In-depth reviews

Kia Picanto hatchback (2011-2017): owner reviews

"The Kia Picanto is a handsome city car with equipment more often found in larger cars. It should prove affordable and hassle-free to run, too"

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by Richard Ingram

4 Jan 2017

.polaris__post-meta--date { display: none; } .polaris__post-meta--date.no-script { display: block; padding-left: 45px } 4 Jan 2017

Carbuyer Rating

3.5 out of 5

Owners Rating

4.0 out of 5

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
1 out of 5

82%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Gearbox / clutch (2 cases)
Brakes (1 case)
Electrics (1 case)
Engine (1 case)
Electrics, Engine, Gearbox / clutch (1 case)

Review 1 of 34

Tell us what you think about your car?

Well made, no squeaks or rattles, however, very tinny (thin metal) cheap interior, dreadful radio/cd system, sound quality is very poor. It's not smooth to drive, car will not sit comfortably at 30mph, the engine labours (common fault on this car), it has a tiny boot, nasty cheap parcel shelf paintwork very easily scratched. Fuel economy not great for this size of car, my 2013 Honda Civic 1.4se is 2-3 mpg per gallon better on fuel

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

We only had our car for a couple of weeks when we realised it was difficult to get it in reverse gear. The garage we bought it from agreed it was difficult and called Kia direct they didn't do anything we still have a car that is pretty worthless. The warranty would seem to be worthless. Come on Kia do the right thing.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

It's so much better than I expected for the price. Comfortable, quiet, quick enough, fun to punt into bends, quirky looking and excellent value. Get it in white and if you squint it looks like a Star Wars Storm Trooper. Listen closely and the triple motor sounds like an Boxer flat four. Sort of. It's recording almost 50 mpg - off the official figures of course, but who believes those? Get the base model, no fripperies - it makes so much sense.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Where do I possibly start? Amazing car! Ridiculously affordable, well built, well equipped, well designed, stylish, comfortable and extremely good on fuel consumption. I must say the fuel consumption IS NOT near the claimed figures but it is still fantastic, achieving 52mpg according to the trip computer which is very good! The finishes are really plush inside and the seats have a lot of adjustment and my 2 model has loads of technology as standard including air con and voice control that actually recognises my voice effortlessly. I must say however, the steering is very light but can feel numb sometimes and sometimes the body roll in corners can be a bit unnerving, but on the other hand it makes up for this when it's bad weather and the thin small wheels manage the frost and snow very well. Overall a very good purchase and I am currently considering buying another one with the slightly more punchy 1.25 eco engine as my 1.0 sometimes struggles in the countryside hills I live in. No problems so far and no reason to be worried with my 7 year warranty as standard.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

The only complaint I have is that the MPG isn't as good as is claimed (best average: 55.5; worst: 32-though, to be fair, that was for a trip into central London with a full load & horrendous traffic jams). In every other respect, it's bang on value for money, it's even got a heated steering wheel! I love it & the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the MPG.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

No problems

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Never skipped a beat

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Car is 9 Months old and has proven to be much better than my expectations.The only item that I can criticise is the stop/go feature which dosnt always work.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

No issues

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

no problems always starts that all i want

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Car only 4.1/2 months old but so far running perfectly

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Nearly 5 months old and no problems so-far.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

All my kiss have been great

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Is a tool that does what we want it to do. Some longish but mostly short journeys (3 miles), takes more than 2m planks. Suits the tall and less agile as seats are quite high and headroom excellent. Short length and extremely good turning circle making parking easy.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Never faltered

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Gets me from a-b! love the reliability!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I've had this car for a week or so now (it's my first car too). It had 20,000 miles on the clock when I bought it and so far I have not had a single issue with it. It's really easy to drive, comfortable, surprisingly spacious and not that slow either. The only thing I've had a bit of trouble with is that it's tricky sometimes to get it into second gear. Other than that though, I love it and would definitely recommend it as a first car.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Sounds really loud when accelerating like it has a blown or sports exhaust. I have had to turn the stereo up to combat the noise. I have taken it back to dealer twice and was told that the noise was normal for that car. I had a problem with starting it and once again went back to dealer and was asked by dealership if I had turned the key enough!! Nice fuel economy though and good size.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Fantastic little car. Really shocked how big inside am 6.1 loads of room. Got mine in black looks fantastic. Also i got 4 tyres £120 fitted. So cheap to run.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Bought this car 2 weeks ago, having trouble getting into Reverse, saw someone else is having the same trouble, cant Kia garage do something about this. Very annoying. Pam What is rating field don't understand .

