Kia Proceed

Obvious rivals for the distinctive Proceed are hard to come by but include the Hyundai i30 Fastback, although that’s a bit less premium and a bit less estate-like. There’s also the Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake, but that’s considerably more expensive. Then you’ve got the rest of the Ceed range, comprising hatchback and Sportswagon estate. The latter isn’t available with the same levels of equipment as the Proceed, and the premium you’ll pay over the equivalent hatchback is in the region of £1,500, like-for-like.

We’ve crunched some numbers based on industry estimates for the different costs involved in running a car over three years. These suggest the Proceed will be slightly more expensive to run than the equivalent Ceed hatch, due mainly to slightly poorer resale values, but there’s not much in it. Both work out cheaper than an equivalent Hyundai i30 Fastback and far cheaper than the Mercedes, which is pricier in every area. Overall, the Proceed looks like it’ll be pretty friendly on the wallet, though there’s no plug-in hybrid option currently as there is on the estate and XCeed.