VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views?

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Sat 8 May 2021 10:00
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - Delphinium

I’m considering buying my first car, it’s a big purchase for me but I need a runaround now. I’d obviously like something reliable and hopefully something that could be used without hassle for a few years. I’m considering the Fiat 500 Lounge, VW High Up! and Kia Picanto Vr7/Sr7. I’ve been checking MOT’s and some newer Fiats seem to have similar problems which is putting me off but I like the car. I just wondered if anyone could offer any opinions please?

Whatever car I get will be used, I’ve been looking at max 5/6 yrs old and under 30k miles.
I’m looking at doing 4/5000 miles max myself, predominantly city driving although will be on the motorway occasionally. I’d prefer 3 door and to have Bluetooth although that isn’t a deal breaker!

Thank you in advance.
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Sat 8 May 2021 10:36
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - Rerepo

Easy one... Kia Picanto (or Hyundai i10 equivalent). Avoid Fiat 500 at all costs. They do not age gracefully. FIAT - 'Fix It Again Tomorrow' - lot of truth in that.

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Sat 8 May 2021 10:50
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - elekie&a/c doctor
We owned a Fiat 500 lounge , 1.2 petrol , manual, and to be fair there wasn’t much wrong with it . Cheap to run with low tax and fuel costs . The ride was very bouncy , and a lot of the fixtures and fittings felt they would break if you used them too much . Boot was only useful for shopping. I would consider a Fiesta in your list , but only the 1.25 petrol .
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Sat 8 May 2021 11:46
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - Xileno

Another vote for the Fiesta 1.25. Loads to choose from so be fussy over condition. Factor in a cambelt change if buying near the service point.

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Sat 8 May 2021 12:05
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - skidpan

Another vote for the Fiesta 1.25. Loads to choose from so be fussy over condition. Factor in a cambelt change if buying near the service point.

OP is looking at cars 5 to 6 years old with 30,000 miles. Since the Ford cam belt change is 10 years or 100,000 miles those cars would be 4 or 5 years away form needing work.

I would suggest that the OP also looks at the Skoda Fabia in 1.0 TSi 95 PS form (110 is better if the budget would allow and you can find one). They would just be coming into the OP's proposed age bracket, most for sale would be the earlier 1.2 TSi's but when we tried one of those we found it poor and walked away. Had a 1.0 TSi for 3 years now and its great.

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Sat 8 May 2021 12:29
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - Delphinium
Thank you for the replies already. I’m looking at smaller cars than the fiesta, parking can be tricky here so it’s better if I go smaller and I don’t need anything much bigger at the moment. Do the VWs not rank as highly anymore? It’s really difficult to know what to look for when you’re a novice!
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Sat 8 May 2021 13:04
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - veloceman
I have a 3 year old 500S 1.2.
Whilst I love its quirkiness and timeless, classless design it’s getting a bit long in the tooth now.
Lack of seat/steering wheel adjustment makes getting comfortable difficult.
The 1.2 engine is willing and thrifty though a little strained at revs.
Stick to 15inch wheels or less as the ride can get quite crashy.
I love it, it’s great fun, well Specced cheap to run and doesn’t go wrong so don’t believe what others tell you about that.
But due to its age, there are better cars out there for the money.
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Sat 8 May 2021 13:21
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - catsdad

Don’t rule out 5 door models. Most small cars are the same overall size in their 3 and 5 door form. However if parking is tight then the smaller front doors of the 5 door models make them easier to get in and out of when cars are alongside. The doors in 3 door models are bigger and need more space to the side to use easily.

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Sat 8 May 2021 15:17
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - Rerepo
I have a 3 year old 500S 1.2. Whilst I love its quirkiness and timeless, classless design it’s getting a bit long in the tooth now. Lack of seat/steering wheel adjustment makes getting comfortable difficult. The 1.2 engine is willing and thrifty though a little strained at revs. Stick to 15inch wheels or less as the ride can get quite crashy. I love it, it’s great fun, well Specced cheap to run and doesn’t go wrong so don’t believe what others tell you about that. But due to its age, there are better cars out there for the money.

Your car should be reliable. Its only three years old and presumably still under warranty. The OP is looking at cars 5+ years old to keep a few more years. Fiat are not built for the long haul. I would definitely go with a Far Eastern brand (but not Nissan which is Renault under the skin).

