We Did 8000km in a Kia Picanto GT. Should You Buy One? (Long-Term Review and Recommendations)

Our long-term review of the Kia Picanto GT hot hatch is complete. Should you buy Australia’s cheapest small performance car? Can you even call the Picanto GT a hot hatch? Let’s find out!
We entrusted the keys to a grey Kia Picanto GT to journalist Zak Adkins, who owns a manual hot hatch himself. Priced at $22,490 driveaway, the Picanto GT is really affordable but still a very fun drive, as we found out.
Our Kia Picanto GT spec:
- 2022 build, MY22 equipment
- Astro grey metallic paint ($520)
- Black vinyl upholstery
The Kia Picanto GT competes with very small cars, like the Mazda 2, MG3, Toyota Yaris, Volkswagen Polo and others.
As always, we don’t accept advertising from car manufacturers, and we’re powered by Budget Direct - so this is an independent, honest review of the Kia Picanto.
Disclaimer: use of the Picanto was provided by Kia Australia, but Chasing Cars paid for all maintenance, petrol, and other running costs during our loan. Our independent owner, Budget Direct, paid the salary of the people responsible for this content. We remained free to say anything, positive or negative, about this vehicle.
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[@ubernoob103]

This guy is an absolute natural in front of a camera. So much joy and sincerity in his delivery.

[@KenanTurkiye]

Agreed.

[@MrReedmonkey]

Just test drove one on the basis on this review and bought it on the spot. Absolutely a fun little car with surprising amount of room in the front seats. Love the engine and the 5 speed/clutch is very user friendly. Surprised how refined it is for the price. Happy days indeed!

[@TonyHawkinsExplores]

These type of cars are more about character than raw speed or handling. Lots of fun in a little package

[@KenanTurkiye]

Well said, and I love it.

[@niker4404]

I love my picanto GT copium car hahaha

[@dianedougwhale7260]

@@KenanTurkiye sure are -

[@benwelter8890]

Bought one 5 months ago and I've loved every second with it. Put on 15,000 KMs on it, pushed it in the Brisbane and gold coast mountains, can keep up with wrxs uphill, and is nice and comfortable doing freeway speeds. Love it to death

[@chrisoliver4663]

15k km's in in 5 months? that's a lot of driving man, I drive a triton but want to downsize, this thing is on my list.

[@benwelter8890]

@@chrisoliver4663 Iput on 43,700kms on it now in 13 months and never let me down. Still equally fun as it was on my first day with it. Sips fuel too, definitely buy one

[@justchillin5373]

How is it now?

[@benwelter8890]

@@justchillin5373 sold her just under a month ago, but it had 63,000 KMs on it, never had a problem, loved it as much as the day I got it. If someone were to ask what car they should get for a first car or an economical daily that's still shit loads of fun, I'd recommend one of these

[@Olwingponce]

after 3 years of use on my kia picanto 2019 i'm proud to say that have had 0 issues, here in my country the guarantee only is 5 years or 100,000 kms, very good korean car.

[@kahyakahya9900]

I'm confused, what if the KM is above 200,000, because I've never experienced it. Overhaul? Or should I replace a new machine? 😂

[@claudiadavies5110]

This car is a peach, simple and sassy, love how it looks too, great review 😃😃😃

[@lucasdimond5968]

I drive a 2020 Picanto X-Line with the 1.25 litre engine which they discontinued, the car is an absolute dream to drive, I put 10000 miles on it in 8 months driving to and from college every day, has decent boot space, fold the seats down and you can very easily fit quite a lot in, i'm a 6 foot 3 giant and I manage to fit in and drive the car with heaps of comfort, but the rear seats, you would be hard pressed to fit 3 adults in the back, maybe 3 kids because of leg room. People tend to overlook kia as being a boring brand, but the early models of this car were used as rally cars, great fun to modify!

[@maaprj]

I bought one. Its the perfect foil to my Supercharged HSV (no longer a daily driver I'm afraid). Its a seriously good micro car. If I could change anything it would be a shock absorber upgrade as the OEM shocks are harsh on rough roads. As far as small cars go they are fine, but I think a set of premium shocks would help. The manual gearbox is pretty good (the comments on long throw are correct, but you get used to it). However, I'd like to see rev matching on the downshift ...and the gearing is for economy, with 5th being very tall. Surprisingly the punchy engine still manages to push the car along, not requiring a down change on steep hills at 100Km/h. The seats are OK but a lumber support wouldn't cost a lot and improve things on a longer trips for those with older backs. All in all its so good and such fun... it may become a bit of a cult classic. One other thing, buying this type of car will save the planet. The day it's feed back into the blast furnace... it's carbon footprint will still be less than most electric cars have before they roll off the end of the production line!

