Kia Stonic Review 2024

The Kia Stonic is one of a seemingly endless range of small SUVs hoping to catch your eye. Introduced in 2017, the Stonic is based on the Kia Rio, but it offers a little more practicality than its showroom sibling. If we had to pick three highlights, we’d say that it offers excellent value for money, a good level of standard equipment and the reassurance of an excellent seven-year warranty. It’s up to you to decide if that’s enough to choose the Stonic over rivals like the Hyundai Kona, SEAT Arona, Renault Captur or Nissan Juke. Discover more in our Kia Stonic review.

The Kia Stonic: if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. This is yet another fish swimming in an increasingly crowded pond of small SUVs. The name, in case you were wondering, is a portmanteau of ‘speed’ and ‘tonic’.

Make of that what you will. What’s more important is the fact that Kia Stonic is a rival to the Hyundai Kona, Seat Arona, Nissan Juke, Renault Captur, Skoda Karoq, Suzuki Vitara and… well, the list goes on.

Why should you choose the Stonic over any of its rivals? The seven-year warranty is a good place to start, but this will be of little interest if you’re considering a three- or four-year PCP deal. Maybe the long list of standard equipment will help, or the fact that the Stonic boasts a classy if sombre cabin. It’s best to think of it as a slightly more practical and chunkier version of the Kia Rio.

There are four trim levels: 2, Maxx, 3 and 4. Even the Stonic 2 boasts an impressive array of features, including 17-inch alloy wheels, a seven-inch touchscreen media display, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, air-conditioning, all-round electric windows, roof rails, rear parking sensors and cruise control. That’s comprehensive for a car costing around £18,000.

What it lacks is the standard safety equipment required for a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. For this, you’ll need the Stonic 3 or 4, which come with an enviable list of standard equipment that wouldn’t look out of place on a premium rival. Subjectively, we also think the Kia Stonic cuts a fine figure in a crowded segment.

The Stonic 3 offers the best value for money, adding sat-nav, a reversing camera, LED rear lights, rain-sensing wipers, cloth/faux leather upholstery, forward collision avoidance and lane keeping assist to the mix. You also get the option of a 1.6-litre diesel engine, although we’d shun this in favour of the excellent 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol.

It might be small, but the three-cylinder unit packs quite a punch, which makes it ideal for use in the city. Not that it feels out of its depth when you exit the urban sprawl. If you’re after a car for short runs into the city and the occasional long trip, the Stonic 1.0 is a capable contender.

Don’t approach the Kia Stonic expecting a traditional crossover experience. The low-slung driving position is at odds with the lofty position offered by many of its rivals, which may or may not be a good thing, depending on what you’re after.

The driving position is matched by an experience that’s more supermini than crossover. The firm ride and sharp steering should enable the Stonic to live up to the ‘sporty’ part of its name, but the car is strangely devoid of fun.

The lower driving position is a little odd when you consider that many people see a raised driving position as a primary reason to buy a compact crossover.

There are benefits to the way the Stonic is configured. It’s actually more satisfying to drive than the Kia Rio, with suspension that’s tuned for handling rather than comfort. It feels firmer than the majority of its rivals, with the 17-inch alloy wheels tending to crash over potholes and rough surfaces.

That said, the Kia Stonic is strangely dull to drive, especially if you opt for the spirit-sapping diesel engine. It’s an easy car to drive, especially in the city, where the light steering and excellent forward visibility rise to the fore. The view out of the back is quite restricted, so the reversing camera on the Stonic 4 could come in handy.

Looking for a second opinon? Why not read heycar's Kia Stonic review

Although a 1.4-litre petrol engine was available at launch, you’re limited to a 1.0-litre petrol or a 1.6-litre diesel when buying new in 2020. This isn’t a bad thing, because we’d find it hard to recommend the 1.4-litre engine.

The 1.0 T-GDi turbocharged petrol engine is a terrific all-rounder, offering a brilliant blend of performance and economy.

Quick enough to sprint between traffic lights in the city, but smooth enough to feel at home on a motorway. Some people might not approve of the three-cylinder soundtrack, but we think it gives the Stonic some much-needed character.

The 1.6-litre CRDi engine is only available on the Stonic 3, which tells you everything you need to know about the dwindling appeal of diesel, especially at this end of the market. It’s a characterless and noisy engine that’s only worth considering if you spend a lot of time on the motorway.

The Kia Stonic has been awarded two safety ratings by Euro NCAP. One is for versions with the full suite of driver assistance systems, the other is for models without the kit. For a five-star car, you need to order a Stonic 3 or 4, or add forward collision-avoidance assist and lane keeping assist to the Stonic 2. The safety kit isn’t available on the Maxx trim.

