In fact, it doesn't really matter what you call this category of vehicle, even if you say 'city car', if you really want to use this completely inappropriate term. Completely idiotic, because who lives in the city and only needs their car to move almost exclusively thereabouts?

The term second car might be more appropriate, but there are actually families who can only afford such a car. And when they have had enough bad luck with used cars, they scrape up their money or take out a loan for a new car. After all, Kia gives a 7-year or 150,000 km guarantee.

However, such potential customers rub their eyes in amazement, because there are almost no small cars with combustion engines left, a single one in the entire VW Group, none from Stellantis. Only the Dacia Sandero remains for at least an unbeatable 8,700 euros and then the Kia Picanto with 10,750 euros, closely followed by the group brother of the Hyundai i10 group with almost exactly 11,000 euros in Germany. American prices are similar.

But don't imagine that with this you will get a car with the technical level of 2021. But with direct injection, all these cars are a little more expensive. It is best to also do without it with the favorable Sandero, because the additional costs cannot be recovered by saving fuel.

In summary, anyone who does not want to sit in the cheapest new car in Germany goes to Kia, is happy about long carefree driving and gets used to getting by with a little less space than with Dacia. The i10 is only slightly larger. After all, the Kia was last updated in terms of design in 2020.

The NCAP crash test of the Kia from 2017 with four stars is particularly important for small cars. The Sandero Stepway only achieved 2 stars in 2021. The Kia also has an automated manual transmission, albeit an expensive one. However, the Sandero shines with LED low beam, which you won't find in the Picanto. Overall sad, the search for a reasonably inexpensive small car.