Is a Kia Picanto a good first car?
Yes, the Picanto stays in a tight, low insurance band across most of its range and carries one of the longest warranties of any first car on the market, though a real quote can vary more from a generic estimate than most rivals'.
The numbers*
| Insurance group | Group 2 to 11, depending on engine and trim. For a young new driver, ordinary versions cost around £142 to £162 a month standard cover; a real quote came in notably lower, at £84 a month, so it's worth getting an exact quote for the specific car rather than relying on the group alone. |
|---|---|
| Typical used price | £5,800 to £10,000 on the used market (most trims and years) |
| Road tax | £20 to £200 a year depending on registration date, since the 2017 VED reform changed how it's calculated. |
| Fuel economy | 50 to 67 mpg combined (official, combined cycle) |
| Euro NCAP rating | 3 stars on the current generation (2017 on), 79% adult / 64% child / 54% pedestrian protection; an earlier pre-2017 generation scored 4 stars under an older, less strict Euro NCAP test protocol |
![Kia Picanto 1.0 2 5dr [4 seats]](/carfinder/cars/kia_picanto.webp)
Ins grp 3 Kia Picanto 1.0 2 5dr [4 seats]
- Standard
- £1,699/yr
- Telematics
- £1,189/yr
Standard monthly £142/mo
Ins grp 5 Kia Picanto 1.0 2 5dr
- Standard
- £1,769/yr
- Telematics
- £1,239/yr
Standard monthly £147/mo
Ins grp 7 Kia Picanto 1.25 2 5dr Auto
- Standard
- £1,947/yr
- Telematics
- £1,363/yr
Standard monthly £162/mo
Labels go by monthly insurance: Manageable up to £150, Getting pricey £151 to £200, Danger zone over £200.
Why parents like it
Kia's 7-year warranty is the longest in the industry by a wide margin, and the Picanto stays consistently cheap to insure across nearly its whole range, both of which matter more for a first car than outright badge appeal.
Why new drivers like it
It's a genuinely easy first car to drive, with light controls, and the higher trims (GT-Line included) add enough visual interest to not feel like the cheapest option in the car park.
The catch
A typical estimate is £142 to £162 a month across the Picanto's ordinary trims, but a real quote for a 2022 Picanto at group 5 came in meaningfully lower, £84 a month standard cover. That gap is exactly why an estimate is a starting point, not a final answer: get an exact quote for the specific car, postcode and driver before you commit.
Which version to look for
Any 1.0 or 1.25-litre Picanto in '1', '2' or GT-Line trim insures similarly; choose on age, condition and remaining warranty rather than insurance group. Kia's long warranty transfers to the first private owner on some models, worth checking before you buy.
* Sources: First Car Scout vehicle listing and insurance-group data (July 2026).