A new survey of motoring costs by the highly respected ADAC (Automobile Club von Deutschland) has revealed that the Kia Picanto is Europe's most economical car.

Using the ADAC's database of 5,500 new cars and information collected from some of the club's 15 million members, the survey concluded that the total annual ownership costs for a Kia Picanto 1.1 LX five-door hatchback was €4,537 or just 30.2c per kilometre - making it the economic champion of Europe in its class.

For the survey, published on July 15, the total annual ownership costs were calculated over a four-year period, covering 15,000 kilometres each year, and include purchase price, depreciation, residual value, scheduled servicing and maintenance, fuel, tires, brakes, insurance, taxes and VAT.

"The ADAC's confirmation that the Picanto really is an incredibly economical small car to own, is great news for Kia," Kia Europe senior vice-president Jean-Charles Lievens said. "Picanto was created with European consumers in mind. It was designed to appeal to their hearts and emotions as well as their sense of style, while delivering a lively drive with a spacious cabin and high levels of safety. Picanto is also one of the cleanest, least-polluting cars in Europe with a C02 rating of just 118 g/km.

"Now, we have independent confirmation that those numerous appealing attributes are also backed up by long-term low ownership costs. Picanto sales in Europe so far this year have reached more than 45,000 units and this latest endorsement from the ADAC will encourage further rises in demand for what is already our most popular model," Mr Lievens concluded.

Apart from beating the ten closest rivals (shown in the table below) the Kia Picanto performed better than well established models from several major European manufacturers including Renault (Twingo 1.2, 32.0 cents), Ford (Ka 1.3. 32.1), Opel (Agila 1.0, 32.4), Volkswagen (Lupo 3L TDI, 33.6) and Smart (Roadster 0.7 , 38.8).

ADAC Car Costs Survey 2005: Euro Cents / km

1 Kia Picanto 1.1 LX 5-door: 30.2
2 Daihatsu Cuore 1.0 Plus 3-door: 30.4
3 Diahatsu Cuore 1.0 Plus 5-door: 30.8
4 Suzuki Alto 1.1 Club 5-door: 31.0
5 Hyundai Atos 1.1 5-door: 31.1
6 Fiat Seicento 1.1 3-door: 31.3
7 Citroen C2 1.1 3-door Advance: 31.6
8 Diahatsu Cuore 1.0 Top 3-door: 31.8
9 Citroen C2 1.1 3-door Style: 31.9
10 Suzuki Alto 1.1 Comfort : 32.0

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