- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.25i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
62kW, 122Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
7 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2024 Kia Picanto GT-Line review
The Kia Picanto has been revamped with a sleek design and enhanced safety tech. While it’s no longer Australia’s cheapest new car, is it the best in its segment?
- Zippy around corners, perfect for city driving
- Value for money, especially with newly added safety features
- Sharp appearance
- Modest engine power
- No ANCAP safety rating
- Engine sounds thrashy and noisy
2024 Kia Picanto GT-Line
It’s the compact city hatch that once claimed the crown of Australia’s cheapest new car, but its latest update for 2024 has seen the Kia Picanto receive a flashy new look and additional safety features… with a price hike that has stripped it of that title.
While the MG 3 has taken its place for now with a sub-$20,000 drive-away price tag, that’s expected to change mid-year when the updated model hits our showrooms with increased prices.
Further updates to the 2024 Kia Picanto include alloy wheels, a synthetic leather-look steering wheel and gear shifter, a digital cluster and a new-look exterior inspired by the Kia EV9.
Appealing to younger, first-car owners and city-dwellers, this pint-sized whip ticks a lot of boxes. But as prices climb, is the Kia Picanto still worthy of your attention? Let's find out.
How much is a Kia Picanto?
There are two grades in the 2024 Kia Picanto line-up. The entry-level Sport (previously S) kicks off at $20,690 costs for the manual transmission. That’s up $1800 from the previous Picanto S grade.
The previous Picanto GT range-topping model with a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine has been axed from the 2024 line-up, meaning our test car for this review, the GT-Line with an automatic transmission, is the new range-topper. This variant has seen a price hike of $210, coming in at $23,490 drive-away. We also have the premium Adventurous Green paint, which adds another $520. All available colours incur the extra cost unless you opt for the Clear White.
The extra spend on the GT-Line affords you a few goodies over the Sport including LED headlights and front light bar, synthetic leather-look seat trim, flat-bottomed sports steering wheel, and 16-inch alloy wheels to match the GT-Line’s sporty exterior.
As for its rivals, the MG 3 in its current form undercuts the Kia Picanto with the entry-level Core variant starting from $19,990 drive-away and the range-topping Excite from $20,990 drive-away. The loudest omission from the MG 3 is the lack of active safety tech that Kia has keenly prioritised in the Picanto facelift.
If you’re after something a little chunkier for running about town, you could look at the Suzuki Ignis, which holds the title of Australia’s cheapest SUV. Don’t let the ‘SUV’ title fool you, though, as this one is ultra-compact and designed to be an urban warrior tackling city streets, not off-road adventures.
While it’s considered affordable (the base-model GL can be snatched up from $22,490 drive-away), it’s lacking a lot of the driver tech we’re becoming accustomed to and brings the value-for-money aspect into question.
Key details | 2024 Kia Picanto GT-Line |
Price | $23,490 drive-away |
Colour of test car | Adventurous Green |
Options | Premium paint – $520 |
Price as tested | $24,031 drive-away (VIC) |
Rivals | MG 3 | Suzuki Ignis | Mazda 2 |
How big is a Kia Picanto?
Despite its obvious small size, the front of the Kia Picanto’s cabin is surprisingly spacious… well, it certainly exceeded my expectations. It doesn’t feel cramped at all in the front row, plus there are plenty of thoughtful storage options to keep the space free of clutter.
Most impressively, there’s a sliding centre console armrest in the GT-Line, which you won’t find in other compact cars. Of course, it’s tiny, but you can certainly pop in a wallet or smaller items that are too big for your pockets. The lid slides forward, too, so you can choose a position to comfortably rest your arm.
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You’ll find soft-touch materials here and an elbow pad on the door, but we can’t forget that this is one of the cheapest new cars on the market, so much of the rest of the interior is covered in hard scratchy plastics.
You also have a little storage nook under the handbrake that would be handy for keeping coins, but you won’t be able to access this area with the handbrake disengaged. You also have decent-sized glovebox storage and the door bins fit an average 600ml bottle.
In front of the gear shifter are some clever retractable cupholders, which can be hidden if you want to use the entire space for something else. There’s also a shelf below the climate control that serves as a phone or wallet nook. It’s impressive how efficient the use of space is.
