2024 Kia Picanto price and specs: Better equipped but no longer sub-$20,000 drive-away

The 2024 Kia Picanto city hatch – the second major update for the current model since it launched in 2017 – has arrived in Australian showrooms with a new look, more technology, and longer list of safety features.

But with price rises of $1600 to $2100 drive-away, the Picanto is no longer the most affordable new car on sale in Australia – and has departed the sub-$20,000 drive-away category, now priced from $20,690.

The MG 3 is now the last new car available for less than $20,000 drive-away, though only by $10 – at $19,990 drive-away, as of December 2023 – and a new model is due in 2024 with safety technology absent from the current vehicle, which will push up the price.

Three of the four Kia Picanto models available are still priced less than $20,000 before on-road costs. However, these fees – such as stamp duty, registration and third-party insurance – are mandatory charges that buyers cannot avoid paying in the purchase of a new vehicle.

Picanto buyers can choose between Sport and GT-Line model grades, available with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions – matched with the same 1.25-litre non-turbo four-cylinder petrol engine (62kW/122Nm).

The top-of-the-range Picanto GT – with a unique 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine (74kW/172Nm) and five-speed manual transmission – has been dropped globally due to low demand.

The turbo version accounted for about five to seven per cent of sales in the outgoing range – compared to 55 per cent for the GT-Line, and 40 per cent for the S.

The switch in name for the base model from S to Sport reflects its higher standard equipment level.

New features to coincide with the price rise include alloy wheels (replacing steel wheels with hubcaps), a synthetic leather-look steering wheel and gear shifter, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, door exit warning, and a driver attention alert.

Other new features include halogen projector headlights (rather than reflector beams), digitised speed and tachometer readouts, a USB-C port, and power-folding side mirrors – but height adjustment for the driver’s seat has been deleted, and is now exclusive to the GT-Line.

Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert – items not standard on a base-model Kia Cerato hatch at $28,290 drive-away – as well as lane-keep assist have been available on the Picanto overseas for a number of years, but have never been offered here.

It is unclear if Kia Australia still plans to submit the Picanto for a new ANCAP crash-test rating, as the current four-star score awarded in 2017 under less stringent criteria will expire at the end of 2023.

It gains a new exterior appearance inspired by Kia’s most expensive car, the EV9 electric SUV.

New on the GT-Line for 2024 – in addition to the safety technology and new instruments – are LED headlights and tail-lights, a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel, heated side mirrors, a rear USB-C port, and grey seat accents, plus new-design wheels and bumpers.

Claimed fuel economy has increased for the updated Picanto, now 5.4 litres per 100km for manual variants (up from 5.0L/100km), and 6.0L/100km for automatics (up from 5.8L/100km).

New colours include Adventurous Green and Sporty Blue. The previous S variant’s Honey Bee Yellow has been deleted.

All models are covered by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, with seven years of roadside assistance, and capped-price servicing.

The 2024 Kia Picanto is on sale now.

Items in bold are new, compared to predecessor models (S and GT-Line for Sport and GT-Line respectively).