Kia Picanto 2026 review | A super little city car

What is the Kia Picanto?

The city car market can be a tricky one to get right, because buyers are looking for amazing value without sacrificing basic creature comforts and safety – and they also like cars that are fun to drive. The Picanto is Kia’s effort, and it takes on accomplished rivals such as the Hyundai i10 and the Volkswagen Up, as well as affordable alternatives including the Suzuki Celerio, the Citroen C1, and the Toyota Aygo.

This is the third generation Picanto, which went on sale in the UK in early 2017. It’s a funky looking thing, and there’s a wide choice of trim levels and several decent engines.

This generation of Picanto has received two facelifts within its lifecycle, the first in 2020 and the second in 2024. These are designed to give the car a new lease of life via updated styling and upgraded trims, but if your budget won’t stretch to a brand-new Picanto, the older versions still make terrific second-hand buys.

How practical is it?

By city car standards, the Picanto's interior is spacious and comfortable, while the build quality is solid, which isn’t always the case for cars at this price point.

We wish the steering column adjusted for reach as well as height, but otherwise there’s a good range of movement in the driving position. Space for adults is decent, with good headroom in the back, but some rivals have more legroom.

The 255-litre boot is one of the largest in the class and, if you fold down the rear seats, it increases to 1,010 litres. Higher-spec models such as the GT-Line S and X-Line models have an adjustable boot floor that makes for an almost flat loading surface, but you can’t get it on the other models.

What's it like to drive?

The Picanto's ride quality could be a bit smoother, especially when compared to the latest Hyundai i10, but it's comfortable enough and stays composed through the bends. The steering gives you confidence in the corners, but it’s light enough for easy manoeuvring in town. That said, the Picanto isn’t quite as much fun as Volkswagen’s Up, or the virtually-identical Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo.

Early cars were available with a choice of two engines. The entry level was a 66bhp 1.0-litre unit, which does the job around town but is rather underpowered for motorway journeys. The 1.25-litre engine with 83bhp is much better, and a far superior all-rounder.

A 99bhp turbocharged 1.0-litre T-GDi petrol engine – was introduced at the end of 2017. It’s a much better performer, and paired with the GT-Line S trim, it’s capable of turning the Picanto into a credible warm hatch that’s worth considering as an alternative to the Volkswagen Up GTI.

Unfortunately, the 1.25-litre engine was ditched at the 2020 facelift, leaving only the two 1.0-litre petrol engines on sale. And then at the 2024 facelift, the 1.0-litre turbo fell by the wayside, leaving the slightly wheezy 1.0-litre as the only engine option if you’re buying a new Picanto today.

Most Picantos have to make do with a five-speed manual gearbox, which can make the engine a bit noisy at motorway speeds. There is also a four-speed automatic version on pre-2020 facelift models; this was swapped for an automated manual gearbox on the facelift, which is less desirable because it doesn’t change gear quite as smoothly.

There’s no electric version of the Picanto, but then again, these days, electric city cars are few and far between. If that’s something you might be interested, however, you can always take a look at the Leapmotor T03 and BYD Dolphin Surf.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

There were five trim levels available when the Picanto was launched in 2017. The entry-level model was the 1, which has 14-inch steel wheels, tinted windows, and automatic headlights, as well as Bluetooth and a USB socket, but it lacked some of the more up-to-date infotainment features. The 2 added 14-inch alloy wheels and electric door mirrors, as well as manual air conditioning.

Upgrade to the 3 and you’ll get 15-inch alloys, automatic air-con, and cruise control, as well as a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a DAB radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for smartphone connectivity, as well as satnav.

GT-Line models are decorated by red, silver, and black bits on the outside, as well as 16-inch wheels and revised bumpers, and you get black and red faux leather seats inside. GT-Line S adds a wireless phone charger and an electric sunroof, as well as keyless start and heated front seats. In 2018, an X-Line model was added, with chunky, SUV-inspired bodywork and 16-inch alloy wheels, and this had a corresponding X-Line S version, which had much the same equipment as the GT-Line S.

The model range was kept largely the same at the 2020 facelift, but there were some changes made in 2024, when the model lineup was simplified to 2, 3, GT-Line and GT-Line S specifications. All come with an 8-inch infotainment system and air conditioning as standard, and 3 trim and above also includes heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and automatic climate control.

The range was rationalised once again in September 2025, when Kia ditched the 3 and renaming the entry-level model Pure, leaving the Picanto on sale now with a reduced range of just three models, two gearboxes, and one engine option.

Kia Picanto running costs

On paper, the 1.0-litre MPi engine has a slightly better fuel economy than the 1.25-litre, with official fuel consumption figures of 64.2mpg and 61.4mpg respectively.

But as you need to work the smaller engine much harder to make progress outside of town, we suspect there won’t be much -if any - real-world difference. Reckon on getting around 50mpg on average from the smaller engine in the real world; the larger engine will manage about the same if you do lots of motorway work, and a touch less if not.

The 1.0-litre T-GDi engine has an official MPG figure of 55.4, which should equate to around 45mpg on average in day-to-day motoring.

If you’re thinking of choosing an early auto, do keep in mind the parlous effect it’ll have on the fuel economy, shaving around 6mpg off the consumption you’ll get out of a manual. The later automatic option, which is still on sale today, is an automated manual badged ‘AMT’, and this does better, losing 3-4mpg versus the manual.

Insurance premiums should be very affordable, as the Picanto sits between insurance groups 1 and 11 of 50. For more information, check out our guide to the cheapest cars to insure.

The Picanto requires servicing every year or 10,000 miles. Kia offers servicing packages which are transferable between owners.

Kia Picanto reliability

Kia has developed a great reputation for reliability in recent years. The Picanto is helped by its excellent seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty, which is the best in the class by some margin; most rivals offer three- or five-year warranties.

The Picanto finished 4th out of the 26 models featured in the small car class of the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey, and Kia as a brand also placed 8th of the 30 car-makers included in the same survey.

That said, a trawl of online forums does reveal several owners having issues with juddering clutches, particularly during cold weather, so that’s something to watch for when you test drive a used car.