Kia has revealed UK pricing and specification for the new Kia Picanto, the most recent recipient of a major mid-life refreshment. Starting from just £15,595 on-the-road, the new Kia Picanto remains one of the most affordable new cars on sale in the UK and represents Kia’s commitment to the A-segment. The new Picanto is a bold statement of intent for the Korean brand, meeting the need for small, compact and affordable cars suitable for first-time and experienced drivers alike.
Growing sales momentum for the Kia Picanto
While demand remains high for small cars, drivers are now left with fewer choices in this class. The Picanto, however, continues to meet this demand, and has become increasingly popular among UK drivers thanks to its high quality, generous interior space and cargo capacity, and willing on-road performance.
It makes up a healthy proportion of Kia’s sales, last year accounting for more than 13 per cent of all Kia models sold in the UK – with sales for the model up 35.1 per cent year-on-year (14,143 units). It is the brand’s fourth most popular car in the country after the Sportage, Niro and Ceed model families. In 2023 it accounted for more than a fifth (22.1 per cent) of all A-segment cars sold in the UK.
In August 2023, the Picanto surpassed more than a quarter of a million sales since first going on sale in the UK, across three generations of Picanto, improving in quality and refinement with each step. The new enhanced third generation Picanto further improves over its predecessors, and will continue Kia’s sales momentum in the A-segment.
The new model features a major exterior redesign and significant updates to the interior, echoing elements of Kia’s flagship EV9 and other recent Kia models inside and out. New vertical headlights and a powerful new lightbar leading into the front air intakes give the car a fresh and dramatic image, while a new rear lightbar lends the Picanto a confident and planted image.
The car remains as compact as ever, but continues to offer drivers a range of advanced technologies and features. Inside, the Picanto offers Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™, an 8-inch touchscreen navigation and multiple USB charging ports, all of which are standard on every variant of the new Picanto.
Engines and transmissions
Aimed at the needs of European customers, the new Kia Picanto comes with a choice of two engines: a three-cylinder 1.0-litre (62bhp) or four-cylinder 1.2-litre (77bhp) petrol engine, both offering efficient and capable motoring with lower CO2 emissions when compared with the outgoing model. Both engines feature improved exhaust gas recirculation lines, optimised intake valve timing, and improved combustion chamber cooling to aid efficiency and economy.
Both engines drive the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission (5MT) as standard. An optional five-speed automated manual transmission (AMT) is also available on all versions: a manual transmission with clutch and gear shift actuators to automate their respective functions.
In the UK, the 1.0-litre engine is available on the ‘2’, ‘GT-Line’ and ‘3’ grade variants. The 1.2-litre engine is available exclusively on ‘GT-Line S’ models.
Standard equipment across the new Picanto line-up
Regardless of trim level, the new Picanto offers an unrivalled level of equipment at each individual price point, and the line-up reflects the familiar, easy-to-understand four-tier structure, with ‘2’, ‘GT-Line’, ‘3’ and ‘GT-Line S’ variants.
As standard on every new Picanto, Kia offers the following highlights:
- Automatic headlight control
- High mounted brake lights and rear fog lights
- Body coloured bumpers, side sills, wheel arches and door mirrors
- Silver window surround
- Heated rear window
- Rain sensing front wipers
- Driver and front passenger seat adjustment (manual)
- Artificial leather, adjustable steering wheel
- Electric front and rear windows
- Air conditioning and automatic defog system
- 60:40 split folding rear seats
- Centre console with storage box and front, rear and luggage compartment lights
- 8-inch touchscreen navigation and 4.2-inch driver display screen
- Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™, and free 7-year Kia Connect
- Bluetooth® connection
- 1x USB-A for media connection
- 1x USB-C front passenger charging port
- 4-speaker audio system
- eCall system
- Rear parking sensors and reversing camera system
- Forward collision avoidance assist 1.0 – city, pedestrian, cyclist
- Lane keep assist and lane follow assist 1.0
- Cruise control, intelligent speed limit assist and speed limiter
- Rear occupant alert
- Anti-lock braking system with emergency stop signalling
- Electronic stability control and vehicle stability management
- Hill-start assist control
- Tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
The new Picanto also continues its predecessor’s legacy as one of the safest cars in its segment, with a range of passive and active safety and security systems as standard. All Picanto models receive height-adjustable front seatbelts with a reminder warning, all-round three-point seatbelts, all-round height adjustable headrests, front, rear and side airbags, central door locking, ISOFIX child seat top tethers and anchor fixings (outside rear seats), manual child lock, locking wheel nuts, visible vehicle identification number (VIN) and a Thatcham Category 2 security alarm and immobiliser.
