The improved version of Kia's Stonic offers small SUV buyers yet another tempting choice. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.
Ten Second Review
Kia continues to build its share of the market for small compact Crossover SUVs with this car, the Stonic. This revised model showcases the brand's fresh, more charismatic styling approach and offers buyers an affordable but still quite trendy-looking choice in this growing segment.
Background
Back in 2017, Kia introduced its entry-level small SUV, the Stonic, which was based on the Rio supermini the brand then offered. It got a mild update in 2020 when mild hybrid tech arrived for the first time. The version we're looking at here arrived in Autumn 2025 and features a more significant visual update, with some cabin tweaks too. But the core 1.0 T-GDi petrol engine this car has always used remains much the same.
As before, the Stonic is priced at the budget end of the small SUV segment, as is the other Hyundai Motor Group small crossover it shares all its engineering with, the Hyundai Bayon. And it slots into Kia's combustion range just below the more crossover-like Niro Hybrid.
Driving Experience
As before, the Stonic offers both conventional and mild hybrid versions of the brand's usual three cylinder 1.0-T-GDI turbo petrol unit, mated to either 6MT manual transmission or a 7DCT automatic. The conventional version of this powerplant offers 98bhp and 172Nm of torque (200Nm in auto variants). 0-62mph takes 11s (12.1s in the auto) en route to a top speed of 111mph. With 48V mild hybrid tech, there's a 113bhp output, but the car won't really feel any faster because the torque figures remain the same 0-62mph takes 10.7s in the manual or 10.8s in the auto en route to a slightly higher top speed of 113mph. All models are front-driven: there's not much appetite in this segment for 4WD.
This Stonic is 70mm taller than the old Rio supermini model it was originally based upon and to compensate, has lengthened springs and dampers. At the wheel, you don't get a particularly commanding driving position but what is on offer, rather surprisingly, is a slightly sharper driving experience than you might expect. That's down to a standard torque vectoring system that gives you extra traction at speed through tight corners. Plus there's a stiff body shell and fairly firm suspension that acquaints you with small bumps and tarmac tears a little more keenly than is the case with some rivals. It's nothing you couldn't live with though and suspension smoothness improves the faster you go. Thanks to this and very reasonable levels of refinement, the Stonic is a surprisingly able partner for longer trips.
Design and Build
This remains a supermini-based small SUV, but the resculpted bumpers of this revised model have extended the car's length by 25mm. Kia's 'Opposites United' design philosophy has also given this updated Stonic a smarter look, notably at the front which gains the brand's distinctive 'Star Map Signature Lighting'. There are also more prominent and structured front and lower grilles, and an updated front fender. The redesign continues through the rear, featuring a revised tailgate layout, different tail light signatures, an updated skid plate, and a cleaner look to the rear bumper. There are fresh 16 and 17-inch wheel designs too.
Inside, the main change is the addition of a much larger 12.3-inch central infotainment screen (up from just 8.0-inches before). There's a new 12.3-inch instrument screen too, but it's only fitted with top 'GT-Line S'-spec. The cabin also introduces new two-spoke and three-spoke steering wheels, a resculpted gear knob and centre console, and an updated dashboard design. Interior enhancements, such as USB-C fast charging ports, wireless smartphone charging, and ambient lighting, provide a more refined in-car experience.
Otherwise, things are much as before. This Stonic doesn't really seat you much higher than you would be in an ordinary supermini. You'll also miss out on the kind of jaunty cabin finishing you might expect from a car of this kind if you don't stretch beyond base trim. Space inside is slightly better than you'd expect from a car of this class, with decent leg and headroom, plus class-leading shoulder room.
The body shell's slightly wider than it is in an ordinary supermini, though not by enough to make the prospect of sharing the back seat with two other adults a particularly comfortable one, despite the low centre transmission tunnel. Still, that's the case with all other models in this class and what's on offer back here is a big improvement on the cramped quarters provided by a rival Nissan Juke.
Out back, a two-step floor allows owners to expand or shrink the 352-litre boot to suit their needs.
Market and Model
Stonic pricing now starts at just under £22,000 and rises to just over £28,000; that's the same kind of pricing bracket common to more affordable small SUVs. There are currently three trim grades - 'Pure', 'GT-Line' and 'GT-Line S'.
All Stonics come well equipped, with roof rails, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, front fog lamps, cruise control and an alarm. Inside, media connectivity is much improved thanks to the installation of the brand's latest touchscreen navigation system. This works via a larger 12.3-inch centre screen and offers Bluetooth multi-connection which allows users to connect up to two devices at the same time. As before, the car gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity as standard.
Mid-level 'GT-Line' trim upgrades the base 'Pure' version's 16-inch wheels to 17-inches in size and adds sportier styling, LED headlights and tail lamps, rear privacy glass, solar glass, rain-sensing wipers, power-folding mirrors, auto climate controil and alloy pedals. Top 'GT-Line S' spec further adds a sunroof, a digital key, heat for the front seats and steering wheel, front parking sensors, Smart Cruise Control, a wireless 'phone charger and a 12.3-inch instrument screen.
Kia claims that the Stonc is an intrinsically very safe car thanks to a strong lightweight platform and bodyshell, 51% of which is fashioned from Advanced High Strength Steel. Thanks to a clever fusion camera system, a wide range of camera-driven safety features are available and buyers can choose from a selection of Kia's 'DRiVE WISE' 'ADAS' 'Advanced Driver Assistance Systems'. These technologies include 'Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian recognition and Forward Collision Alert', plus there's also 'Blind Spot Detection with Rear Cross Traffic Alert', a 'Lane Departure Warning System', 'High Beam Assist' and 'Driver Attention Warning'.
Cost of Ownership
One thing that designers of B-segment SUVs have lately got very good at is restricting the size of the weight penalty that would ordinarily be a major drawback of a car of this kind. This helps to explain why a 1.0-litre T-GDI 98bhp manual derivative can return 51.4mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and manage 129g/km of CO2. It wasn't very long ago that you'd have needed a diesel to get figures like these in a small SUV. For the 113bhp 48v mild hybrid version of this engine, the figures are 50.4mpg and 127g/km.
As with all Kias, the Stonic is covered by a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty that's longer than any other car in the same class. Servicing should be affordable and the various pre-paid servicing packages you can buy will further help manage costs in this regard, with 'Care-3' or 'Care-3 Plus' packages offering retail customers fixed-cost, inflation-proof servicing for either three or five years. Should you sell the car in this period, the remaining scheduled maintenance allocation can be passed on to the next owner.
Summary
The Stonic might be quite an old design now but this quite extensive refresh has given this car a bit more showroom shelf life and refreshed its appeal at the budget end of the over-crowded segment for small SUVs. You'd now feel a bit more comfortable parking it at the gym and the interior now has screen tech to match the current class standard.
Which is just as well, because this car faces a growing army of increasingly accomplished rivals. True to its name, this Kia sets out to offer a 'speedy tonic' to Juke and Captur-class models of that sort - a more complete little Crossover than you might have expected this kind of money would buy you.
.jpg)
.jpg)
