Best First Car? Ford Fiesta 1.0 litre no turbo 2013-17 

Love how a driving instructor talks about heel and toe, then you know they truly understand driving

Over half a year ago, I received my provisional and found your channel. It gave me a huge head start with my instructor and made me more humble. Now just a half year forward, I passed all my driving tests and safely commuting my workmates to and from work in a company van, I will be buying my first car next month so Big Thanks for all the great knowledge and advices I could easily reach while I was awaiting my next driving session. It definitely reinforced and added to my awareness and driving skills, also for sure contributed to my first attempt success. Thanks a million! update: I bought my first car and Good News!! It's a Dacia Sandero! 🤣🤣🤣

Good advice for a new drivers first car. Slow maneuvering is so much easier in a car that has these characteristics and that is very important.

I reaaally liked this video. Car reviews are definitely your cup of tea, so I look forward to new videos :)

I bought a Skoda Citigo colour edition for my first car which I’ve had for almost a year. It’s a perfect small car for a new driver, 50-60+ mpg, very easy to park, the insurance was only about £1,300 with no black box, very comfortable for a small car too. It only has a 1.0L engine and 59hp but it certainly doesn’t feel underpowered, although the acceleration is pretty limited - 14s from 0 - 60

I just bought my first car last week.. a 1.4 tdci fiesta absolutely love it especially the fuel economy I'm getting over 80 mpg on the motorway

I've got the 1.0 80ps, passed in July. Got plenty of power for a 1st car and will happily rev to 6500 anyday, definitely teaches you about the importance of gears and downshifting. The 3 pot sounds much nicer than all of my friends cars. Hoping to get the 140ps red edition in the coming years.

thank you.I like your channel

I love mine the ecoboost model for a first car i think the interior is great

I've just brought a citreon c3 it's great little car, I only plan to learn in it😊

hello, is it possible for you to make a playlist with all your driving tips? would be handy if someone wanted to watch a lot of them in one go

I love your humour :D

I agree I love non turbo engines

Actually The 1.0 ecoboost is a very responsive engine with the turbo starting to spool as low as 1500 RPM other than that you are right about the turbo lag of turbo petrol's.

Got a 2006 Toyota Corolla SR (1.6l) for my first car a few months back. Been nothing but great for me so far, and the insurance is only £100 more than your average 1/1.2 litre due to it being seen as a "grandad" car.

Loving these videos. I've been following your channel for every upload since I discovered it! I was wondering if you had any advice for new drivers who wouldn't be able to buy their own car in the near future, nor have access to anyone else's car that they could get insured on. I know there is the car hire or, better still, the Car Club option, which would be great for practice. However, as you'll be aware there are hardly any, if not no companies that don't require a minimum time of holding the license of at least 12 months. If this means simply holding the license, it seems ironic to me, as someone is more likely to be safe on the road within the year of their test pass than after a year with no experience. This is unless it means minimum of 1 year with insurance, which makes more sense safety wise, but creates an even bigger problem for drivers without a private car that want to get on the road. I was wondering if you had any opinion or wisdom about this issue, and whether it could be a video to add to one of your series? Thank you very much, and all the best.

