2009 Kia Picanto - collected in Haltwhistle
Collected a bright orange 2009 Kia Picanto from a seller in Haltwhistle. Bodywork had taken a few knocks over the years, needed a pair of front tyres, and there were a handful of mechanical prep jobs before it was road-ready. Not the sort of car we'd put into retail, but the running gear was solid and at £35 a year road tax with a willing little 1-litre engine, exactly the right cheap, forgiving first car for a new driver. Which is where this one went: straight to my brother-in-law, who'd just passed his test.
This one's a bit different to the usual.
We went out to Haltwhistle to value a 2009 Kia Picanto in bright orange. 55,200 miles, petrol, manual. The seller had been honest in the online form about the condition: bodywork had taken a few knocks over the years, it would need a pair of front tyres, and there were various mechanical bits to tidy before it was properly road-ready. That combination is usually a trade-only car, not something we'd put onto retail forecourt, but the running gear was solid and the MOT was good through to May 2025. As a bonus, turns out it's only £35 a year road tax, which for a first-time driver is about as painless as it gets.
It's the sort of car that works for exactly one life stage: someone who just passed their test, wants insurance that doesn't cost more than the car, and needs something reliable enough to get to work or college without worrying about every new scrape in a supermarket car park. Kia Picantos are bulletproof mechanically if they're looked after. A lot of these are still pottering around Hexham and the Tyne Valley doing their third or fourth owner.
Which is what happened here. Two new front tyres, a run of small prep jobs, and the keys went to my brother-in-law, young first-time driver who'd just passed his test. Not every collection ends up like that, but the honest ones occasionally do.
If you've got a first-car-type motor sat at home and you'd rather it went to someone who'll actually use it than a trade auction, we buy those too. Get a free valuation. We're straight with you about what it'll make and what we think is the right next step for it.