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Sat 8 May 2021 13:26
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - badbusdriver

Assuming you are going for a manual, the Up is fine, along with its identical twins (bar badging), the Skoda Citigo and Seat Mii, so keep them in mind too, the more choice the better!.

The Kia Picanto is also a very good choice. It has three rear seatbelts (the Up and 500 have two). Three on the rear seat of a Picanto is going to be a tight squeeze, but it might be handy to have that option.

Out of your three choices, I'd go with the Kia Picanto.

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Sat 8 May 2021 13:40
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - nellyjak

Toyota Aygo.?

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Sun 9 May 2021 10:05
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - Andrew-T
Do the VWs not rank as highly anymore?

It's some time since VWs 'ranked highly' if you are talking about reliability and value for money. They have traded on reputation for too long.

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Sun 9 May 2021 10:14
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - SLO76
“ Do the VWs not rank as highly anymore? It’s really difficult to know what to look for when you’re a novice!”

While certain VW’s have suffered problems in recent years they’re still generally good cars. I had a Polo for 5yrs and rated it highly despite the occasional fault. There’s little to fear from a well looked after VW UP! Or it’s Skoda and Seat sisters. They’re nice enough all round but they’re not as stable at speed as a Polo for example. I’d happily recommend one but they’re not better made than a Kia, Ford or Hyundai these days. In fact I’d say the wee Fiat 500 was up there with it for quality. I’d love a Fiat 500 Abarth or a VW UP! GTi, both would be a hoot and I can see one taking the role of second car at some point.

Edited by SLO76 on 09/05/2021 at 10:15

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Sat 8 May 2021 15:33
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - SLO76
If all things were equal regards condition, history and mileage is favour the wee Kia or its sister the Hyundai i10 but there’s not much wrong with the Fiat 500 if you stick with the simple old 1.2 petrol. They’re by far the best built car Fiat has ever made and they don’t go wrong that often. They tend to get a bit loose after 70,000 miles but with your low mileage Isiah in mind there’s little to fear from a well maintained example. They’re great looking and good fun.

The VW UP! is a bit bland to drive, I’d personally prefer the bigger Polo or better yet a Ford Fiesta with the very robust 1.25 Yamaha designed petrol. Don’t let yourself be talked into the fragile 1.0 Ecoboost! I’d add in the Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris and the Suzuki Swift too as they are robust and fun to drive.

Cast the net as wide as possible and buy on condition and history above all else. Don’t walk by a tidy low mileage full history Fiat 500 to get in a tatty Kia for example.
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Sat 8 May 2021 15:41
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - movilogo

Never drove VW Up but drove Picanto and 500 few times.

I hated the 500 automatic version. It also felt smaller than Picanto.

So my vote is for Picanto - especially with longest warranty.

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Sun 9 May 2021 09:21
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - Manatee
If all things were equal regards condition, history and mileage is favour the wee Kia or its sister the Hyundai i10 but there’s not much wrong with the Fiat 500 if you stick with the simple old 1.2 petrol.

Wasn't there a version of the 500 that had trouble doing hill starts? Twin Air 'automatic' perhaps?

We had a 1.2 Panda, new in 2005, and it was faultless for well over 10 years then somebody pulled out in front of it and wrote it off. The only non-service cost was a battery at about 8 years.

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Sat 8 May 2021 20:13
VW Up! vs Kia Picanto vs Fiat 500 - Your Views? - Big John

Mrs BJ has a 1.2 Fiat Panda Eleganza - which has the same mechanical under pinning's of the Fiat 500. Great little car for driving in town and parking, not so good on a motorway although that might be the boxy shape of the Panda. The 4 pot 1.2 engine is simple and reliable. Our 2006 has generally been ok but has had a few reliability quirks. If you ever get a power steering error it's probably the battery that's on the way out, our gearbox became noisy at 38k miles - sorted at reasonable cost by a local gearbox specialist (felt better than when new!). One thing Italian car makers do well is the fridge technology - it has the best climate control I've ever encountered, Avoid the twin air at all costs.

The uber reliable Kia makes more sense with the 7 year warranty but scrutinise service history.

With anything a few years old, condition / history is all.

Edited by Big John on 08/05/2021 at 20:56

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