Kia Picanto v Mini Cooper, help much appreciated

[Undecided234]

Hi all,

Could really use some sound mumsnetter advice on the following please:

I've recently had to scrap my 20 year old Peugeot 206 which I'd had since new and am now looking for a new small 5 door petrol car. In an ideal world it would last me as long as my previous car and would be reliable, cheap to run, and cheap to insure (so not asking for much!). Not looking at anything outside of the supermini / city car sectors as feel more comfortable driving and parking a smaller car.

It'll just be me using it most of the time and will likely only be doing 2- 3000 miles per year as I WFH, so will be mostly used for short trips into town weekdays and slightly longer weekend trips to see family etc.

I know very little about cars so have tried to read up as much as I can on the best reviewed supermini/city cars and the Picanto and Mini seem to be the ones rated highly which come in petrol and manual.

Have been to the respective dealerships but can't make up my mind so would appreciate your help. I'd be looking at the 3 trim on the Picanto and the basic spec on the Mini, so pricewise is about a 5k difference. The Picanto comes with a longer warranty than the Mini but the Kia salesman said that after three years certain issues (eg clutch) might then potentially be deemed as 'wear and tear' so wouldn't be covered. The Mini seems to be of a sturdier build but am concerned if something goes wrong once it's 3 year warranty has ended, it could be quite expensive to fix compared to the Picanto.

I guess I'm unclear whether the Mini would last me longer than the Picanto and/or be more reliable and therefore is worth the additional 5K or not?

Thanks so much for your help x

Hi OP,

Have you driven both? I haven't driven the Picanto but I had use of a mini last year. Not my favourite car to drive. Also, a 3 will have quite a decent kit list.

Plus there is quite a size difference between them, the Picanto being a smaller car. Have you compared file economy as well.

My Mini Cooper S is nearly 18 years old now and apart from tyres , brakes, and regular servicing, I've had the clutch and driver's window mechanism replaced.

I don't know what the Kia is like to drive but the Mini is so much fun, great for bombing around in. The only downside is the minuscule boot and lack of rear legroom.

It depends on what kind of driver you are. The Kia was a bit of a plodder when I test drove it. The gear box was sticky and difficult to get it in gear. It did have plenty of creature comforts though. I haven't driven a Mini so can't compare though.

The picanto is A LOT smaller than a mini. The mini is more a small family car, the kia a tiny city car

I had a Picanto for 8 years, was my first car. Never had any problems other than regular maintenance. It's very cheap to run and nippy around town. Not the most comfortable for long journeys (we travel 7+ hrs a few times a year) but sounds like you're not doing much of that.
It's not a particularly stylish or jazzy car, I would say the Mini is definitely nicer in that sense, but for the price I would always recommend Kia.

I've got a nearly ten year old Picanto. It's done a lot of miles and the only issues have been routine stuff like tyres (and the handbrake cable, but that's because DH is heavy handed with it - we've had the same issue with other cars!)

Although it's not big, we managed fine with it until we had two children. Even then we could have managed except that we had a very specific car seat we really wanted to put DD2 in. If you're used to a small car I don't think you'd find the space an issue.

I've got no experience with the Mini though.

Edit to add: we still do have it - I realised my post was confusing there - but it's no longer the main family car.

There are lots of other options for a small car - Toyota Aygo, Hyundai i10, Skoda Citigo for a start.

I wouldn’t want another Mini, but I haven’t had a Picanto. I have had a Kia Ce’ed which is one of the better cars I’ve had. Servicing on Minis is quite expensive and I think I’d probably go for something with a few bells and whistles.

For that kind of mileage I’d suggest a bicycle :D

Kia Piccanto are absolutely bulletproof and cheap as chips.

I had a Mini Cooper for years and absolutely loved it. It began to develop an intermittent gear box fault which they told me would cost more to fix than the value of the car, so it had to go. (It was an automatic, though, so I don't think a manual would ever have the same problem.) Still love Minis so now I drive a Clubman.

Given your mileage @Undecided234 had you considered going electric?

Have you looked at the Hyundai i10, it’s very nice to drive. I find the Mini quite hard on the suspension.

Piccanto is a biscuit tin on wheels. Go with the mini if you can afford it. I've got a hyundai I10 which is quite nippy around town.

Hi, I have a new 73 plate picanto GT line which has everything in it that you would need. It has a revering camera but it's that small, you don't actually need that. I have it in manual and it's really good on petrol, I had a 72 plate Hyundai i10 N line but it took way too much petrol.
I haven't driven the new mini as I wasn't really interested in a mini. I did originally want something abit more sporty, but going back to the N line it took way too much petrol and it was only a 1litre turbo. So me and my husband went for the picanto. ( he has a motorbike so hardly uses the new car).
It is abit sluggish, and the clutch is MEGA light. Sometimes you have go rev it to death when setting it off, esp on a hill. But you really do get used to it.
It sounds like you just want it for pottering around in. Overall it's a great car (in my opinion) but I can't speak for the mini.

