Used Kia Ceed Sportswagon 2018-present review review

We'd avoid reading too much into that last part of the Kia Ceed Sportswagon's name because the probability of pigs flying is up there with seeing one of these cars tearing up a racetrack.

Instead, you're much more likely to see a Sportswagon outside the local supermarket or in the car park of a holiday resort. This is a practical, sensible estate car (that's based on the Kia Ceed family car). It's much more 'wagon' than it is 'sports', let's put it that way.

Engines & Performance: Your entry-level petrol unit is a 118bhp 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder (badged 1.0 T-GDi). It provides the kind of pace most buyers will find adequate – 0-60mph takes 11.0sec – even on the motorway. You do need to give it plenty of revs to get it going, mind you.

The 138bhp 1.4-litre and 158bhp 1.5-litre petrols are much better bets if you value performance or regularly haul around cumbersome items, more so the latter unit. Aside from some initial hesitation at low revs, this 1.5-litre engine is effective once you’ve wound it up, getting from 0-60mph in 8.3sec.

Your diesel option is a 134bhp 1.6-litre engine. It's only a second quicker than the 1.0-litre petrol from 0-60mph, but its extra low-end shove makes it worth considering if you tow a trailer or caravan.

A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version is available, although it was only sold new between 2020 and 2021, meaning you only have a few to choose from. If you do fancy it, though, then it has a decent electric-only range – 35 miles, officially – and a good, responsive shove.

Ride & Handling: The Sportswagon's suspension copes pretty well at lower speeds with patched-up urban streets and pesky speed bumps, providing good comfort.

Unfortunately, though, the ride lacks composure at higher speed, almost constantly bobbing you around in your seat. The rival Toyota Corolla Touring Sports and VW Golf Estate both take the sting out of urban obstacles and maintain their composure at higher speeds, more so than the Ceed Sportswagon does.

Quick steering gives the Sportswagon a lively turn-in as you enter a corner, which gets you thinking it's a pretty well-honed car. Push harder, though, and you'll find the Sportswagon suffers from a fair lick of body lean, plus it isn't particularly well tied down at the rear. A Ford Focus Estate is better sorted to drive.

Interior & Practicality: The interior might appear a bit drab, particularly if you go for a low spec. It’s hard to fault the standard of assembly, though, because everything feels well screwed together.

The Ceed Sportswagon has nicely-damped controls and plenty of squishy plastics, and feels classier than the Focus Estate and Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer.

There's enough head room for a couple of six-footers in the rear of the car. Leg room is tighter than in some rivals, though, including the Focus Estate, Skoda Octavia Estate and Corolla Touring Sports.

At 625 litres, the Sportswagon's luggage capacity is impressive, even if the Octavia Estate's boot is larger still.

Trims & Equipment: All Ceed Sportswagons are well equipped, so we can heartily recommend even the entry-level 2 trim. With it you get automatic headlights, air conditioning, cruise control, 16in alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and all-round electric windows. Pay a bit more for 2 Nav trim, and you get the bigger infotainment screen with built-in sat-nav.

We can understand you being tempted to upgrade to 3 trim, which not only gives you more choice of engines but also brings greater seating flexibility and a better infotainment system, as well as dual-zone climate control, 17in alloys, faux-leather trim inserts, power-folding door mirrors, privacy glass, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and automatic wipers.

Interested in buying a used Kia Ceed Sportswagon? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.

You can buy a used Kia Ceed Sportswagon for around £9000, but expect an 2018/'19 model with more than 50,000 miles on it. For a lower mileage, have upwards of £11,000.

Examples from 2023 and 2024 currently go for around £19,000.

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MPG: Perhaps unsurprisingly, the plug-in hybrid has the highest official MPG figure, that being 188mpg. Keep in mind that you'll need to run on mostly electric power to achieve anything close to that.

The diesel is next up, with its official average of 62.8mpg. The 1.0-litre petrol has a figure of 49.6mpg, while the 1.5-litre unit sees a marginal drop off, at 48.7mpg. The 1.4-litre unit is an older engine and it sees a more significant drop off. Its average is 45.6mpg.

Road tax: Petrol and diesel Sportswagons will cost you £190 per year in road tax, while the PHEV will set you back £180 per year.

Insurance and servicing: Insurance groups range from eight to 16 (out of 50), which is reasonable for the class of car.

For two services of a 2019 1.4-litre petrol model, Kia quoted us £459.

Reliability

The Kia Ceed has earnt praise for its reliability and build quality in our 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey. Owners appreciate its mechanical solidity, reporting few significant issues. Minor electronic faults, including problems with infotainment systems and auto stop-start technology, were noted but remain relatively uncommon.

Dealer support for the Ceed is highly regarded, with most owners satisfied with the effective and professional service. While the handling of warranty repairs is generally quick and competent, some owners did experience occasional delays in scheduling service appointments.

Discover more about used Kia Ceed Sportswagon reliability and common problems on our dedicated reliability page.

Going for a 1.4 or 1.5-litre petrol version will cost you around £4000 more than the entry-level 1.0-litre unit will. Yes, they provide noticeably punchier performance, but we're not convinced its £4000-worth of extra shove. We'd stick with the cheapest option.

On the other hand, the better equipped 3 trim is within a grand of entry-level 2, meaning there's very little reason to pass up going for 3.

Our favourite Kia Ceed Sportswagon: 1.0 T-GDi 3

If you want maximum interior space, strongly consider the Skoda Octavia Estate or even just the regular Skoda Octavia, because it's hugely practical straight off the bat.

It offers a broader range of engines than the Ceed Sportswagon, too, from a tiny yet capable 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol to the 242bhp 2.0-litre unit found in the vRS hot hatch model, as well as a few fuel-sipping diesels. All versions are easy to drive and make very competent motorway cruisers.

The current Ford Focus Estate has more interior room than the Ceed Sportswagon, with the trade-off being subpar quality. It’s excellent to drive, too, no matter which engine you choose.

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Interested in buying a used Kia Ceed Sportswagon? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.