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Constant air conditioning problems since we bought the car new. On 29,000km the car actually stalls while in "D" when you have the air con on... The revs are extremely high before it switches gear on the motorway. There seems to be an issue with the car actually picking up speed between 100km/h and 120km/h - whats with that? Used to be great to drive when new, but now I really feel like it is close to completely failing me. Looking for a new car now...

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

No problems to report

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

It's a great little car that I have had no problems with.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Starts first time and runs well. No faults found, so far.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

I have found it okay. As one owner has said the tyres needed replacing at 15000 miles. The thrust bearing needs attention which after 18000 miles is disappointing having been driven very steadily during its four and a half years.I have found out it is not covered under the warranty.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I love this car cost is very low and cheap to run . After drive toyota aygo for 9 years decided it was time for upgrade. Happy customer and love my 1.25 kia great buy and value for money.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Excellent car all round. I went for the new 'Chilli' version and while the name is slightly lame, the car itself more than makes up for it! The engine delivers a fair amount of power and is easily one of the highest performance city cars you can buy. The Picanto gets to 60mph in 11.5 seconds, that's almost 3 seconds faster than the VW Up! and related vehicles - and faster than any of the city cars offered by Citroën, Peugeot or Toyota. Pretty much the only city car that beats it is one of the top model Fiat 500s but you'll be paying a few thousand more for one. Performance doesn't stop at acceleration, the ride quality on motorways feels solid and composed, while on B-roads the car holds on well around tight bends. Front and rear disc brakes (as opposed to front disc/rear drum) help with control when braking. Inside, the car is very well appointed with sat-nav, reversing camera, Bluetooth connectivity, rear parking sensors, USB, and 6 speakers as standard. It's easy to use all of the audio and navigation equipment. Seats are very comfortable and hold you nicely when throwing the car around winding roads and with 3 rear seats as opposed to two on many other small cars you can get 5 people in - it's a bit of a squeeze but it's doable. Boot space is limited though, which is the main problem but it's a city car so that's to be expected. Overall, very good car to own and drive, I don't know who did the 'official' review who said it wasn't good at motorway speeds, I was going far faster than they were likely going and you could hardly tell.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

We are on our 2nd car in just over 3 years. WARNING - ignore "official fuel figures", they are meaningless and Kia's cop-out clause suggest that. Any magazine or review which quotes them as "normal" is misleading, they are done under lab conditions. Pros: cheap to run - no tax for the 1.0, cheap insurance, cheap servicing. Good space - my son is 6 ft and can sit comfortably in the back. Engine - for a 1.0 it is quite lively, it will do 75mph on a motorway and deliver nearly 50mpg. Cons: If you buy brand new it depreciates fast. Brakes can be savage. Rear tyres wear quickly. It can feel a bit cheap on the inside What to buy: if you view it as a cheap run around/commuter car it is great. The 1.0 air is a perfect balance of cost/capability, do not waste your money on special editions etc. When you are paying c£10,000 you are in UP territory and there are better cars out there for the money. Do NOT buy new unless you plan to keep it for 7 years and go for a solid colour. Best advice buy a used car 1-3 years old with under 20K from a franchised dealer.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

We bought this car for my wife due to a very good promotion by Kia. Since she has owned it she is more than pleased. For a small car it has items more normal for ranges above this model - Bluetooth etc. The small three-cylinder engine is more than willing around town as well as on the motorway. It is a very comftable drive (in fact more and more at weekends we leave my car at home and use this). A very good small car at an excellent price.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

so far no problems with the car

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

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