I don't know the Kia but I have a Mini Cooper (my previous car was a Renault Captur which basically blew up). The Mini is very well built and has a very good engine - basically because its made by BMW. I love it.

I have a picanto and love it! It's pretty noisy and rattly, though mine's just the basic model, so maybe newer ones are better. It has no aircon, no electric windows, and only locks manually. Mine's white, so I keep threatening to paint a blue and red stripe around it so it looks like a Tesco Value car 😁 Had it since 2012 and no major issues with it; I don't give a shit about having a "nice" car, though, as long as it works, so my picanto fulfils the brief!

Thanks billyt, haven't test driven either yet, but think that's the next thing I should do.
Good point re fuel economy, have just checked and the Picanto gives roughly 55MPG and the Mini 52MPG

We had a 2009 Picanto up until 2021 which unfortunately got damaged by a lorry and written off. We then got a 2018 one second hand, it’s going strong and no issues at all.

It’s fairly noisy on the motorway but that’s the only drawback. We can squeeze 3 slim adults in the back. Boot space is OK.

For the price it can’t really be beaten. Very reliable.

Thanks so much to everyone for sharing their experiences with driving a Picanto or a Mini it's honestly been really helpful as the online reviews I found eg TopGear, What Car etc, obviously don't cover long term owners experiences.

alterego2, yes, had definitely considered the electric route, but aside from the Citroen Ami (which, as much as I prefer small cars, is really tiny), full EV's are beyond budget unfortunately. I did look at a hybrid Toyota Yaris but was concerned it may not last as long as a petrol engine, since some reviews mentioned the hybrid battery may need replacing after 10 - 15 years, which is apparently quite costly, and I'm hoping if I take good care of the next car I buy it might last more the 18-20 mark and in which case by then I'll likely/hopefully be looking to make use of my free bus pass!

LastNightAPandaSavedMyLife, I did consider the Hyundai, as they also have great reviews and think share a similar engine to the Picanto (?) but on balance felt the Picanto 3 gave slightly more for the money

The Hyundai i10 is the same engine (apart from Nline) to the picanto

The Mini is very well built and has a very good engine - basically because its made by BMW.

Certain BMW/MINI engines are absolute junk with notorious issues, not to mention the ones developed with PSA.

I've got a 68 plate Picanto. Been very reliable. The boot can fit a family 5 bag weekly shop in it. Not top of the range, but electric windows, air con, usb point. Full tank lasts me weeks, I do about the same mileage as you will. Excellent customer service from my local dealer.
Mainly me and granddaughter in it but I love it.
My daughter had a mini and I always felt shoe horned in, both passenger and back seats. Boot was ridiculous. Customer service wasn't particularly good either

Obviously the mini looks far more stylish but the cost and what you get for your money surely it's a no brainer !

I'm surprised about your boot comparison @lingmerth as I would have said the opposite.

I thought the boot in my Mini was quite spacious for the car size, and we had a Picanto on holiday once, which we referred to as the Pequena (Spanish for small) because we couldn't even get 2 cabin suitcases in.

DP put one in and then just sort of looked at me and I was about to ask why we weren't putting the other bag in and getting on with it and then looked to see the first bag taking up nearly all the boot space so the other had to go on the back seat.

I think if you're planning to keep the car a long time and not at the top of your budget, it doesn't have to be the cheapest car available, but I'd also look at the VW Up/Skoda Citigo/Seat Mio (all the same car, I have a Citigo, it's great, with a decent boot size, only downside I'd say with a very low mileage is that the timing belt should be replaced every 5 years which is a disproportionate expense with a low mileage but in reality doesn't add a huge amount to the total cost of ownership over time).

The Toyota Aygo or there's also another tiny car that comes in Toyota, Peugeot or Citroen brands that's again, all more or less the same car that is also very cheap to run.

Unlike a PP I'm not sure I'd look at electric because they cost so much more than petrol cars and you'd not make back the investment with your mileage.

TBH if I was wanting to run a car as cheaply as possible with your mileage, I'd get a slightly older one with a low mileage and FSH that's early 2017/66 plate at the newest (check carefully by putting the number plate in the DVLA tax website) as the tax will only be a maximum of £30 per year, which is a decent saving compare with £180 for newer ones. Plus it will be cheaper to buy obviously and should still last you at least 10-15 years.

I bought my mini second hand and it’s now about 8 years old. No issues so far, it’s very solid and very nippy. I absolutely love it, it’s so much fun to drive but as previous posters have alluded to it’s got harder suspension and quite reactive steering. It’s set up as a “drivers” car and I think you either love it or hate it.

@BarbaraofSeville I've never tried suitcases! I'm surprised they wouldn't fit side by side standing up though. For the purpose of satisfying my curiosity I may need to experiment!