[@user-iu8sf3vp3c]

Had mine 12 months now and I love it, that 3 cylinder engine is was one of the all time greats and pulls right up to the 6500rpm. The equipment on the gt line 3 is fantastic

[@greenmonkey3298]

I have a GT line (auto) Picanto and I just love it. They are cute, economical and do the job.....I have had mine nearly 4 years and no regrets. You can cram quite a lot of things in and go on a mini roaddtrip!

[@dop3hasib]

Any issues with it? engine etc? How many L/100km?

[@darthvaper6745]

Auto? Your missing out

[@fullboost]

Nice review guys, straight to the to the point in all areas.

[@leestockton9367]

Here in the UK I have the GT-LINE S which has a five speed gearbox and a 1 litre turbo charged engine unit. I bought the last of the old badge style which Kia made; it is a special edition version called "Bumblebee" (probably after the Transformer with the car being yellow with black alloys), and has 120bhp which propels the car from 0 - 62mph in 8.5 seconds whilst still giving 50mpg. Fantastic car

[@Denistone]

glad to see a cheap and fun manual car.

[@md8590]

It's amazing people buying these for their first car. In my day you were lucky to get your mum's old Falcon when she upgrades to a shiny new Kia hatch

[@eattherich9215]

Your first car should be something in which you continue learning to drive, so something that is a little beat up is perfect.

[@bjw4859]

What a great review, I subscribed on the spot. I only came across this car hours ago as I was looking for a car for my wife & neither of us have ever owned a new car, so I saw if it was possible to get something we could afford & this car was top of the list, it does look really nice so thank you for showing it on the road, it helped.

[@stephensmith2027]

Kia Picanto is my favourite in this segment, so much so I recommended one to my nan (she bought the base). MG3 is a class bigger, it does have more power but build quality isn't as great. Mitsubishi Mirage is no longer available but at the time it didn't have enough power to get out of it's own way. I didn't bother looking at Suzuki's because they didn't impress me whatsoever.

[@letsseeif]

The Kia Picanto Gt is like a cup of tea. A warm one but 'cool' over time.

[@tighematthew]

I just brought the same one for my daughter its a Awesome little car there.really fun to drive. I find myself driving it a lot.

[@All-we-have-is-Now]

I love Chasing cars. Thanks for another detailed honest review. I would love to see a side by side comparison of all the small cars.

[@10secondsrule]

I have the Korean top tier version (I guess get line equivalent) and it is a really cool and fun car. We don’t get a turbo version which is a massive shame - only 990cc engine which feels quite weak and can be dangerous when you need to accelerate harder to fit when changing lanes here in Korea (people do not let you in so you have to bully you way in and hunt for gaps among the cars which do not slow down) - but we do get a lot of additional government benefits because of it as it is a micro car like half price for fees, parking and cheaper petrol. Driving above 85km/h is quite twitchy and can be unnerving on uneven surfaces - turning the optional lane keeping helps a bit while tightening the steering feel but it really makes you a bad driver if you rely on it too much. It’s pretty good and makes for much more relaxed driving but when you switch it of you will be shocked how poorly you drive. Don’t ask me how I know. 😅Steering wheel assistance should be reduced at higher speeds too. I think it looks a bit hideous on the outside and the pre-lift version looks better but neither is as good as original new Kia. For some reasons Koreans love to over complicate their design. Common, it’s not a hot hatch unless you leave it in the sun.

[@seanb1081]

Bloody brilliant "long" term review mate! I'm seriously interested in one of these. My main priority (due to a very steep drive way with a tiny turning circle at the top) is how good is the clutch on a steep hill requiring at least a 3-point turn? Any opinions on how well this little beauty is when ridding the clutch, would be greatly appreciated! ...Thanks.

[@darthvaper6745]

Ive got the gt-line and the handling is like a go kart its incredible. And you never have to take your foot off the exellerator

[@paulinamilewska8866]

What is it like on the motorway? Is yours the standard Gt-line (non-turbo)?

[@AndREDraut]

i have a red Picanto GT Line 1.2 with sunroof, nice looking car with good cornering abilities

[@Eccentricplum]

I’ve been doing research on this car over the last hour, interested in purchasing one, and your video now popping up. I reckon a stage 1 tune on this and a lot of people would be surprised.

[@TheHayabusa09]

Check out Bluespark video..with a simple flash tune, this little 1.0lt churns out 97KWS and 227NMS, up from 74KWS and 172NMS. All day reliable and cheap @ $380 bucks.