Thanks for the video mate! I've had the exact car, a red 2013 1.0 80 ps for almost 4 years now. I do about 15k miles a year in it and I thought I could share my thoughts here, for anyone considering buying it. It isn't the best-built car inside or outside. It might just be my car since it was one of the very first ones of this shape to roll out the factory, but it developed quite a few trim rattles over the years. Mechanically, touch wood, the engine has been good, although I do change the oil every 5k. The gearbox seems ok too, albeit a bit difficult to shift at times. The suspension is good on the motorway and smooth roads but any bad surface in town, or tiny bumps or the occasional manhole cover make the car feel like it's going to disintegrate at times. The suspension itself hasn't been very reliable between 18k and 60k, the worse culprit being a broken spring at 30k. It turned out it was rusting from the inside. The carpet is terrible and I would highly recommend car mats and a boot mat. I kept track of all the expenses I had on it, and on average, over the past 4 years, the car has cost me around £2.5k/year in maintenance and fuel. One other slightly bad thing about it would be the performance. I say slightly because sometimes I think it's great, sometimes not. If it's just me or just me and my partner and the engine and gearbox are warmed up, the car keeps up with traffic in town. When the engine and gearbox are cold and I don't want to use too much throttle and revs, the low power figure definitely makes itself shown. The only other time you would notice you only have 80hp is when going up motorway hills and this is especially noticeable here in Scotland where there are many of them ha! Nothing a lower gear can't fix but even then, 4th may not be enough to hold 60 or 70 uphill depending on wind and how loaded the car is. With that being said, I've had so many nice memories in this car that I think all of the niggles above can be forgiven. For starters, at at least 15k a year, getting 50mpg + -2 all the time is godsent (50-50 town and A road/motorway use). It cruises on the motorway and A and B roads faultlessly. We did North Coast 500 twice in it and one time we actually did it in one day and I wouldn't have done it in anything else! Another highlight would be a late-night stint from Wales to Scotland. We cruised at 90 all the way. It was a bit loud, but the little engine managed faultlessly. On A and B roads, so long as you know how to plan ahead, you can drive progressively and overtake without any problems. It also cruises really nicely on A roads, and most times, my partner falls asleep on the way back home. I think this can partly be attributed to how well the car settles at 60 mph., but mostly my grandad driving and shit banter. Depending on where you live, insurance is not bad and £0 a year in tax is very nice! It's also very easy to park and to manoeuvre in tit spaces. If anyone potentially interested in getting this exact car is reading this, I would at least get a later model from 2015 onwards. If reliability is more important than fuel economy, I would get the 1.25 engine variant. I wouldn't recommend a turbo car to anyone since if they aren't taken care of and driven correctly they will have a lot of reliability problems. I wouldn't recommend this car in general, as I think there are more reliable and more comfortable small cars out there. Thanks for reading this! Follow my adventures with this little car called Chilly at mysaturdaydrive.com

nice, i got the 1.25, and yes the breaks are poor. Also I think the 1.25 sounds nicer than the 1.0

Hi Richard weldone for all your great videos Would like to ask, if you have got any link to any insurance company were I can ensure my own car for my driving test. Thanks

I've just got the 1.0 ecoboost as my first car. I have to say it really doesn't feel in anyway laggy. It's very responsive and 0-60 in around 9 seconds when shifting effectively. You're very right about heel toeing with the ecoboost though you really do have to give it the gas when down shifting!

My current and 1st car is a 1.4 2010 60 plate zetec, and I love it

I hate when I have to go on the highway because I’m like “this car is not made to speed” 😆😫 lord. Loved the video 🤘 I’ve had a few fords, I haven’t been impressed with one of them but they have been easy to drive, loads of problems though. I’m not sure Ford is made hardcore winter tough. Or maybe it’s just the cars and I’m expecting too much 🤷‍♀️😆

How things have changed my 1st car when i was 18 in 1974 was a 1500 vauxhall victor 90000 miles on the clock cost £100 and £100 3rd party only to insure, to hear people paying what £3000 to £7000 for one of these for a 1st car seems so much, now retired dont do the mileage iv got a 2015 100 bhp turbo ecoboost its faster then my wifes 1400cc better on petrol and no tax the biggest problem with these cars is the price of cam belt change, if you hang on to them a long time other wise great car.

The responsiveness actually only deoends on being in right rpm range irrespective of turbo or non turbo engine.

I agree, no turbo, instead a supercharger, good advice thanks! 👍🏻

I have a 1.6 Diesel Kia ceed brilliant car not gonna light the world on fire but very efficient and has a bit of pep to it though in second and third

This is my first car. Just got a bigger engine in mine. Never had a issue with the seats myself or the steering wheel. I'm not used to higher end cars so I'm not personally comparing it to any

