Kia Venga Review and Prices

The Kia Venga is a roomy small car that’s easy to see out of, cheap to run and comes with a roomy cabin. It’s an alternative to MPVs such as the Hyundai ix20, Vauxhall Crossland X and the Renault Captur.

Unfortunately, the Kia’s slightly gawky styling mean it doesn’t look quite as stylish as these cars. From the front, its large headlights lights and tall roof make it look like a hatchback that’s standing on its tiptoes and you won’t find any eye-catching black plastic trims on the Kia Venga’s bumpers or around its wheel arches.

It doesn’t look particularly special inside either, but at least the Kia Venga’s large doors and raised seats to make it dead easy to slide in and out. The seats themselves are supportive and they come with plenty of adjustment as standard to help you find a comfortable driving position.

Besides these adjustable seats, you don’t get a great deal of equipment as standard in entry-level cars. But, pick a mid-range Kia Venga and you get a 7-inch touchscreen with built-in satellite navigation and Bluetooth connectivity for your phone. The system is relatively easy to read, but it isn’t as intuitive to use as the screen you get in a Vauxhall Crossland X. At least the heating and ventilation controls are neatly laid out and easy to reach.

The Kia Venga feels pretty spacious inside, too – especially if you pay extra for the optional glass roof – and there’s space for tall adults to sit comfortably in the back thanks to the sliding rear seats. The seating position is a little more upright than in some lower family hatchbacks, but this means passengers don’t have to stoop down to climb in.

The Kia Venga is worth considering if you want something that’s easier to see out of than a small hatchback but you don’t fancy an SUV.

The Kia Venga is pretty good at carrying luggage as well as passengers. There’s space for a few suitcases in the boot and you can fold the back seats down to carry very large luggage. A Renault Captur is slightly roomier, though.

Unlike these cars, you can’t get the Kia Venga with a diesel engine – your only option is a 1.6-litre petrol with 123hp. It feels reasonably perky but it costs more to run than a diesel alternative if you do lots of long motorway journeys.

At least this engine’s pretty smooth around town, and you can get the Kia Venga with an automatic gearbox instead of the standard manual which will save you from making numerous gear changes in heavy traffic. The Kia Venga’s big windows also make it easy to see out of and you get rear parking sensors as standard to help prevent low-speed bumps and scrapes.

Furthermore, all but entry-level models come with cruise control to help make long drives a bit more relaxing. Happily, you won’t hear a great deal of wind or tyre noise at motorway speeds either.

All this helps make the Kia Venga practical small car that’s easy to live with every day, if pretty uninspiring to drive. Check out our Kia Venga deals to see how much you can save on one.