A fun family hatch that's surprisingly practical too
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BabyDrive Verdict
The 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch is a sporty, fast and fun little car, but is it any good for families or do you need an SUV? Let's find out and put it through our BabyDrive testing…
I really like the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch. It's youthful and there's no frumpy mum bus feeling about this car. It's light and agile and a lot of fun with and without the kids onboard!
When it comes to family use, the Kia Cerato GT is not as impractical as you might think! I could fit three Infasecure child seats in the back, which is very impressive for a car of this size! It was a tight squeeze and a bit of a juggle getting three kiddies in and out of the back but it is possible if you really need to!
I tried a few seat combinations, here I installed two Infasecure Attain More child seats in the outer seats and an Aspire More booster seat in the central seat. With just two child seats installed in the back, it is more spacious and comfortable. Legroom is good in the Kia Cerato GT and with rear-facing child seats fitted, we could sit a 180cm driver in front of a rear-facing seat and 188cm tall person on the passenger side.
There are ISOFix points in the two outer seats and top tether anchorages on the back of all three rear seatbacks. These were easy to access through the boot.
While we are talking practicality, the boot size is pretty impressive for a sporty hatch. It will comfortably hold a twin or tandem pram in the boot with a couple of bags of shopping.
Storage inside the cabin is good throughout. In the front, the glovebox is a practical size and the door bins will hold a refillable water bottle. There are two cup holders and there is a glasses case in the ceiling as well as two phone storage shelves in the central console.
In the back, there is a single net map pocket on the back of the front passenger's seat and a USB socket in the back of the central console box.
There are two cup holders in the central fold-down armrest but the rear door bins are small, only holding a 600ml bottle.
There are aircon vents in the back of the central console, which is great for keeping rear passengers the right temperature while driving along.
The media system is really easy to use in the Cerato GT Hatch and it has some great features for families too.
One of these is Sounds of Nature, which is white noise at your fingertips and really handy when driving little ones around, helping to keep them calm and sleepy!
Quiet Mode is great too because you can bring the sound from the rear speakers to the front really easily if kids are on devices or have fallen asleep in the back.
The Kia Cerato GT has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto too, so you can easily connect and access your phone's navigation, messaging and listening apps while driving.
In front of the gear lever are two-tiered phone  shelves with 12V, AUX and USB ports and a wireless phone charging pad on the top shelf.
The reversing camera image is nice and clear and you can turn the parking sensors off easily in the central console too.
The interior is very nicely styled, featuring charcoal sporty shaped seats with red stitching and contrast piping details.
The Kia Cerato GT Hatch is a great car to drive, it's compact and the turning circle is small so it's great for around town and school drop-offs. You can select Sports Mode, which gives you a sporty and throaty engine noise while you are driving. The main downside is that it has quite a hard ride, which can be uncomfortable for kids in the back (but enjoyable for big kids in the front!!)
Interestingly, with my family of four, the Kia Cerato GT Hatch had everything we needed for our daily life. It is a really enjoyable car to drive with and without the family onboard! It held our two child seats (and a third when we needed to carry a friend), our pram fitted nicely in the boot and both Hubby and I could fit in the front seats with ample legroom.
This car seems to be trying its hardest to prove you don't need a big SUV when you have a family and that a sporty little hatch can pass the family test too!
How good is the boot space in the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch?
The boot opening of the Kia Cerato GT Hatch is nice and wide, although you have to lift things over the lip and down into the boot floor. With the boot empty, we could fit 12 shopping bags in the Cerato, which is one more than the Subaru Impreza and two more than the Honda Civic RS and the Hyundai i30 Elite that can both hold 10.
A twin stroller fits in the boot with a couple of shopping bags.
A tandem modular pram fits in the boot of the 2022Â Kia Cerato GT Hatch with five shopping bags.
A single pram or stroller fits in the boot of the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch with four shopping bags.
A compact stroller fits in the boot of the Cerato GT with eight shopping bags around it.
Or there is room for a medium-sized dog in the boot of the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch (if you remove the parcel shelf).
The boot floor of the Kia Cerato GT Hatch is nice and flat and carpeted, good for an emergency nappy change!
Underneath the floor, there is a polystyrene tray storage area, which would be good for wet or sandy items so they don't make the rest of the car dirty.
How good is the interior storage in the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch?
Storage is quite minimal in the Kia Cerato GT, especially in the back but on the whole it's mostly practical throughout.
In the front central console are two cup holders that will hold a reusable and a disposable coffee cup.
Behind them is the central console box which is a fair size and has a USB port inside it.
In front of the gear lever is a two-tiered phone shelf with 12V, AUX and USB ports and a wireless phone charging pad on the top shelf.
The front door bins will hold a refillable water bottle and wallet and there are little storage wells in the door handles.
The glove box will fit my wallet and iPad with the manual.
There is a lined glasses holder in the ceiling and lit vanity mirrors in both front visors.
In the back of the 2022Â Kia Cerato GT Hatch, storage is more minimal! There is just one net map pocket.
A fold-down armrest in the central seat back has two cup holders that will fit a reusable or disposable coffee cup.
The rear door pockets are very small and will hold a small 600ml water bottle (there are the little wells in the door handles too).
