Starting at about $20,000, the Picanto is Kia’s most affordable new car in Europe, the UK, and several other global markets. The entry-level gas car is likely on its way out as part of the shift to electrification, but Kia has a new EV that will replace it.
Is Kia replacing the Picanto with an EV?
The Picanto starts at just €17,590 ($20,000) in Germany and £17,095 ($23,000) in the UK, serving as an affordable city car.
There’s just one (big) problem: It’s still powered by a gas engine. The Picanto is the last purely gas-powered city car you can buy in the UK, and with the government’s current Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, Kia will be forced to discontinue it by 2030.
The UK’s ZEV mandate requires all vehicles to be fitted with some sort of hybrid system by 2030, and by 2035, all new cars will need to be fully electric.
Why not just launch a hybrid or electric version? According to Ted Lee, Kia’s executive vice president, it’s not that easy.
Lee told Auto Express that there’s no way Kia could fit the electric motors, batteries, and other powertrain components in the already ultra-compact Picanto.
On top of that, the mandate requires a certain percentage of brand sales to be zero-emission. The comments come after Kia UK CEO Paul Philpott explained to Autocar last week that the gas-powered city car is hurting its mandate sales targets. This year, the UK requires 33% of brand sales to be fully electric.
“We cannot sell the Picanto as a petrol car beyond the end of 2029,” Philpott said, adding the company would need to replace it, or “give up” on the small car segment like others have.
Kia will still keep the gas-powered Picanto around for as long as it can, but has no plans to introduce a next-gen hybrid or EV version.
Instead, it will launch a new B-segment electric hatchback by 2030 that’s expected to replace the Picanto as it’s phased out.
Kia confirmed last month that the new EV would join its lineup, positioned below the EV2. Kia launched the EV2 last month, starting at €26,600 ($30,500) in Germany, and £22,245 ($32,500) in the UK. The EV1 is expected to start at closer to €20,000 ($23,300).
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