What’s it like?
Since it first arrived in 2006, Kia’s Volkswagen-Golf-rivalling hatchback went under some grammatically unusual names – such as Cee’d and Pro_Cee’d. However, by the time the Korean vehicle morphed into its third and final generation in 2018, the Proceed shooting brake and XCeed crossover had become their own spin-off model lines, leaving the Ceed – minus its apostrophe – as a classy, simple-to-understand and likeable family car, sold as both a regular five-door hatchback and an estate called the SW. Related to the Hyundai i30, other rivals for the Kia Ceed include the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Ford Focus, Opel Astra, Peugeot 308, Renault Megane and Skoda Octavia.
Which model to go for?
Kia offered the Mk3 Ceed and Ceed SW with a choice of petrol, diesel and plug-in-hybrid drivetrains, along with either a six-speed manual or a six- or seven-speed DCT automatic transmission. All variants were front-wheel drive but be aware that some powertrains are only paired to a certain body, and that the petrol cars could not be equipped with an automatic.
Just edging it as the most popular choice was the petrol model, powered by a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit that made 120hp, and which came with the manual gearbox only. Expect 0-100km/h in around 11 seconds and fuel consumption in the order of 5.5 litres/100km with this one.
Following the petrol option was the 1.6 CRDi turbodiesel, powered by a four-cylinder engine producing up to 115hp. It’s no quicker to 100km/h from rest than the petrol car, but the extra torque it has gives it more midrange clout – and official fuel consumption was as impressive as 3.8 litres/100km. Furthermore, you could spec the seven-speed DCT with the CRDi, so automatic examples can be found on the used market.
Finally, there was the plug-in-hybrid Ceed, but this was exclusively available in the less-popular SW estate body. This used a 1.6-litre normally aspirated petrol engine with a modest electric motor and small (by today’s PHEV standards) battery pack for a maximum 141hp. It’s really not the quickest nor most refined drivetrain, and there’s not a huge amount of electric range to play with – the official number was circa-60km, while 30-40km is more likely in reality – but it might make sense for some buyers from a taxation perspective. The PHEV comes only with a model-specific six-speed automatic transmission.
You really can’t go far wrong with a 1.0 T-GDi car, though, and given their relative second-hand ubiquity and ease-of-use, it’s probably the best version to target.
Does anything go wrong?
The engines used in the third-generation Ceed family are largely reliable and trustworthy units, although owners do report some issues with ancillary electronics – specifically, the auto stop-start system on the car is known to be occasionally problematic. The good news is that, may examples will still have some of their original seven-year manufacturer warranty outstanding on the car, giving an unusually high level of peace-of-mind to buyers of used cars.
There were three recalls issued for this generation of Kia Ceed: two of them, one for a faulty filter in the tandem pump of the braking system and the other for potentially defective front seatbelt tensioners, relate to all models in the family; the third is specific to the PHEV and pertains to the possibility of a printed circuit board in the hydraulic clutch actuator becoming contaminated with fluid and presenting a fire risk.