[@Eccentricplum]

👌🏼👍🏼 thanks mate. Yep watched the their video last night, looks very simple and a safe option to avoid warranty issues.

[@leasaunce]

I’ve owned the GT for over a year now and after purchasing the tuning kit from Bluespark it is much more enjoyable! Only issue I have with the car so far is the clutch recall by Kia. The stock speakers are ok however I’ve added under the seat subwoofer! Sounds much better without taking much space. On the freeway if you set on cruise (80kph) the lowest fuel consumption I’ve seen was 3.8L/100km. However at 100kph you can see this figure goes up hovering 4.2L/100km. At 100kph (5th gear) it sits around 2,500rpm. It might be a city car but this Picanto have better fuel consumption than a Yaris! Hoping the next generation will have a 6sp manual and maybe with a few more options.

[@Aerosmith1965]

I am buying the GT Line in automatic in the Grey color a brand new model from a Kia dealership Top car

[@lenoramadden1092]

How is it

[@kerryplatt7085]

I bought my Kia picanto GT line last November, I absolutely LOVE it ❣️

[@rustykilt]

i am considering the GT LINE or GT. did you test both?

[@kerryplatt7085]

@@rustykilt I didn't! I bought the GT line, I love it!

[@rustykilt]

@@kerryplatt7085 thanks for the feed back..👍

[@kerryplatt7085]

@@rustykilt your welcome 🙂

[@williamwatts348]

A excellent review. I just wish UK journalists were as nice about the Picanto as you are. Although I must just say the car you tested had manual air conditioning, UK spec cars of the Gt line S have automatic climate control and and a bigger infotainment screen with sat nav built in.

[@gdawwg1125]

In a car that small who cares about manual air con

[@stephensmith2027]

In Oz there very few cars that are under 20k AUD driveaway. They need to be cheap to compete on price. FWIW I think it is the best car in the segment so recommended my nan buy a base Picanto when she needed a new car.

[@MrBenHaynes]

@@gdawwg1125 What does the size of the car have to do with it. Manual air is cheap and a PITA. Climate controlled is about the convenience of not having to constantly adjust the temperature and fan speed knobs.

[@gdawwg1125]

@@MrBenHaynes because a small car cools down so fast that you don’t really have to worry about it

[@MrBenHaynes]

@@gdawwg1125 Yeah,,, I don't think you really comprehend what auto climate controlled air conditioning is or what its benefits are. Once you've become accustomed to its convenience and efficiency, it's hard to go back to manual air. Size of the vehicle has no bearing on its function or convenience.

[@tyronelee6062]

I'm gonna be getting mine soon hopefully In auto so this is a good video for me to watch to see how the car is

[@christinamangelo]

Thank you so much for your input l like it as well and you have convinced me. l will go and have a drive.

[@chasingcars]

Have fun!

[@Funk-That]

Kia just announced : The flagship Picanto GT with the 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder and manual transmission is being discontinued globally. Better get yours fast if you want one !! ... I love mine too btw 🙂

[@user-zt6uo8dt3v]

Recently I drove 4000 km.i drive 1500km non stop .fuel saver .average was one rand one kilometer. It's fantastic car for small family ❤

[@gregmartyn1976]

Great little car and great review. In the UK this is the GT line S and our top spec. The only difference is we get a sunroof in addition to your GT spec

[@paulinamilewska8866]

What's the GT-Line 1L (non-turbo) like?

[@thomashoejberg-DK]

Install a tuning box and a pedal box and you go from warm to hot. Absolutely love mine❤

[@paulinamilewska8866]

How do you do that?

[@thomashoejberg-DK]

@@paulinamilewska8866Is it a turbo picanto you have? If so, it can be chip tuned. When chip tuned you can buy a tuning box, which give you the 4 different driving modes..

[@ryan_bop]

Chur for the video! This car is a literal hoot! beep beep.

[@GhostsnGoblins]

I have a gt 2019 picanto with blue spark and throttle controller all plug and play i get 100kw and 230nm but i am willing to a round trip around Australia with this micro car and vlog it and see if a micro car can do it all tared roads no off road if kia can support me with free services i will be happy otherwise i will do it by myself. My Picanto has 32000km..

[@eattherich9215]

I keep looking at the Kia Picanto higher spec models, but I can't quite convince myelf that it is my next car. The cabin seems small as is the boot. I pretty much think I will stick with a 2016/17 VW Polo.

[@daveb4362]

do the Australian models come with keyless start and entry?

[@RickTimms.Sydney..SONGWRITER]

I dont get why Kia gives the Australian version less features than the European version(eg..Push button start..)..How much more cost would it be to add the same features?

[@chrisoliver4663]

7:25 if you need lane departure warning etc should you even be driving?

