In partnership with Auto Trader
Used test: Kia Picanto X-Line vs Suzuki Ignis costs
These two both combine city-friendly dimensions with tough SUV looks. But which is the better secondhand buy?...
Buying and owning
Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
Both of these city cars began life as affordable new cars, so there wasn't an abundance of money to lose in the first place. Nonetheless, they've each gone down by around £5000 after six years on the used car market, with the Suzuki Ignis having depreciated slightly more than the Kia Picanto. They now sit at around £7000 each.
Over the next three years, our data predicts the Picanto to lose £1125 of its current value, while the Ignis will (again) lose slightly more – £1575 to be specific.
The Ignis is the best-performing car in our Real MPG testing, with a real-world average of 50.9mpg versus its claimed 61.4mpg. The Picanto also claims 61.4mpg, and it managed a respectable 47.9mpg in the real world.
For two services of the Picanto, we were quoted £329 via Kia. For the Ignis, that was £574 via Suzuki. The Picanto should also be cheaper to insure. It belongs to insurance group seven, putting costs at around £349. The Ignis, in group 15, should set you back around £501.
While both cars come with basics such as air-con and alloy wheels, the Ignis feels pretty spartan next to the Picanto. It adds power-folding door mirrors and electric rear windows (rather than the manual ones in the Ignis).
The Picanto is also the safer car. Partly because all Picanto X-Lines get automatic emergency braking (AEB), Euro NCAP awarded it four stars. Unless the original owner spent £750 to add AEB to the Ignis, the SZ-T gets just three stars.
Our data shows the Kia Picanto and Suzuki Ignis to be reliable cars. In our 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey, the Picanto ranked eighth out of 18 cars in the small car category, with a score of 97.5%. The Ignis proved even more reliable, though, with a ranking of first out of 22 cars in the small SUV category and a score of 99.4%.
As car brands, Suzuki managed an impressive fourth place finish out of 32 manufacturers, while Kia wasn't too far behind in eighth.
