Kia Picanto review - MPG, CO2 and running costs

Whichever way you look at it, the Kia Picanto is one of the most affordable cars money can buy. That goes for everything from list price, to fuel and other consumables – even the brightly coloured option packs offer decent value.

Depending on the spec, official fuel economy for the 66bhp Picanto varies from 55.4 to 58.9mpg – or 52.3 to 54.3, if you replace the manual gearbox with the optional automatic. In comparison, Kia says the 99bhp turbo-petrol engine can return anywhere from 49.5 to 52.3mpg.

Likewise, the less powerful petrol engine is better when it comes to CO2 emissions, with Kia claiming it emits 110-123g/km depending on the spec. The turbo-petrol engine has slightly higher emissions of 123-129g/km – meaning, despite the increase, the 99bhp 1.0 T-GDi should only be mildly more expensive to tax than the regular 1.0-litre engine.

Do bear in mind that, as part of the recent updates to improve economy and emissions, there are some differences in the specs between the pre- and post-facelift Picantos. For instance, whereas the original Mk 3 Picanto was available in four and five seat configurations, you can now only spec most of the Picanto range with four seats – if you need more room for passengers, you’ll need to go for the five-seater-only X-Line versions.

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Insurance groups

Insurance groups for the Kia Picanto are low, though vary across the range. They range from 1 to 5 for the regular models, or from 2 to 5 for X-Line versions. Groups for GT-Line and GT-Line S cars  with the 66bhp engine range from 2 to 4, and then jump to Group 11 if you spec the turbo-petrol engine.

Depreciation

The Picanto continues to be a decent performer for residual values, and the low list prices mean the money you’ll lose is comparatively small compared to cars in the class above.

On average, the Picanto will retain around 45% of its original list price, with the lower-spec models delivering the best figures over three-years and 36,000 miles of ownership.