The grey-accented faux leather seats you get in the GT-Line fit the sporty aesthetic Kia is going for; however, there’s no lumbar support and I certainly started to feel myself slouching on a longer drive.
My favourite part about the Picanto’s interior is the steering wheel. New for 2024 is the D-Cut steering wheel that not only looks premium but feels premium too. It’s oh-so-comfortable in the hands and elevates the overall perceived quality of the cabin.
The back seats of the Kia Picanto are not so well equipped, as you’d probably expect. Now, I’m not the best at math, but the Picanto is 3595mm long in total and a six-foot-tall (183cm) person is just over half that length. If my calculations are correct, that’s a formula for minimal leg room for the rear passengers.
At 5ft 3in (160cm), my knees just touch the back of my driving seat, so a much taller person would find it a whole lot worse. And, while there are three seats in the back row, it’s near impossible to comfortably fit three adults here. There is a generous amount of head and toe room, though.
For amenities, there’s little in the way of storage bar one map pocket behind the front passenger seat. You won’t find any bottle or cupholders and there are no air vents either. There is a handy USB-C port in the GT-Line as well as ISOFIX points in the window seats and top tethers in all three rear positions.
There’s 255 litres of boot space, which is enough for your grocery shopping or some overnight bags for a weekend away. It is on the smaller side when you compare it to the MG 3’s 307L boot.
The rear seats of the Picanto fold in a 60:40 split, but they don’t fold flat, so it isn’t flush with the rest of the boot space. A space-saver spare wheel lives beneath the boot floor.
2024 Kia Picanto GT-Line | |
Seats | Five |
Boot volume | 255L seats up 1010L seats folded |
Length | 3595mm |
Width | 1595mm |
Height | 1485mm |
Wheelbase | 2400mm |
Does the Kia Picanto have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
Within minutes of first stepping into the Kia Picanto, I had my phone mirrored, maps loaded, music playing and I was on my way in no time. No need to think too hard or fiddle with complex settings. How refreshing!
There’s an 8.0-inch ‘floating’ infotainment touchscreen with satellite navigation, an AM/FM tuner (no DAB+), wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless and worked Android Auto, voice recognition as well as Bluetooth connectivity, which allows for up to two devices to pair at the same time.
While everything was seamless for the most part, I occasionally had volume glitches when playing music through Spotify via the wireless Apple CarPlay connection. I’d find my music wouldn’t be playing at all, although sounds from Google Maps directions were coming through the speakers just fine. The good old reboot always did the trick, but still, that’s a bit of a hassle.
There are USB-C and USB-A ports, as well as a 12-volt socket, but no wireless charger.
There’s also an upgraded digital display in the driver's instrument cluster, which looks great and shows basic trip information.
The Picanto doesn't include access to the Kia Connect services, which feature remote locking, vehicle tracking and remote climate control, unlike some of the larger models in Kia's range.
Is the Kia Picanto a safe car?
The Kia Picanto’s four-star ANCAP safety rating from 2017 expired on 1 January 2024, therefore it’s currently unrated. Its main rival, the MG 3, also lacks an ANCAP safety rating.
The Picanto has six airbags in total: dual frontal, front side and curtain airbags.
2024 Kia Picanto GT-Line | |
ANCAP rating | Unrated |
What safety technology does the Kia Picanto have?
The headline update for the 2024 Kia Picanto is the slew of added active safety features that justify the price hike alone.
Blind-spot collision avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist, as well as lane keeping and lane-follow assist are welcome additions to the Picanto’s suite of safety tech. Adaptive cruise control didn’t make the cut this time around.
On the road, the safety systems work flawlessly and are wonderfully unintrusive. I especially appreciate the lead vehicle departure alert, which gives you a little nudge if the car ahead has started moving. A nice touch that’s useful when you’re sitting in mind-numbing bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) | Yes | Forward collision-avoidance assist with vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian detection |
Adaptive Cruise Control | No | |
Blind Spot Alert | Yes | Collision-avoidance assist |
Rear Cross-Traffic Alert | Yes | Alert and assist functions |
Lane Assistance | Yes | Lane-keeping assist, lane-follow assist |
Road Sign Recognition | No | |
Driver Attention Warning | Yes | Includes leading vehicle departure warning |
Cameras & Sensors | Yes | Rear sensors, rear-view camera with dynamic parking guidelines |
How much does the Kia Picanto cost to run?
