Kia Picanto vs Renault Twingo & Hyundai i10 - pictures

The Kia Picanto has been given a mid-life refresh. Here we test it against the impressive Hyundai i10 and funky new Renault Twingo to see if the tweaks have been a success. 

New lower grille and wide-set foglights have refreshed the Picanto's look. 

Here we test it in SR7 guise, powered by a 1.0-litre 3-cyl engine producing 68bhp. 

Interior is largely unchanged over pre-facelift model. Chrome highlights for the dials and vents mark out the facelifted model, but dark plastics and trim make the Picanto feel a bit dull inside. 

It's awkward to climb into the back of the three-door Picanto, but once you're in position there's plenty of head and legroom. Three abreast will be a squeeze, though. 

The Picanto's 200-litre boot is the smallest in this test. 

SR7 model gets air-con and Bluetooth; DAB is £250 extra. Low-res screen makes radio tricky to use and phone pairing awkward. 

For £200 extra, we'd recommend going for the five-door Picanto SR7 model, as it's much more usable than the three-door used in this test. If you want to upgrade the spec, there are three more expensive trim levels to choose from: 2, 3

The Twingo is arguably the most funky looking car in this test. The model in our pictures is a Dynamique S with the Urban pack, but we tested the Twingo Play with a 1.0-litre 3cyl engine, producing 69bhp. 

The Twingo feels nimble, but it's not as stable as the Picanto at speed. The slab-sided design means its susceptible to crosswinds on the motorway and over bad bumps the Twingo can feel a bit brittle. 

This Twingo features a roll-back canvas roof, which is great for fresh spring weather. But if you intend to go on long journeys, think twice. It's noisy at speed and the interior is the most cramped of the three here. 

The Twingo is a strict four-seater, but each passenger gets plenty of room. 

Despite the Twingo's engine being located under the boot, the load bay is bigger than the Kia's at 219 litres. 

Like Fiat's 500, Renault has nailed the balance between old-school styling and modern design. It's mixed with some brilliant features that make around-town driving a doddle. 

"If your choice of city car comes down to running costs, the Renault may not appeal, as it'll probably be the most expensive of our cars to keep on the road. Its higher group 3 insurance rating means premiums are the costliest, servici

Here we test the Hyundai i10 SE, powered by a 1.0-litre 3cyl engine putting out 66bhp. It costs £9,770. 

A bit more weight actually helps the Hyundai at higher speed, as it feels planted. It's just a shame there's not more flair to its fairly plain design. 

Orange trim inserts brighten up the interior and are a nice touch, considering the bland exterior. Build quality is better than in either rival, but some knobs are notchy. 

Practicality in the i10 is seriously impressive for such a small car. It feels like it could be from the class above, with plenty of room for rear-seat passengers. 

218-litre boot is on a par with the Twingo's, and this rises to 1,012 litres if you fold the 60:40 split rear seats down. 

"Hyundai's charge upmarket over recent years has been bolstered by the i10. Inside, the buttons feel soft, solid and reliable. But cheap details like the indicator stalks mean it falls short of a Skoda Citigo for quality." - Lesley Har

The i10 offers bags of practicality for such a small car, plus the cabin delivers big car quality and refinement. Its broad spread of abilities makes it hard to ignore as the deserved winner of this test. 

These cars prove that downsizing to a city car doesn't necessarily mean you have to compromise on space.