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Ford Fiesta

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Expert Rating

Ford Fiesta

(2017 - present)

    Summary


    The Ford Fiesta is a small supermini-class hatchback, available in both three- and five-door body styles. The current version launched in 2017 and immediately assumed the best-selling UK car status of its predecessor.

    In fact, 2020 marked the 12th year in a row that the Ford Fiesta (across three generations) has been the UK’s top-selling car – although that came to an end in 2021 as sales fell amid fierce competition from the Vauxhall Corsa and production headaches caused by supply shortages.

    The Fiesta was given a mid-life facelift which arrived in early 2022, which consisted of some visual tweaks and trim changes. The three-door version was also dropped, making the Fiesta five-door-only. But the biggest news came in October 2022, when Ford announced that production of Fiesta will end in July 2023, bringing the 46-year lifespan of one of Britain’s favourite model names to an end.

    There is a hot-hatch performance version of the Fiesta called the Ford Fiesta ST. We have built a separate page for that model, as it is generally reviewed separately to the rest of the range.

    UK media sources rate the Fiesta highly. “It’s one of the best ‘real world’ cars around, because it ticks all the rational boxes, but also manages to be fun to drive,” says Auto Express. Reviewers like the quality engines, which are now all petrol with previous diesel options axed. But while the range includes mild hybrids, there are no full-electric or proper hybrid versions.

    On the road, the Fiesta is considered the undisputed class leader for driving. “The Fiesta is a pleasure to drive, whether on a long motorway trip or a challenging country road,” says Carbuyer.

    Reliability doesn’t appear to live up to the driving experience, however. In a 2020 What Car? reliability survey, the Fiesta only ranked equal 17th out of 22 small cars. The 2021 survey was worse, where the Fiesta ranked dead last for small cars and the fifth-worst new car on sale. 2022 was no better, with the Fiesta ranking dead last in the small car category again.

    The cabin environment doesn’t get the same high praise as the driving experience, either, with Car commenting: “It feels ancient compared to Peugeot’s virtual 3D cockpit.”  Some testers also question the range of trims: “The Fiesta Active Crossover is a little pointless, the Vignale too extravagant,” says Motoring Research.  

    As of July 2023, the Ford Fiesta holds an Expert Rating of 77% based on 50 published reviews. This collection of reviews includes scores for both pre-facelift and post-facelift models – we would normally expect to see more post-facelift reviews published in coming months, but with Fiesta production being brought to a close there’s likely to be less interest in reviewing it from across the motoring media.

    Ford Fiesta highlights

    • Fun behind the wheel
    • Quality engines
    • Low running costs
    • Quite spacious
    • Well-equipped

    Ford Fiesta lowlights

    • Some cheap interior plastics
    • No electric or hybrid versions
    • Some safety features optional
    • Unimpressive reliability record
    • Top models expensive

    Key specifications


    Body style: Five-door hatch
    Engines: petrol
    Price: From £18,655 on-road

    Launched: Autumn 2017
    Last updated: Winter 2020/21
    Replacement due: N/A – production will end in July 2023


    Media reviews


    Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

    The Car Expert

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    Auto Express

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    Auto Trader

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    Autocar

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    Car

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    Car Keys

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    Carbuyer

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    Carwow

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    Company Car Today

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    Evo

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    Heycar

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    Honest John

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    Motoring Research

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    Motors.co.uk

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    Parkers

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    The Sun

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    The Sunday Times

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    The Telegraph

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    Top Gear

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    What Car?

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    Which?

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    Safety rating


    Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

    Overall score: 5 stars
    Date tested: September 2017
    Read the full Euro NCAP review

    Adult protection: 87%
    Child protection: 84%
    Vulnerable road users: 64%
    Safety assist: 60%

    Tested back in 2017, the Ford Fiesta was awarded impressive adult and child protection scores in the event of a crash. That said, its safety assitance technology score of 60% highlights that there are newer supermini models on the market that are more capable of preventing an accident in the first place.

