• Lots of space up front
• Plenty of clever storage bins
• Smaller boot than the Niro

How much space is there?

There’s loads of room for front seat passengers, but you might be better off with one of the other Ceed variants if you need a lot of space in the back. The XCeed isn’t exactly cramped, but there’s less headroom than you get in the standard Ceed hatchback thanks to that sloping roofline. Legroom is also at a premium if you’re sitting behind a taller driver.

The optional panoramic sunroof is great. It allows loads of light to flood into the cabin. And even if it does rob a little more of that precious headroom from those in the back we’re inclined to tell you to live with it because it’s way better than the standard car’s black headlining, Which makes the XCeed’s interior feel more cramped than it is.

Kia XCeed boot space and storage

The Kia XCeed has a 426-litre boot. That’s 31 litres more than the standard Ceed hatchback, but 25 litres less than you get in the latest Kia Niro. The XCeed still has more luggage room than rivals such as the Toyota C-HR and Mercedes GLA, while the Volkswagen T-Roc’s boot is slightly more spacious at 445 litres.

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Fold the XCeed’s rear seats and there’s 1,378 litres of space on offer. The seat-back features a 40:20:40 split, which means you can mix and match cargo and passengers as needed. However, there is quite a large load lip to access and the backrests don’t lay completely flat, making it more difficult to transport heavy items.

The XCeed’s interior is quite well laid-out otherwise with a good selection of storage cubbies. There’s a sunglasses holder next to the rear-view mirror and an enormous storage bin between the front seats. The only problem we found was the smartphone tray in the centre console, which isn’t quite wide enough to accept a large phone when it’s wired into the dashboard.

Is it easy to park?

It’s no harder to park than any other small family SUV. Rear visibility isn’t great because the rear window is small and the pillars are wide – but Kia gets around that by fitting parking sensors and a reversing camera. Buyers can also have a rear cross-traffic collision avoidance system, which monitors the space behind the car for passing traffic and pedestrians.

If the system detects vehicle approaching, it’ll sound a chime to warn to driver. If the driver doesn’t react, the safety tech will slam on the anchors to prevent an accident. Also, if you don’t want to bother with parking at all, you can specify your XCeed with Smart Parking Assist, which can steer the car into spaces with minimal help from the driver.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP safety rating dates from 2019
• Lots of driver assistance technology on offer
• Two Isofix points on the rear bench

Euro NCAP hasn’t yet crash tested the Kia XCeed, but the standard Ceed hatchback on which its based received a four-star safety rating in 2019. However, cars fitted with Kia’s optional safety pack gained a full five-star rating. Both these certifications are valid for the XCeed crossover, but they’re also on the cusp of expiring, as Euro NCAP only offers validity on its testing for six years; the testing procedures have certainly been toughened up since the Ceed was evaluated and more modern vehicles will likely perform better in an emergency.

Still, the Euro NCAP boffins seemed pleased with the Ceed’s overall performance, noting how stable the cabin remained during the front impact test and praising how well the car protected the driver’s and passenger’s knees. The Ceed does a good job of protecting child occupants, too. The dummies were pulled from the wreckage with hardly a mark on them. You can read the full Kia Ceed Euro NCAP report here.

Watch the Kia Ceed crash test video