[@GirlieLittleNoob]

Me in a Kia Rio 22 loan car screaming “GO!!!!!!” As it takes 15 seconds to hit 100 km ph 🙈

[@VRJacky]

This video taught me I'm getting scammed on insurance, budget won't insure me and every other quote is like $800 😭 I'm young with good vision and reflexes why do I gotta pay more than someone who's 70 and may drop dead at any moment

[@derser541]

Because statistics and reality disagree with you. Life isn't the big safe space you've been brainwashed to think it is.

[@heavymetal9622]

Exactly right! Young people who want to insure a sensible car are charged way too much in Australia, not to mention the added on “under 25” excess that they slump you with IF you ever need to make a claim.

[@bhansen9468]

Get 3rd party to cover other people's cars and drive sensibly, u shouldn't crash you car unless your not paying attention, playing on your phone or speeding

[@michaelvanderzee4888]

I'm paying ~$1000 p/a with a Rating 1, zero history of claims, over 35yo etc. My bad I live in a shithole 😂

[@mohdariff1619]

I own the 2019 Kia picanto 😀..good 🚗

[@jaisabai4155]

Nice little car. At 7.24, what do those double lines mean? What fuel is required? Does it have a spare wheel?

[@leasaunce]

It doesn’t need to run on premium fuel. It has a spare saver wheel

[@jaisabai4155]

@@leasaunce Thank you.

[@KenanTurkiye]

Jai Sabai asked ''At 7:24, what do those double lines mean?'' The abreviation ''GT'' in the Picanto stands for Go-over-the Twin-road-lines --> GT I am goofing around : ) I would assume it's a closed off road or there are permissions taken from the authorities for the filming of these reviews, so that may be the answer to your concern? thinking aloud.

[@stevoislookingforgolfballs8046]

Double white lines on the road mean no overtaking on that section of road.

[@PhilippensTube]

Weird that we in The Netherlands (or Europe) don't get the wireless Carplay/Android Auto. We need a cable to use it. I'll never understand the model policy car companies use for different countries. We don't have the distinction between GT-Line and GT. We just have GT-Line and it's fully loaded with all the options. And we do have lane departure warning (and corrective steering input). So Kia has the technology, but the choose to give one feature here and another feature there. I do wonder if the head unit of the Picanto has the hardware for wireless Carplay/Auto and there is a (secret) way to unlock it... I can't imagine that they make actual different units for different markets. You'd think they're all the same and it's just software that decides what you can use. But it's a brilliant little car. I've been driving a Seat Mii (VW Up!) for a few years now and since the Volkswagen company doesn't do the small cars anymore, we're moving on to the Kia Picanto. It's like driving a much more expensive car.

[@chadrilcon1024]

I own the base model as a daily to run to and from work. I had one minor issue that Kia resolved with a free service. The review didn't mention that you get cruise control in the manual. I wouldn't get the auto for non city driving it is too sluggish and sits at 4 thousand rpm on the freeway @ 110.

[@SouthernCrossMotors]

Had the NA auto version and it was for my late wife. Great little car but the auto was terrible. The safely features were actually pretty darn good. I would get the turbo GT version however. Great for what it is and the 7/7/7 from Kia is awesome.

[@gdawwg1125]

An auto in a 1 litre 3 cylinder 😂

[@SouthernCrossMotors]

@@gdawwg1125 Yep. 4 speed to and hunting for gears all the time. Awful 😂🤣

[@zzz-pe3mp]

I have the auto N/A (its a 1.25L) as a daily and don't have any issues, box is good and doesn't really hunt but I only drive it around the city and its moderately flat

[@heavymetal9622]

@@gdawwg1125 The 1 litre 3cyl only comes in Manual in Australia

[@jamesgowing3856]

I think as a first car or if you live in the city & need something easy to park & live with, then why not?

My GT Line has exactly the same interior with the red. Not sure what he is talking about ??? But I prefer the automatic.

[@victorchee393]

Great review! But double white lines were crossed. 😉

[@jaisabai4155]

Shhhh 🙄

[@MrWilliam.Stewart]

Give it a revin Kevin. Hold it flat Mat. Have fun son.

[@julesmarwell8023]

thanks mate. you just made me trade in my 50.000k golf. to something more reliable

[@giorgiocatacchio6730]

La mia auto 100cv..una bomba!

[@kahyakahya9900]

How does it feel when the wind blows hard on the highway? Do you feel the shake? I'm using the Toyota Corolla Assent, still feeling the shake. Which one the good one, Kia Picanto, Suzuki Ignis or Suzuki Swift. I’m confused 😂

[@Mr5Ali5]

Go for Picanto. You wont regret your decision.

