The Kia Picanto III (Internal code: JA), also known as the Kia Morning in South Korea, is a highly successful A-segment city car. Launched in 2017, it stands out in a shrinking segment thanks to its excellent packaging, sharp driving dynamics, and Kia's renowned 7-year/150,000 km warranty. It received a minor facelift in 2020 (updating powertrains to meet Euro 6d standards and introducing an Automated Manual Transmission - AMT) and a major, aggressive exterior facelift in 2023/2024 to align with Kia's 'Opposites United' design language. The Picanto is praised for feeling more mature than its size suggests, though it remains a true city car at heart. Reliability is generally outstanding, particularly with the naturally aspirated engines.
The Kia Picanto III (JA) is arguably the best all-rounder in the A-segment. It offers peace of mind with its long warranty and proven naturally aspirated engines. Buying Advice: The sweet spot of the range is the 1.2 MPI with a manual gearbox—it offers enough power for occasional highway trips while remaining highly reliable. If you strictly drive in the city, the 1.0 MPI is perfectly adequate. Warning: Avoid the post-2020 AMT (Automated Manual) gearbox if you spend a lot of time in heavy traffic, as it is jerky and prone to actuator wear. If you need an automatic, seek out a pre-2020 model with the traditional 4-speed torque converter, or look at the Hyundai i10 sister car.