The Kia Picanto comes with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and up to eight years of roadside assistance. Servicing intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km and prove to be quite costly compared to its rivals. Expect to pay $1183 over three years or $2069 over five years.
The MG 3 also offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, but you’re looking at $844 for three years of servicing or $1445 for five every 10,000km. Meanwhile, the Suzuki Ignis offers a five-year, 100,000km warranty. You’ll be forking out $1157 for the first three years and $1955 over five years.
An annual insurance premium for the Kia Picanto costs $1022 based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
At a glance | 2024 Kia Picanto GT-Line |
Warranty | Seven years, unlimited km |
Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
Servicing costs | $1183 (3 years) $2069 (5 years) |
Is the Kia Picanto fuel-efficient?
The Kia Picanto may be small in size, but it's big on efficiency, with a fuel consumption claim for the automatic of 6.0 litres per 100 kilometres on a combined cycle. During our test, we saw 6.8L/100km, which is a pretty decent real-world figure, especially considering I do most of my driving in the inner city. If you drive on freeways or in off-peak traffic more often, expect the figure to be even lower still.
The Picanto requires 91-octane unleaded petrol and its fuel tank has a capacity of 35L.
Fuel efficiency | 2024 Kia Picanto GT-Line |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 6.0L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 6.8L/100km |
Fuel type | 91-octane unleaded |
Fuel tank size | 35L |
What is the Kia Picanto like to drive?
The Picanto produces 62kW and 122Nm through the teeny 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine. It’s certainly no speed demon, especially since its maximum torque doesn’t kick in until 4000rpm.
Since the car is so light at 993kg, it still feels zippy around town but easily runs out of puff while accelerating uphill. This also means you have to rev the car pretty hard to feel like you’re going anywhere. A little more liveliness wouldn’t go astray here, and perhaps a hole the axed turbocharged GT variant could have filled.
All that revving can get a little noisy too. Hearing the engine thrash away while you’re merging onto the freeway isn’t exactly pleasant, and the hard plastic interior doesn’t help with noise absorption either.
Under the tyres of the GT-Line, you can feel a lot of the bumps and humps on the road, but it’s far from unbearable if you’re mostly driving on asphalt.
Nevertheless, the Picanto is by no means a buzzkill. The steering is responsive and feels well weighted, and coupled with the stiffer suspension that makes the car feel planted on the road, there is a bit of added character to the drive.
The agile handling sees the Picanto most at home on city streets – manoeuvring through traffic, cornering and parking are an absolute breeze in this thing. Younger drivers especially will feel confident in a car that’s so easy to drive.
Key details | 2024 Kia Picanto GT-Line |
Engine | 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol |
Power | 62kW @ 6000rpm |
Torque | 122Nm @ 4000rpm |
Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
Transmission | 4-speed torque converter automatic |
Power-to-weight ratio | 62.4kW/t |
Weight | 993kg |
Spare tyre type | Space-saver |
Turning circle | 9.4m |
Can a Kia Picanto tow?
The Kia Picanto is not rated to tow.
Should I buy a Kia Picanto?
Compact, affordable and equipped with active safety tech – if your new car criteria include these, then the Kia Picanto warrants consideration.
While it’s not exactly the pocket rocket I was hoping for, it’s still a crowd-pleaser. With generous standard features for its class, combined with sharp looks, clever use of interior space and impressive handling, the Picanto is a stand-out choice for buyers in search of a new vehicle without breaking the bank.
How do I buy a Kia Picanto? The next steps.
There’s about an $1800 difference between the Sport and GT-Line grades. The extra kit you get in the range-topper includes 16-inch alloy wheels, an LED light bar, leather-look seat upholstery, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and the front centre armrest. These goodies are worth the spend, but if looks aren’t a priority, they're not necessary.
Kia tells us that vehicles are not readily in stock, but if you were to order one today, expect it to be delivered in 3–4 months.
If you’re interested in owning this vehicle, you can begin by customising your own model on the Kia website to get a better idea of pricing. When you’re ready to book a test drive, you can request one from your local dealership here.
You can also find Kias for sale at Drive.com.au/cars-for-sale.
If you want to stay updated with everything that's happened to this car since our review, you'll find all the latest Kia Picanto news here.