[@RolyBG]

Hi, how tall are you??

[@lindonandlisa8114]

I have 30000k no my me and my mates go mountain bike riding three bikes on the roof and it good to go would buy a one again in a hart beat

[@maxrandom1400]

Cool car. Unfortunately for me, they seem to hold their value very well 😢

[@Glenndroid.]

What are the main differences between the 2018-2020 model and the 2021> model?

[@chasingcars]

Wireless CarPlay is the biggie

[@zaamuro8408]

This or an used Veloster/i30 SR?

[@steamroller231]

I30/ veloster if you need the room

[@julesmarwell8023]

at last, AN HONEST MOTOR CAR

[@David-Dumont]

GJ

[@TheHayabusa09]

KIA Australia certainly cheated their customers by removing several luxury features standard, on overseas models. Those models have automatic climate control, an electric glass sunroof and those three blanked out spaces ahead of the gearstick are for ventilated (driver only) seat, and heating for both. Those models are the equivalent of paying AUS$22K plus on-road costs, so figure mid $23K..so annoyed was I, I got back my deposit.

[@alexfloyd6272]

That's just not right. The top spec UK model, the GT Line S is £16,510.00, which is a touch over $29,000 AUD. That is the model with heated seats, etc. The model comparable to the Australian GT is the UK GT Line at £15,360.00, which is a touch over $27,000 AUD. Looking at the specs from the UK Kia page this is almost identical to the Australian GT except that it doesn't have cruise control (there may be other differences but that is what stood out to me on a quick look). I'd like it to have navigation and climate control, but they're not worth the, approximately, $5.5k AUD premium to me. A peppier engine (even just the non detuned 1.0 t-gdi putting out 88kw like was in the previous Rio GT-line) might get me to part with the extra dosh though.

[@WildDanHibiki]

Ventilated seats are a godsend here in Aus. Really disappointed that they omitted this feature.

[@gdawwg1125]

@@WildDanHibiki all that shit adds weight as well as cost

[@srk9357]

UK ones get heated seats but I don't think they get ventilated seating.

[@heavymetal9622]

Yeah it sucks they omitted those features but I guess they wanted to compete in Australia at a certain price point and removing those options brought the price down. Would still be good to have them available though to those who are happy to play more for them.

[@mohdshafizie1364]

sampai ke sini aku cari clue badan untuk axia 2023 🤒🤣

[@mandlalloyd6174]

That little toys has more power than the VW polo vivos ...what a shame

[@Darrenraitt]

Great McDonald's delivery vehicle lol...

[@jameschen2942]

Kia is quite expensive to service for its low purchase price.

[@peterthompson99]

Have owned one and am about to buy another. Great fun car with loads of character. However, and it pains me to say, what’s with the long finger nails and “excuse me madam” glasses? Makes me a bit uneasy.

[@Airwolf106]

got one get one they are great,

[@zul5665]

Why would you drive a manual in 2023?

[@Eccentricplum]

It’s fun, like in any other year.

[@zul5665]

@@Eccentricplum Maybe if you were a rally driver with a high performance machine but in a run of the mill car, in todays traffic, you'd be unnecessarily torturing yourself.

[@FlakeyPM]

Fuel economy!!!

[@dirkdiggler6230]

@@zul5665 No, smaller the engine , the more fun a manual car is , auto just for lazy people

[@markcarboon7008]

You need to learn a word to replace really. You have (really) murdered it.

[@marvin2678]

"longterm"

[@jimdonovan9961]

I'd prefer a car that stays on the left of double unbroken centre lines

[@revrickbibletalks5546]

The review is good but your sponsor sucks! Avoid Budget Direct if you can! They took more than 3 months to pay me when other insurers will take perhaps only 3 weeks!

[@ahh1180]

What’s happened to all the car journos that were on this channel? It’s gone from budget insurance to budget journos

[@GEE819]

No thanks 😂

[@irishirish2685]

This car is.... ...aaa.... ....agly?

[@campbellreither550]

In a word...... No.

[@ezy.from.now.on.]

What are you going on about? It's a gt model bc it's turbocharged unlike the other variants, and the interior and exterior are utterly identical to the gt line. The ONLY difference between the gt and gt line are the turbo charger, and some sporty suspension/steering. The interior red is NOT only on the gt model.

[@ezy.from.now.on.]

@@lunchmoneyog I was oversimplifying it I know it's a whole different engine, 3 cylinder 1 litre engine. This car reviewer just didnt make sense saying that this should only be a gt line.

[@andreasgerasimatos4890]

GT LINE WITH 82 HP IS THIS A JOKE