Toyota Prius vs Kia Picanto
What's the difference?

Toyota Prius

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2021 price

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Kia Picanto

$15,190 - $24,990

2024 price

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Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Summary

2021 Toyota Prius

2024 Kia Picanto

By Tom White

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Inline 4, 1.8L

Inline 4, 1.2L

Fuel Type

Unleaded Petrol/Electric

Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

3.4L/100km (combined)

5.0L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Seamless hybrid drive
Incredible fuel efficiency
Comfortable and spacious

Affordable
Available as a manual!
Deceptively well equipped

Dislikes

Polarising exterior
Dorky central instrument cluster
Not so engaging to drive

Minimal interior upgrades for 2024
Feeling its age
Fuel consumption is so-so

2021 Toyota Prius Summary

What to say about the Toyota Prius in 2021? A car that was once a technology trailblazer seems now to have become properly retro, even while it’s still being built and sold.

The awkward-looking wedge, an eco-punk icon, not only brought Toyota’s hybrid synergy drive to the masses, it also debuted the brand’s excellent TNGA architecture and set the scene for the company's absurd hybrid success, which now sees the RAV4 version topping the sales charts.

So, after all these years (25 to be precise), is the Prius’s time finally over? Or does this quaint hybrid hero still have more to offer? I took a top-spec I-Tech for a week to find out.

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2024 Kia Picanto Summary

If you're feeling the cost of living sting, there's a good chance you've scaled back your ambitions for your next new car. You may have even looked at some of Australia's most affordable brand-new vehicles and the Kia Picanto is one of them.

It's one of the few brand-new options left with a before-on-roads starting price of under $20,000 and it's one of the few non-performance models left which can still be chosen as a manual.

It's one thing to be affordable, though, and quite another to be good value - so does the freshly updated 2024 Picanto have what it takes to stack up against more expensive options? Let's take a look.

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Deep dive comparison

2021 Toyota Prius 2024 Kia Picanto

Verdict

The Prius can rest its weary head. The Age of the Hybrid has begun. Even though this iconic eco car might have lost its ultimate purpose to more mainstream models in the last few years, it’s still the best execution of Toyota’s hybrid tech on the market and if you can look past its divisive-as-ever looks, it’s comfortable and practical, too.

The brand’s Australian division promises the Prius will stick around in one form or another, so we’re keen to see what its next iteration will look like. Plug-in? Fully electric? Time will tell.

Verdict

Australians are moving into ever-larger vehicles when really we should be embracing the small car now more than ever. It's great Kia is still here, with its Picanto showing what can be offered in such a compact form-factor.

While it's not as affordable as it once was, it looks like it won't be long before Kia is the last torchbearer of sub-$20k starter cars. Even so, this is a great choice for buyers on strict budgets.

Toyota Prius vs Kia Picanto What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Toyota Prius vs Kia Picanto
What's the difference?