Kia XCeed Hybrid interior

There’s certainly plenty of standard kit, but the style of the exterior doesn’t make it inside.

Style

The Kia XCeed’s interior looks pretty smart but doesn’t quite have the same upmarket feel as a VW T-Cross or Skoda Karoq. Most of the surfaces you touch regularly – from the soft padded plastics on the doors to the squidgy dashboard – feel reasonably posh and all models come with a leather-trimmed steering wheel as standard.

The 3 versions get some faux leather trim on the front seat bolsters. Go for a high-spec First Edition and you get leather seats as standard with contrasting yellow stitching.

These high-spec cars also come with some metal pedal trims and a panoramic glass roof to make the cabin feel that little bit more airy.

Infotainment

Every Kia XCeed PHEV comes with an 10-inch widescreen touchscreen infotainment system with DAB radio and Bluetooth. It’s bright and responsive to touch, and the menus are simple to follow. Sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are all fitted as standard, so you can mirror a range of navigation apps from your smartphone on the Kia’s built-in screen.

Other features include live weather and parking info as well as the ability to connect to your XCeed via a smartphone app – should you ever need to check whether you left a window down from inside your house.

The Kia XCeed also has fully digital driver’s dials, although on range-topping First Edition models only. It’s visually appealing, clear to understand and you can cycle through a small amount of trip info, but it doesn’t have customisable views like VW’s version.