Kia Stonic Review & Prices

The Kia Stonic is like the triangle player in a big orchestra. It’s easy to forget that they’re there, and when you do remember them, they’re a bit one-note.

In a corner of the car market that also includes the likes of the Ford Puma, the Renault Captur, the Toyota Yaris Cross, the Dacia Duster, and the new BYD Atto 2, it can be really easy to overlook the Kia Stonic. Kia did update it relatively recently — with new lights and a jazzier grille — but it’s fundamentally the same small SUV-slash-hatchback that was launched way back in 2017.

That means that the Stonic is still based on an older chassis which means it has more in common with the (now discontinued) Kia Rio hatch and the previous Hyundai Kona than it does any other current Kia model.

Although it’s old, the Stonic is actually still a perfectly nice looking thing. The update in 2022 brought sharper looking lights to the table, and the way the rear bodywork wraps over the contrast-coloured roof has always looked good. It’s actually ageing pretty well, the Stonic, in terms of its look. Not George Clooney well, but still well enough.

Inside, you can carry over some of the jazzy exterior colour schemes to the cabin, which is nice and allows you to customise things a bit, but there’s no escaping that most of the Stonic’s cabin is made from dreary, cheap-looking plastics. If you’ve sat in a Kia EV3 or EV6, you’ll find it hard to believe that the Stonic comes from the same company…

As standard there’s an eight-inch touchscreen with built-in navigation and connections for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That’s a pretty small screen by current standards, and it certainly feels pretty basic compared to what you get in a Ford Puma or a Toyota Yaris Cross, but then the Stonic’s setup is also much easier to use because there are lots and lots of proper physical buttons for stuff like the air conditioning. They may be cheap buttons, but at least they’re easier to use on the go than a big screen.

Space up front is fine in the Stonic, but space in the back seats is much more cramped than in the likes of a Puma or a Skoda Kamiq. Headroom and legroom are both pretty tight.

The Stonic’s boot is quite small too — a Puma mangles it for boot space — but at least the Stonic is overall quite compact. It’s barely any bigger than the little Rio hatchback on which it’s based, so it’s easy to chuck around town, and the big windows mean you get a decent view out.

The Stonic comes with, basically, one engine option — a 1.0-litre turbo three-cylinder unit with 98hp. You can choose from manual or automatic gearboxes, and there’s the option of a mild-hybrid system for a dab of electric power, but that oddly doesn’t seem to make any difference to the emissions nor the fuel consumption. That said, the basic engine does 50mpg, so you won’t feel short-changed either way. Performance is pretty leisurely.

It’s not the most refined car, the Stonic. Wind and engine noise are fine, but there’s quite a lot of tyre roar, which makes longer journeys rather tiring. As standard, you get automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, along with lane keeping steering and intelligent speed assist, but you’ll have to upgrade to a top-spec model if you want adaptive cruise control.

Ageing fast now, the Stonic is kind of caught between two stools. It’s cheap enough to be affordable, but it looks and feels really old, and lacks some of the more up to date tech features that buyers expect. It’s cheap to run, and has a good warranty, but lacks much of a spark of enjoyment.

If you’re interested, you can check out our best Kia Stonic deals here, or find a great Kia Stonic leasing deal here. You can find a used Kia Stonic for sale, or browse other used Kias for sale too. And remember that Carwow can help out if you need to sell your old car, with our network of trusted dealers helping to get you the best price.

The Stonic is pretty affordable. It’s slightly cheaper than a Renault Captur, and quite a lot cheaper — like £5,000 less — than a Toyota Yaris Cross. Really, only the new Dacia Duster is cheaper than the Stonic (although it’s a far roomier vehicle too) and you have to remember that you’re paying for older tech if you’re driving a Stonic.

The Stonic is a pleasant car to drive that’s nippy around town and capable on the motorway, but the engines aren’t the fastest and it’s not a car built for driving entertainment

In town

The Stonic’s small size makes threading along narrow urban streets an absolute doddle. The only thing that might throw you off is the fact that, despite technically being an SUV, you actually sit quite low down in the Stonic. In fact, your eyes will be roughly level with those of Volkswagen Polo hatchback drivers. That means you don’t get the lofty view of the road that’s central to the appeal of SUVs.

You do at least have a good view out of the Stonic, nevertheless, both to the front and back. You can see exactly where the back end of the car is, which really helps when reversing into a parking space. Rear parking sensors are fitted as standard on the Stonic and all models now have a reversing camera, to make your life even easier.

The driver’s seat and steering wheel have a wide range of adjustment, so pretty much anyone should be able to find a position that works for them. The driver’s seat is rather comfy, too, and the ride is a bit firm, but you don’t get bounced around.

The engine is a tad unresponsive if you’re trying to make a quick getaway but feel quite perky once you’re moving. And the clutch and gear lever feel light and slick. The optional automatic is also pretty good, though not on the level of the Volkswagen Polo’s optional auto.

On the motorway

You might not expect a car of the Stonic’s diminutive size to be perfectly happy spending all day cruising along a motorway, but it really is. It feels stable and smooth, only being unsettled by really big bumps and expansion joints. The tyres are a bit noisy, but otherwise the interior is nice and quiet. Comfy enough to spend a full day in there, too.