    Eco rating


    Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

    Model tested: 1.0 Ecoboost 4×2 manual Euro 6D-temp

    Overall score: 2 stars
    Date tested: February 2019
    Read the full Green NCAP review

    Clean Air Index: 8 / 10
    Energy Efficiency Index: 4.4 / 10

    Model tested: 1.0 Ecoboost 4×2 manual Euro 6B

    Overall score: 4 stars
    Date tested: February 2019
    Read the full Green NCAP review

    Clean Air Index: 1.1 / 10
    Energy Efficiency Index: 6.6 / 10

    Reliability rating

    MotorEasy logo 600x167

    Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

    All data based on MotorEasy average workshop costs for extended car warranty claims

    The Ford Fiesta has a reliability score of 58% as of November 2022, which is barely above average. This applies to all Fiesta models in MotorEasy’s database, which includes both the current model and older (pre-2017) generations.

    The most common Fiesta warranty claims relate to suspension issues, but these are relatively inexpensive to fix on average, costing less than £200. Gearbox repairs are generally the most expensive claim by a considerable margin, with an average repair bill of about £1,600, but fortunately these are relatively rare.

    The average repair cost for Ford Fiesta warranty claims is just under £600, which is quite a bit more than the cost of a used car warranty, so it’s certainly worth considering. If you’re looking at a used Fiesta, make sure any extended warranty cover you purchase covers all of these potential problem areas.

    Running cost rating

    Clear Vehicle Data logo close crop

    Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data

    Fuel consumptionAverageScoreVariationScore
    Petrol models53 mpgB40 – 57 mpgB – D
    Diesel models65 mpgA63 – 66 mpgA – A
    CO₂ outputAverageScoreVariationScore
    Petrol models122 g/kmA112 – 157 g/kmA – C
    Diesel models115 g/kmA112 – 119 g/kmA – A
    Insurance groupAverageScoreVariationScore
    All models16A7 – 20A – A
    Service and maintenanceCostScore
    Year 1£133A
    Year 2£368A
    Year 3£588A
    Year 4£833A
    Year 5£1,120A
    Overall£3,042A

    The Ford Fiesta is an exceptionally cheap car to run and own, according to data provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our commercial partner, Clear Vehicle Data.

    Fuel consumption is very good for the petrol models (B) and even better for the diesel models (A). The diesels were never very popular and discontinued after a few years, so you won’t find too many of them in the used car market compared to petrol cars.

    Road tax (which is based on CO2 results), insurance and scheduled servicing costs should all be very good as well. You’ll struggle to find a car that’s significantly cheaper to run than the Fiesta, whichever version you choose.

    Awards


    Trophies, prizes and awards that the Ford Fiesta has received

    2022

    • News UK Motor Awards – The Sun Legend Car of the Year

    2021

    2020

    • Autocar Britain’s Best Car Awards – Best Small Car
    • Carbuyer Awards – Car of the Decade
    • DieselCar & EcoCar Used Car Top 50 – Best Used Small Car
    • Parkers New Car Awards – Best Used Car

    2019

    • Auto Express Awards – Best Supermini
    • Carbuyer Best Car AwardsCar of the Year + Best Small Car
    • DieselCar & Eco Car Top 50 – Best Small Car
    • Fleet News Awards – Best Small Car
    • Honest John Awards – Best Small Hatchback
    • News UK Motor Awards – Best City/Small Car

    2018

    • Auto Express Awards – Best Supermini
    • Carbuyer Best Car AwardsCar of the Year + Best Small Car
    • DieselCar and EcoCar Top 50 – Best Small Car
    • Fleet World Honours – Best Supermini + Best New Car
    • What Car? Awards – Best Hot Hatchback for less than £20,000 (Fiesta ST-Line 1.0-litre 3-door)

    2017

    • Top Gear Awards – Best Supermini
    • Women’s World Car of the Year – Best Budget Car

    Similar cars


    If you’re looking at the Ford Fiesta, you might also be interested in these alternatives

    Audi A1 | Citroën C3 | Dacia Sandero | Honda Jazz | Hyundai i20 | Kia Rio | Mazda 2 | MG 3 | Mini hatch | Mitsubishi Mirage | Nissan Micra | Peugeot 208 | Renault Clio | SEAT Ibiza | Skoda Fabia | Suzuki Swift | Toyota Yaris | Vauxhall Corsa | Volkswagen Polo


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    Best car rankings

    The top cars in every category

    The Car Expert has the ultimate ranking of the best and worst new cars on sale, based on scores from 30 of the top UK motoring websites. We'll be adding more cars and more lists all the time, so keep checking back for the latest results.

    The Ford Fiesta is one of the most highly rated small cars in the UK, being regarded as great to drive – although reliability is a concern.Ford Fiesta