Standard safety equipment includes multiple airbags, two Isofix points, electronic stability control, hill-start control and tyre pressure monitoring. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert is only available on the Stonic 4.

You’re unlikely to do much towing in the Kia Stonic, but all versions have a maximum braked trailer weight of 1,110kg and maximum tow ball weight of 450kg. A fixed tow bar is available from your Kia dealer for around £300. Alternatively, a detachable tow bar costs £380.

At the very least, the Kia Stonic has to be more practical than the Rio hatchback to justify the price hike. And it is, but only to a point. There’s 352 litres of luggage capacity available with the rear seats up, which is 27 litres more than you get in the Rio. We suspect you won’t notice the additional space. It also suffers from a high, non-flush loading lip, a lack of sliding rear seats and no compartments in the boot.

The space between the front and rear wheels is unchanged from the Rio, so don’t expect a huge amount of room in the back. In fairness, the Stonic is slightly wider than the Rio, but an adult won’t thank you for putting them in the middle rear seat.

We’d favour the SEAT Arona, which boasts a large 400-litre boot, a flushing loading lip, a ‘floating’ boot floor as standard, and more space in the rear seats.

All models get a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear knob, while all except the entry-level Stonic 2 benefit from chrome interior door handles. Opt for the Stonic 3 and you even get a perforated leather D-cut steering wheel that wouldn’t look out of place in an Audi.

It’s not all good news. Some of the plastics used on the dashboard, door panels and centre console feel cheap. However, avoid the Stonic 2 and you’ll have little cause for complaint.

Even the entry-level Stonic 2 features a 7-inch touchscreen media display with DAB digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You also get front and rear USB ports, so there should be no squabbling over who gets to charge their smartphone on the move.

It’s a good system, helped in no small part by the large buttons flanking the crisp and clear display. If we had one complaint, it’s that it can be a little slow to respond to demands. Sat-nav is fitted to Stonic 3 and 4 models, while a reversing camera is standard on all except the Stonic 2.

The Stonic range kicks off with the 2, which retails at £18,060. This is around £5000 more than the cost of an entry-level Rio, but it’s worth noting this is based on the basic 1 specification. Upgrade to the Rio 2 and the difference is a more justifiable £2500.

Opting for the Stonic 2 limits you to a six-speed manual gearbox, but the other trim levels are available with a smooth and relaxed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It adds £1,000 to the price, but it would be our choice in the Stonic.

The Stonic Maxx costs £19,100 with a manual gearbox and £20,100 with the automatic. Alternatively, the Stonic 3 is available for £19,330 and the £20,330 for the manual and automatic respectively. The Stonic 3 is also sold with a 1.6-litre diesel engine, but we’d avoid this for reasons we’ll explore later.

At the top of the range, the Stonic 4 offers a level of equipment you’d associate with a premium badge. The manual version costs £20,800, with the automatic priced at £21,800.

Used examples have hit the £10,000 mark. For this budget you’re looking at a 2017 or 2018 car with up to 50,000 miles on the clock.

This is good value when you consider the equipment and seven-year warranty. The First Edition model is worth a look for a decent level of standard kit. You’ll be able to spot one thanks to the two-tone paintwork. The roof, mirrors and rear spoiler came in either red, orange or lime, depending on the colour of the bodywork.

Buy a new Stonic 2 on a three-year PCP deal and you’re looking at a cost of around £275 a month after a £1000 deposit. This price is likely to change in line with Kia special offers.

If you intend to cover long distances or spend a lot of time on the motorway, a Stonic diesel makes a lot of sense.

Not that the 1.0-litre T-GDi petrol engine will break the bank. The turbocharged unit should return 47.1mpg with a manual gearbox, while there’s only a marginal penalty for choosing the automatic transmission. A figure of 46.3mpg is both respectable and achievable.

You’d be forgiven for thinking the Stonic would be more expensive to insure at the top of the range. The reverse is true, because the extra safety kit fitted to the 3 and 4 helps to lower the insurance rating to group 11 or 12. A group 14 rating for the 2 and Maxx means you’ll pay more for cover.

Kia has an excellent reputation for reliability, so the Stonic shouldn’t give you any headaches over the course of a PCP deal. Besides, if you buy or lease a Stonic in 2020, it will be covered by a comprehensive warranty until 2027.

The Kia Stonic 3 is the range sweet-spot as it offers the essential safety equipment and the kind of kit that will make the car easier to live with over the course of a PCP deal. Features like automatic air-conditioning, a perforated leather D-cut steering wheel, sat-nav and rain-sensing wipers help to elevate it above the lesser models.

If you’re after an inoffensive, safe and reliable car that’s great in town and good over long distances, the Stonic is worth a look. It doesn’t bring anything new to a crowded segment, but then it’s hard to find any genuine reasons to criticise the car.