In the UK, the Picanto is offered in an array of seven striking paint finishes. All grades feature ‘Blaze Red’ as standard or are offered with premium paints ‘Clear White’ and ‘Midnight Black’. ‘2’ and ‘3’ variants are additionally available finished in a new ‘Smokey Blue’ colour, while ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ variants are available in ‘Azure Blue’, ‘Astro Grey’ and ‘Adventurous Green’. Premium paint finishes are available for an additional £575.
Kia Picanto ‘2’: from £15,595
The Picanto ‘2’ is the entry-point into the brand’s smallest car, and benefits from the following specification highlights – along with the standard equipment listed above:
- 14-inch alloy wheels
- Standard exterior styling
- Daytime running lights and rear lights (bulb)
- Electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors
- Black cloth seat upholstery
- Sun visors with driver vanity mirror
Kia Picanto ‘GT-Line’: from £16,745
Sitting just above the ‘Picanto ‘2’, comes the Picanto ‘GT-Line’ – featuring enhanced sporty design cues as well as the following specification additions:
- 16-inch alloy wheels with ‘GT-Line’ styling
- ‘GT-Line’ exterior styling
- Gloss black door radiator grille
- LED headlights, LED daytime running lights and LED rear lights
- Electrically adjustable, heated and folding door mirrors with LED indicators
- Privacy glass for rear windows and tailgate
- ‘GT-Line’ interior styling
- Alloy pedals and ‘GT-Line’ details
- Black cloth and artificial grey leather upholstery
- Electric one-touch driver’s front window
- Sunvisors with driver and front passenger vanity mirrors
- Luggage board
- Rear passenger USB-A charging port
Kia Picanto ‘3’: from £17,545
Picanto ‘3’ grades revert to similar exterior styling as the ‘2’, however sit higher in the model line-up than ‘GT-Line’ models – receiving the following additional highlights:
- 16-inch alloy wheels
- Standard exterior styling
- Heated front seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Automatic air conditioning
- Start/stop button with smart entry system
- Sun visors with illuminated vanity mirror (driver and front passenger)
- Wireless mobile phone charger
- Smart key with motion sensor
Kia Picanto ‘GT-Line S’: from £18,445
Crowning the model line-up is the Picanto ‘GT-Line S’, available exclusively with the more powerful 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine. Similar to ‘GT-Line’ variants, the Picanto ‘GT-Line S’ receives sporty styling details, and some of the most advanced specification in its segment:
- 16-inch alloy wheels with ‘GT-Line’ styling
- ‘GT-Line’ exterior styling
- Gloss black radiator grille
- Sunroof with tilting/sliding function
- ‘GT-Line’ interior styling
- Alloy pedals and ‘GT-Line’ details
- Customisable ambient lighting
- Forward collision avoidance assist 1.5 – city, pedestrian, cyclist, junction turning
- Blind-spot collision avoidance assist
The new Kia Picanto line-up
| Model | Price (GBP) |
| ‘2’ 1.0-litre petrol | |
| ‘2’ 1.0 62bhp 5-speed manual | £15,595 |
| ‘2’ 1.0 62bhp 5-speed AMT | £16,295 |
| ‘GT-Line’ 1.0-litre petrol | |
| ‘GT-Line’ 1.0 62bhp 5-speed manual | £16,745 |
| ‘GT-Line’ 1.0 62bhp 5-speed AMT | £17,445 |
| ‘3’ 1.0-litre petrol | |
| ‘3’ 1.0 62bhp 5-speed manual | £17,545 |
| ‘3’ 1.0 62bhp 5-speed AMT | £18,245 |
| ‘GT-Line S’ 1.2-litre petrol | |
| ‘GT-Line S’ 1.2 77bhp 5-speed manual | £18,445 |
| ‘GT-Line S’ 1.2 77bhp 5-speed AMT | £19,145 |
Attractive customer offers on the new Picanto
The Kia Picanto is available with 7.9 per cent APR, and a generous £1,000 finance deposit contribution from Kia, on a PCP deal. This is offered across the entire model line-up, from the entry-level ‘2’ right up to the range-topping ‘GT-Line S’.
All variants of the new Picanto are available with Kia’s seven-year/100,000-mile warranty as standard, and the new model is available to order from today via Kia’s UK-wide dealer network. UK customer deliveries are due to start from mid-July onwards.
