Kia Picanto wins best small car award

The affordable Kia Picanto city car has been named ‘Most Popular Small Hatchback 2012′ at the Honest John awards voted for by readers of the motoring website.

Finishing ahead of more well-known small cars, the new 2012 Kia Picanto has taken the top award because of its mix of attractive design, low running costs and high quality interior.

Dan Harrison, Editor of honestjohn.co.uk said: “This award shows that the value-packed Kia Picanto has captured the imagination of our users. Big car features, low running costs and a huge warranty have all contributed to it being the most popular small car on the site over the past 12 months.”

Kia Picanto prices start from under £8,000 for three-door versions (five-door models are also available) and efficient petrol engines include road tax-free options and fuel economy as high as 67.3mpg.

The city car also comes with Kia’s seven-year warranty, valid for up to 100,000 miles.

The new Kia Picanto, launched early in 2012, has received praise from the motoring press and customers since its release.

A new design incorporating Kia’s new ‘tiger face’ front end, an improved interior featuring higher quality materials and more equipment and improved handling and responsiveness on the road have helped it close the gap on the likes of the Ford Ka.

Available in ’1, 2 and 3′ trim levels, with an additional ’1 Air’ adding air conditioning to base models, the Kia Picanto has also picked up the Bargain of the Year award at the 2011 Top Gear Magazine awards.

New Kia Picanto prices start from £7,500 for three-door versions. Five-door Kia Picanto prices start from £7,745 on-the-road.

The new Kia Picanto is on sale now at Perrys Kia dealerships.