Rent Kia Picanto 2023 in Dubai

We rent the Kia Picanto 2023 in Dubai as the budget automatic that makes the most sense for one or two people running around the city, and we'll bring it to your door in 1 to 2 hours. It's an economy hatchback with a small tank and a small thirst, which is exactly the point. Our argument is straightforward: if your week is errands, commutes and the odd airport run for a couple of people, this is the cheapest automatic worth renting. You don't need anything bigger, and paying for more car you won't use is the trap. Where it stops making sense is four adults with luggage, and we'll say so plainly below.

Running it for a week without watching the fuel gauge

The Picanto's tank is only 35 litres, which sounds tight until you see how little this car drinks. The 1.2-litre four-cylinder is a frugal engine, and in mixed city driving you'll get most of a week out of one fill. Sit in heavy Marina or Business Bay traffic with the AC running flat out and the automatic gearbox will push consumption up, so budget for one top-up across a busy week rather than none. For a solo renter doing a daily commute plus weekend errands, that's a genuinely cheap car to keep moving.

The 250 km a day we include is far more than this kind of trip needs, and there's no charge per extra kilometre anyway, so the mileage isn't something you'll think about.

The automatic is the reason to rent it

This generation of Picanto came as a manual or an automatic, and for Dubai the automatic is the only sensible choice. Stop-and-go traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road and the constant crawl near the malls make a manual tiring fast. The 84 hp on offer is modest, so the car is happy pottering and overtaking at city speeds, and it'll sit at 120 on the E11 without drama. Push past that and you'll feel it working, which is normal for an economy hatch. Treat it as a city and commuter car that can do a highway stint, not a highway cruiser, and it never disappoints.

Spec at a glance

Luggage and how many people really fit

The boot holds 255 litres, which is small in real terms. One large suitcase plus a soft bag is an honest load, or two cabin cases and the weekly shop. Folding the rear seats opens it up to 1010 litres, enough for a flat-pack run or a single big trip, but then you've lost the back seats.

Five seatbelts doesn't mean five comfortable adults. Two up front have room, and the back is fine for kids or for two adults on a short hop. For a DXB or DWC pickup with four adults and their cases, this is the wrong car, and we'd point you at a small sedan instead. As a city runabout for one or two people, the size is the feature, not the flaw.

Parking, ramps and the heat

At under 3.6 metres long, the Picanto is one of the easiest cars to park in Dubai. It slots into the tight bays in older multi-storey car parks, U-turns are nothing, and threading the steep Marina ramps takes no thought. The 141 mm of clearance is low, so take the sharper speed bumps and mall entrance lips gently and you'll be fine; this isn't a car for kerb-hopping.

On heat, be realistic about a small cabin in a budget car. Parked in the sun at 45 degrees it gets very hot, but the small volume is an advantage once you're moving, because there's less air to cool. The front vents pull the temperature down quickly. There are no rear air vents, so on the hottest days back-seat passengers wait a little longer for the cold air to reach them. For two people up front it's comfortable within a minute or two.

What falls to you in Dubai

Salik tolls are charged to you as you pass the gantries, and any RTA fines during the rental are yours as well. Seat belts are mandatory in every seat, and a child under four needs a child seat by law, which we can fit on request. Standard Dubai rules, nothing unusual, but worth knowing before you set off.

Who should rent it, and who shouldn't

Rent the Picanto 2023 if you're one or two people who want the cheapest automatic that still does everything a Dubai week asks: commuting, errands, parking anywhere, the occasional airport run with light bags. It's frugal, it's tiny in the right way, and it won't cost you much to keep fuelled.

Size up if you're regularly carrying three or four adults, if you'll have full-size luggage most days, or if a lot of your driving is fast highway work where you'd want more muscle. A small sedan gives you the boot and the back-seat space for not much more. But for the job this car is built for, paying for anything larger is money you don't need to spend.