Kia Picanto 1 1.0 three-door

The Kia Picanto 1 1.0 three-door costs less to run than a solar powered calculator. Shall we consider the maths? This city car averages 67.3mpg rising to 78.5mpg on the extra- urban cycle. Even through town – where cars tend to guzzle gas like the world's most powerful number cruncher – it manages a highly respectable 52.3mpg. The result of this fuel efficiency is that the Picanto has low emissions of 99g/km. That places it in road tax band 'A', so the disc is free. No need for a calculator, then. There is one further maths point to consider. Often, the price of environmentally friendly vehicles is so high that it cannot fit on the screen of a calculator. Not the Kia Picanto 1 1.0 3dr - it only costs £7,795.

The Kia Picanto has strengths to complement its low running costs. For starters, it is very nicely equipped for the price. It therefore has: power steering, central locking, an alarm, immobiliser, electric front windows, a CD player, and an electronic stability programme. Very nice too. This number lover also has a decent ride, five-speed manual transmission, light steering, fair acceleration, excellent visibility, and composed handling. Now for a surprise. The Picanto has a 200-litre boot. That may sound smaller than a Casio FX82-L - but this city car has more seat-up cargo capacity than the Citroen C1, Peugeot 107, and the Nissan Pixo. The Picanto also has a class leading seven year manufacturer warranty that could save you a small fortune. How much? Who knows? My calculator has exploded.

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