Category: City Cars 
Price Range: £6,495 to £7,695
Inexpensive, 1.0-litre's running costs.
1.1-litre exceeds 120g/km of CO2, tiny boot, poor ride.
Cheap, unassuming way of getting from A to B, but there are better, more-rounded city cars out there.
For £5,995 there's little to complain about, equipment-wise. At this price, expectations are low, so the Picanto delivers easily. The standard spec city car has a 60:40 split rear seat, instead of a single bench, a rear heated window with wash wipe and twin airbags. It doesn't sound like much, but for those planning to spend the least amount of money as possible on a new car, modest extras such as these count.
Opt for the larger 1.1-litre, available in the higher '2' trim, and the case for the Kia begins to falls apart. At £800 more than the base car, the £6,795 is pitched head-to-head with the Hyundai i10 (£6,495), which has side airbags, tinted glass and a CD player with MP3 connection. If that's not enough to make the Picanto look pricey, the i10 also has air conditioning as standard.
Meanwhile, the Picanto 2 buyers have to take solace in the 14" wheels, height-adjustable steering wheel and driver's seat, and remote central locking.
It's worth spending another £200 for the Ice model which finally adds the air con.
Finally the plushest Picanto 3 (£1,000 more) brings 15" alloys, MP3 connection, rear electric windows and front foglamps.
In terms of comfort, the petite Kia is prone to becoming a little busy over big bumps with some unwelcome bounciness to the ride.
