repaired, and must be replaced.

7/10

4. Ride and Handling

For most buyers, the Picanto will prove a worthy tool to get around town. The ride is good, and it is small – and cheeky – enough to slip through gaps in traffic. With tiny overhangs at the front and back, it’s a cinch to park too. Only at speed does the Picanto's chassis show some deficiencies; too much body roll and vague steering means it's not up with the class leaders.

7/10

5. Performance

In town, our 64bhp, 1.1-litre Picanto was economical and nippy, although the engine needs to be worked hard to get the best from it. This means larger gaps in the traffic are needed before lunging out onto a busy road from a side turning. The baby Kia was less pleasant out of town, where the 16.4 second 0-60mph meant overtaking or entering motorways from sliproads was a leap of faith. It was noisy too, with its small engine having to work hard to maintain a motorway cruise.

7/10

6. Running Costs

Its 55.5mpg combined figure means you save money and spew fewer harmful emissions into the environment, although at 124g/km of CO2 it just scrapes into Band C, unlike the Toyota Aygo, which is a cheaper Band B car. Group 3 insurance is affordable though. The biggest concern is likely to be depreciation, with the Picanto retaining around a third of its original list price after three years. But at £6,000 (less any discounts on offer), in real terms, that’s only a dip of £4,000.

7/10

7. Reliability

Surely the more simple a car is, the less there is to go wrong? Kia’s reputation indicates that is the case and the Picanto feels more solid than some other cars in its class. The build quality on our test car seems good, with no uneven gaps between panels or overly flimsy trim. Its basic, so repair costs should be low should the worst happen. It's worth remembering while Kia only offers a three-year warranty on the Picanto, it gives a seven year one with its new Cee'd hatchback, which speaks volumes about Kia's confidence in building a reliable car.

9/10

8. Safety

Young families seeking good protection for the kids could do a lot worse than the Picanto. It scores an impressive four stars for child protection in the EuroNCAP crash tests, although mum and dad will be served less well with it scoring three stars for adult protection. The safety body awarded it one star for pedestrian safety, but few cars score more than two. The Picanto comes with ABS and two front air bags as standard, so it meets the standard you expect of a car this price.

7/10

9. Equipment

For a car costing £6,000, a CD player which plays MP3 files is a surprising fine. Electric windows comes as standard on all models, while the higher spec models get electric mirrors, alloy wheels and air conditioning.

7/10

10. X-Factor

It’s cheap – but of course this cuts both ways. You get four wheels, a roof and a motor for relatively little. On top of that, Kia regularly run all manner of offers and you should aim to pay well below list price.

There are plenty of cars available like the Picanto, and you usually get what you pay for. That said, the little Kia offers plenty for the urban driver for very little money.

7/10

Rivals
You might also want to consider:
Citroen C1
Mazda 2
Volkswagen Fox

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