Kia Picanto review: the cheapest sensible new car in Bahrain
3.6/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
Buy a Picanto as a second car, a first car for a new driver, or a runabout for compound living where the commute is short and the parking is tight. It has no business on the causeway with four adults aboard, and nobody buying one should expect that of it — judged on its actual job, it is honest value with Kia's warranty backing it up.
Pros
- Lowest purchase and running cost in Kia's Bahrain range
- Electronic stability control and dual airbags standard
- Turning circle makes tight, older parking structures trivial
- Five-year, typically unlimited-kilometre warranty
Cons
- Engine is strained at highway and causeway speeds
- Rear seat space is tight for adults
- Cabin materials are basic even by city-car standards
- Modest absolute resale value, though typical for the class
The Picanto's entire case rests on being small and cheap, and it delivers on both without cutting corners that matter for safety. Electronic stability control and dual airbags are standard across the range, which is not true of every city car at this price point in the region.
Living with it day to day
The 1.2-litre engine is willing around town and genuinely strained the moment the road opens up — merging onto Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Highway at speed takes planning, not confidence. Inside, the cabin is basic but logically laid out, and the turning circle makes Bahrain's older, narrower parking structures a non-issue in a way a Sportage never will be.
Rear seat space is tight for adults on anything beyond a short trip, and this is a car that makes its compromises honestly rather than pretending otherwise. Two people and shopping bags is its natural habitat.
Cost of ownership
Running costs are the lowest in Kia's Bahrain range by a clear margin, and the five-year warranty removes essentially all mechanical risk for a first-time owner. Resale values are modest in absolute terms, as they are for every city car, but the low purchase price means the percentage loss is rarely painful.