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch and how good is its Media System?
The media system in the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch is excellent. It is very easy to navigate and use.
It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and I found it extremely easy to connect my phone to.
There are some nice features for families within the media system of the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch, like Quiet Mode. This brings the sound to the front speakers in the car, which is really helpful if kids have fallen asleep or are on devices in the back.
Sounds of Nature is pre-recorded white noise that you can play easily and I find helps to get my little one off to sleep. There are many to choose from – my daughters love Calm Ocean Waves.
You can adjust the climate control through the front media screen also.
When you put the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch in reverse, the camera image is very clear.
I found I could turn off the parking sensors of the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch with a button in the central console.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
The indicators are lovely and quiet in the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch and wouldn’t disturb my sleeping baby.
The windows and doors can both be locked from the driver's door control panel. Both the windows and doors both open nice and quietly and would not be baby waking.
Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!
So this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)
The cruise controls are on the right side of the steering wheel and are nice and easy to use. I found the cruise control to be pretty accurate on motorways as well as undulating roads at 60km/h.
The Kia Cerato GT Hatch is such fun to drive, especially when you are driving on your own. If you put it into ‘Sport' Mode then it has a deep throaty engine sound. When in Eco or Normal mode it is more family-friendly! It does feel really solid on the road and hugs the bends well, but you do pay for that a little with the hard ride that can make bumpy roads a bit uncomfortable.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch?
I could fit three Infasecure child seats in the back of the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch.
Legroom is good; we found that with two rear-facing child seats installed in the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatchthat a 180cm driver can fit and a 188cm front passenger could fit.
There are three top tether anchorages across the rear seat backrests of the 2022 Kia Cerato GT hatch. They are within plastic guides and I found them easy to connect to and reach through the boot.
There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats of the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch. They are not within plastic guides but I found them nice and easy to connect to when installing the child seats.
The roofline is low in the Kia Cerato GT Hatch so posting Bub into their rear-facing seat from outside the car may be a little challenging for taller people, I didn't find it a problem and I'm 162cm tall. From inside the car when only one child seat is installed, the roofline is lower than say an SUV so it felt a little tricky!
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
There is room to feed a bub in the back if you only have one child seat installed. In the model I tested, the seats were upholstered in a black leather material with perforated central panels that could be quite difficult to keep clean.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch? And How good is the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch to drive?
The 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch is a great car to drive, it makes you feel young with its light and agile steering.
In the front of the Kia Cerato GT Hatch, the seats are sporty and comfortable, they are shaped and hugging and the black with red trim and stitching makes them look great.
The front seats can be heated and cooled, using buttons in the central console, the central panels of all the seats are perforated to allow for this which could make cleaning then harder so you can weigh that up if it is something that is important to you.
The driver's seat is electronically adjusted and you can adjust the lumbar support as well. I found I could wear a ponytail with the headrests which was great!
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
There is a light in the ceiling in the back for the rear passengers that I can just reach from the driver's seat.
I have found Bub does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.
For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the outer seats are nice and comfortable, in the centre the seatbelt buckles and seatback armrest can be a little uncomfortable.
For the first year of Bub’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Bub so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The rear seats sit a little higher, so although the rear windows do not look that deep in the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch, forward-facing rear passengers get a good view out.
The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down.
There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two long central air vents and round ones at either end.
The controls for the aircon are centrally located on the dashboard and easy to reach and use while driving.
There are two air vents in the back of the central console storage box for the rear passengers, which you can reach from the front to adjust.
There are handles above both back doors to hang a child's toy.
Visibility in the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch is tricky when you have child seats installed in the back as the rear side windows slope down at the back and the child seats really fill the rear window view. The reversing camera really helps when manoeuvring and parking.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Kia Cerato GT Hatch was relatively easy to park.
Aesthetically the 2022 Kia Cerato GT Hatch is a great looking car on the inside and out and it turns a lot of heads and is good fun to drive!
Lower spec model Kia Ceratos were given a four-star ANCAP safety rating because they lack some of the safety assist feature necessary to gain five-stars. All models have six airbags as standard.
The Kia 2022 Cerato GT Hatch was given a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2019, scoring a total of 90% or 34.3 out of 38 for adult occupancy. Broken down into 7.36out of 8 for the full-width frontal crash test, 6.85 out of 8 for the frontal offset test. Full marks for the side impact test and 6.40out of 8 for the pole test.
For Child Occupancy protection the Kia Cerato scored 41.1out of 49 which is 83%. Broken down into 14.65out of 16 for the dynamic front, 8/8 for dynamic slide. Child restraint instillation scored 11.41out of 12 and onboard features score 7 out of 13.
ANCAP said of the testing:
In the frontal offset test, dummy readings indicated WEAK protection of the neck of the 10 year dummy. Otherwise, protection of both dummies was GOOD.
In the side impact test, protection of all critical body areas was GOOD for both child dummies.
The Kia Cerato is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages for the rearoutboard seats, and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated in most rear seating positions, though one of the selected Type A convertible seats could not be correctly installed in rearwardfacing mode using the ISOfix anchorages. In addition, careis required when installing a Type E booster in the centre rear position.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!
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