In-depth reviews

Ford Fiesta owner reviews

Name: Ford Fiesta hatchback
Brand: Ford

"The economical and fun Ford Fiesta is a more complete package than ever before"

by Carbuyer team

20 Oct 2020

Carbuyer Rating

4.4 out of 5

Used car deals

Owners Rating

2.5 out of 5

Price

£16,385 - £26,780

SPECIFICATIONS

25%of people would recommend this car to a friend.

Owner Rating

2reviews
1reviews
1reviews

Common Problems

Engine (1 cases)
Brakes, Engine, Gearbox / clutch, Suspension (1 cases)

Version

1.25 Zetec

Year of registration

2016

Average annual mileage

0 – 4,999

Owned

1 - 2 years

Bought Car

New

Typical MPG

37

Review

As a first car it’s ok but as I’ve not driven anything else except the instructors car I can’t compare properly. I like the look of it as it’s 3 door and has a small spoiler(ish) and the insurance group is low enough to actually insure but it’s so slow . First gear had you flying out of the street but second is a nightmare for me. I end up using first until I get to a 30mph road to avoid the chugging along. When reversing it has a habit of popping out of gear but if you ram it in it usually goes. Sadly the tax is high considering it’s a small and slow car. Economy is poor for me doing a mix of long and short. A bit of traffic and I watch my mpg drop. Was sold with bald tyres on red so I had to get a full set + new wipers which bumped the price up. The steering controls have a habit of breaking so the volume is useless. Uphill is sad as it revs high but goes nowhere. Overtaking is a no-go-zone in this as you are left red faced as other cars whip past with ease. Country lanes are poor too as I often have to drop to third and hitting 5000 rpm to climb an incline. The digital speedo is a mess on every journey having to set it and the steaming up is terrible so in -3° I’m driving with air conditioning on so I can see. I do like the ‘car’ but not the engine/performance. I believe this lack of power is dangerous as I’ve had to pull out from slip roads with cars coming at 50 nearly rear ending me as I hit the red with each change. Pulling out into a roundabout is a challenge and you rev high and keep the clutch at biting so you can get some speed when needed but when you pull out, power drops and the traffic that was once a safe distance away is coming at you fast. If it was powerful I wouldn’t mind the tax and economy but since it’s poor I begrudge every penny. If it was a better build I’d keep it for years but I keep praying to get a good job and get some no claims so I can afford something with more substance.

Reliability

3 out of 5

Ok but I can see issues ahead

Performance

1 out of 5

Slow as snail

Running Cost

1 out of 5

Poor upon poor

Version

1.0 ecoboost

Year of registration

2017

Average annual mileage

10,000 – 14,999

Owned

1 - 2 years

Bought Car

Used

Review

This car is rubbish. One week after we had it serviced, the engine seized up. The local Ford dealership wouldn't fix it under the warranty. Ford UK sided with them. It doesn't deserve any stars as I cannot delete it.

I would recommend this car to a friend

Version

Titanium X

Year of registration

2018

Average annual mileage

10,000 – 14,999

Owned

Less than a year

Bought Car

Used

Typical MPG

45

Review

Brilliant to drive, very well equipped and so far no I've had no issues. I'm very impressed with its additional safety features, such as driver alert and blind spot detection, and I love the adaptive cruise control on longer journeys – it makes driving very relaxing. Performance from 123bhp engine is brisk and the car's handling is excellent.

Reliability

5 out of 5

No problems so far

Performance

5 out of 5

Excellent. I can't believe it's a one litre engine

Running Cost

Reasonable at 45 mpg overall. 50mpg+ on long trips

Version

1.0 Ecoboost Zetec

Year of registration

2015

Average annual mileage

5,000 – 9,999

Owned

Less than a year

Bought Car

New

Typical MPG

40

Review

I test drove the Ford Fiesta 1.0-litre EcoBoost and loved the engine and the zippyness of the car, however buying this car was a huge mistake. Unfortunately the build, engine and parts are made terribly cheaply. At only 38,000 miles (which was fully history checked) the car needed: new gearbox, new clutch, new drop links and new alloys, due to them being very flimsy. After taking the car to a Ford specialist and hearing that the mechanic thought we were ‘lucky’ to not need a new clutch before this mileage was astonishing. It just goes to show that this car was built to last up to the 3 years warranty and not a moment longer. After the endless trouble of owning the car for only 9 weeks, I returned it for most of the price paid. I feel inclined to warn all those looking at this car, given my horrendous experience and expense.