Available immediately at all Sutton Park Kia dealers the scheme guarantees the scrappage bonus on Kia’s latest small cars when any old car is traded in for destruction. The bonus is in lieu of all other offers on retail sales only.

Kia’s President and Chief executive Paul Philpott said: “A number of scrappage schemes – many applying only to bigger models with higher emission levels - have been launched recently, but the Kia seven year switch scrappage scheme is simple and easy to understand. It applies to all versions of the low-emission Picanto and Rio ranges and is guaranteed as long as the buyer of the new car is also the owner of the car being scrapped.

“Both our small cars, Picanto and Rio, have dramatically improved emission levels compared to the previous models – by as much as 73 grammes per kilometre so owners of cars over seven years old can get the latest safety equipment, technology and comfort as well as helping reduce emissions generally and saving themselves a good amount of money in the process,” he added.

With the brand expecting to sell at least 4,500 Picanto and Rio models in the last quarter of 2017 that could reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 1.6 metric tonnes over a similar period of ownership – and that is even if every Picanto or Rio simply replaces a seven year old similar model! Older cars of any type are eligible for the scrappage bonus and could mean even better levels of emission reduction.

The Kia Scrappage Scheme requires no special measures by customers – as long as the details of the old vehicle owner and the new Kia buyer match the bonus is guaranteed. The Kia dealer will complete all the paperwork and arrange for the old vehicle to be destroyed through regulated and established channels. The scheme runs until the end of December 2017.