2011 (11) Ford Fiesta

The Fiesta has always been particularly popular with Irish drivers, a car that can fit many different lifestyles on many different roads. There was a major overhaul of this model in 2013, with exterior and interior matching the new Ford 'family' look of the Focus and Mondeo. There is plenty of room inside the plush cabin for driver and passengers alike and the boot has a nice wide opening that can be extended by folding down the rear seats. The cabin has typical Ford levels of refinement. There is a reassuring clunk when doors close and a nice solid click to the dashboard buttons. Importantly for a family car there is also an array of safety features including seven airbags and ISOfix fittings for child seats. The responsive steering and tawt cornering ability make for an enjoyable drive, whether it be the daily commute or a spin to the seaside. Our pick of the engines is probably the extremely economical 1.5 diesel which costs just 180 per annum to tax, although the petrol variants are just as popular.