The 98hp 1.0-litre engine isn’t going to haul you effortlessly up long motorway inclines, and it’s certainly lacking a snappy response when trying to merge with fast-flowing traffic, but for a small and economical engine, it doesn’t do too badly.

On a twisty road

If you need to get a shift on driving along a winding country road, the Stonic will just about oblige. The steering is precise, there’s little body lean in corners, it’s stable over bumps and the manual gearbox allows for smooth and fast shifts.

That’s all great if you want to go at a slower pace, too. Not much will ruffle the Stonic’s feathers, so you can relax and enjoy the scenery. If you do enjoy getting a shift on, though, there’s not much fun to be had. The Ford Puma provides that entertainment, indeed it’s the best small SUV to drive generally.

The Stonic is practical enough for single people and couples, but families should look elsewhere for practicality

If you’re under six feet or so tall, you’ll find plenty of space in the Stonic’s front seats. Leg and headroom is pretty generous, the latter especially so if you lower the height adjustable seat as far as it’ll go. Being a narrow car it’s short on shoulder room, but it’s easy enough to get comfortable.

There’s a reasonable amount of storage space: door bins that can hold a litre bottle, a cubby hole under the centre armrest, cupholders in the centre console, a phone tray in front of the gear stick, a sunglasses holder in the ceiling, and a glovebox that can hold the owner’s manual but not much else.

Space in the back seats

Space is at a premium in the back of the Stonic. There’s just about enough legroom for an average height adult to sit behind someone of similar stature. But if anyone tall is in the front, rear legroom might barely suit a child. At least there’s reasonable headroom for someone about six feet tall. There are two sets of ISOFIX mounts, but it won’t be easy to install a child seat due to relatively small door openings. For storage, you have door bins with integrated bottle holders and a pocket on the back of the front passenger seat.

If you want a small SUV to use as a family car, check out the Ford Puma, Citroen C3 Aircross and Skoda Kamiq, all of which have much more generous back seat space.

Boot space

The Stonic has one of the smallest boots in the small SUV class, with a capacity of 352 litres. For comparison, the Vauxhall Frontera has 460 litres of space and the Ford Puma has 456. The Stonic’s boot does, at least, have a wide opening that makes loading stuff easier, and the loading lip is quite low. The boot floor lifts up to reveal a useful extra storage space, or you can take the floor out entirely and take advantage of the extra few inches of depth the boot then has. The back seats also fold down if you need to take anything bigger and bulkier with you.

With the back seats in place, the Stonic has enough boot space for a family’s weekly food shopping or a couple’s holiday luggage. With them folded down, you could just about get a washing machine in.

Everything is simple and easy to use inside, but the cabin is a bit plain and dominated by cheap materials

The Stonic’s interior looks a bit plain and dark, though you can jazz it up with some colourful trim inserts available from the options list. The layout is simple and clear, so you can find whatever button or knob you’re looking for without taking your eyes off the road for too long. Everything feels solidly put together, but the plastics feel hard and cheap. The Peugeot 2008 has a much more interesting, higher quality interior.

An 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system is fitted as standard on all Stonic models. It has DAB radio and Bluetooth but you can connect your phone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to use your preferred navigation and entertainment apps. Higher-spec models have built-in sat nav which works well enough but, again, you’ll possibly just connect your phone. The screen itself looks crisp and responds promptly when pressed.

Other standard features on all Stonic models include air con, cruise control, rear parking sensors and four electric windows. There’s also a reversing camera and, on all but the basic model, privacy glass, and even heated front seats and steering wheel for both the 3 model and the top-grade GT-Line S.

The Stonic’s fuel economy is pretty much exactly average for this type of car. The 98hp version of the 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine can do an average economy of 51mpg on the smallest 16-inch wheels, according to the official numbers. Driving in the real world, you should easily get mid-40s or better.

CO2 emissions of 125-127g/km are a touch high by more modern standards. Vehicle excise duty — or road tax if you prefer — will cost £440 for year one, and then the standard £195 rate thereafter. BIK rates, in the event that you’re given a Stonic as a company car, start from as low as £108 per month.

When originally tested in 2017, the Stonic got a five-star rating from Euro NCAP, but only if it had the optional extra safety pack fitted. Happily, in the intervening years, most of the safety tech in that pack has now become standard fit, although given the age of the design, the Stonic would probably struggle to match that original rating if it were re-tested under the new, more stringent tests. For the record, with the safety pack, the Stonic scored 93% for adult occupant protection, 84% for child occupants, 71% for pedestrian safety, and 59% for its active safety systems.

Kia has a well-founded reputation for building cars that are reliable. The Stonic upholds that tradition, putting in strong showings in owner satisfaction surveys. So it should be dependable and a pleasure to own. There has only been one UK recall — for a possibly faulty oil filter — which is always reassuring. And you get Kia’s industry-leading seven-year/100,000-mile warranty. So if anything does go wrong, you’ve got back-up from the manufacturer.

The Stonic finished in 30th position in the most recent Driver Power Top 50 Cars To Own list with only a middling rating for quality and reliability, but Kia as a brand came third in the broader customer satisfaction survey, with 24.3% of owners reporting faults.