Good review. As someone who owns one (1.0 petrol without SYNC nor turbo), I agree with most of what you said here. Here's what I don't quite agree with: - Brake pedal travel: It is a long press, but that's an advantage because I don't wear out my brake pads by braking too hard all the time. A bit less travel would be nice, though. - Seats: I don't know for sure if mine are different than yours, but mine are fine. It's no Bentley, but it's no bus either. - Interior being cheap: Again, no Bentley, but I like its design and the materials aren't too bad. I do get the occasional parasitic noise from the front of the dash, though. - Steering wheel: Mine's leather-ish and quite smooth. I assume that's a perk of my car's trim level, as yours seems to be different. Your review is spot on when it comes to (lack of) power and the suspension. One needs to rev over 3000 rpm to get decent power out of the engine. To all of you wanting to buy one: if you mostly do city driving and/or want to drive as fuel efficiently as possible, it's adequate. For those of you that mostly do highway/B-Road driving, I'd recommend the turbo version (although I haven't driven it myself) because of the added oomph. Also, get a 6-Speed transmission. Regarding turbos: as someone who learned how to drive on two diesel cars, the turbos weren't an issue at all for me. TL;DR Good review and good car, albeit a bit slow. Good gas mileage, though (5.5 l/100km, 80% B-Road driving, 15% over 70 km/h driving, 5% city driving). Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the car. Edit: I read that you're indecisive about making more reviews. I encourage you to keep making them. Edit 2: Added fuel consumption figures and made the comment easier on the eyes with some paragraphs.

I don't really know much about cars but recently bought a 2009 Polo as my first car after not driving for 10 years (your channel helped me learn to drive again!). Do you think Polos are not so great to drive then? I don't have much to compare it with. Steering does feel sort of spongey though I have to say.

Just bought the 1.0 Ecoboost Titanium, it feels like such a luxury to drive. Smooth and can give out a good kick when needed. You can get out of tight junctions and up to 60mph in under 10 seconds with nice medium revs.

My first is a 2012 1 Series. Lovely car - got her about £1200 cheaper than market value, despite her low mileage of 40,000. Deal of the century!! Automatic, of course. 😅

I passed my test about a month ago now, I also have a car. It's a 1999 Saab 9-3, 3 door 'coupe.' I wanted something different for a first car, especially considering I know of no other 18 year old with a Saab like that.

7:00 due to it being the zetec trim and the non turbo version the titanium has a much nicer interior and features, could look at one a few year older for similar price

I think you should make a video comparing petrol and diesel.. 80hp petrol can feel slower than a 60hp diesel simply due to the lack of low-mid end torque. Some engines, like a 1.4 8v may make 75hp but will feel faster than a 1.0 16v with 80hp because they have more torque in the rev range you need it most. I think you could do a very good job explaining this :) Also maybe mention the pros and cons of diesels (better mpg, slow to warm up, DPF issues)

Hi Richard, do you personally use the heel and toe method. I am a learner atm and I am slowly trying to incorporate this technique into my driving. What's ur opinion ?

My first car is also a Fiesta, a mk7 form 2009 with a 1.25L 4 cylinder engine with 82 horsepower (0-60 in about 12 seconds). I hope i can keep it for a long time

79hp from a 1.0 is pretty impressive actually. A shame it's still not enough for a car this size.

Please do a video of your seat leon

I also got a Fiesta (1.4 petrol, without turbo) as my first car, and I love it! It's more powerful than this, cheap to maintain, good fuel consumption, and it's amazing to drive.

I bought a 28 year old VW Polo for my first car. No power steering, no traction control (not that a 1.0 polo from 1992 would need it) and no stability control. Not to mention the lack of toys in the dashboard😂 and near non existent crash protection. But I think that’s what makes it a great first car! Old school driving combined with the ‘incentives’ to drive more carefully😂.

I can make a cup of tea before my turbo on my 2008 passat has responded to my accelerator pedal input.

Nice review. I bought the 99bhp EcoBoost because it came out top in all the reviews of the time. As I learned to drive in my forties insurance costs weren’t an issue. It’s interesting you said about the brakes being unresponsive because I’ve often thought that too. Could you please make a video about how to quickly and safely recover from a stall? Although I passed my test over a year ago and I don’t stall very often, I still have no idea if I’m doing it correctly. Pretty sure I’m taking steps I don’t need to.

What are your thought on having an AUDI A3 as a first car? Really do love audi and im passing my test this year, also over 25 so insurance is significantly lower. Cheers

My first car was a ford ka 1.3 had 69Bhp owned for nearly three years did me well I have now got a 2018 Mini Cooper 1.5 with 136bhp

Toyota Yaris is a good first car. 5 stars in the crash test rating, fuel efficient, cheap to insure and being a Toyota, very reliable.

Wou be super helpful to hear your thoughts on other ''first cars'' - as you said, ''it's one of the best first cars you can buy'', - what are the others? Would love to hear your thoughts on some other ''first cars''. Thanks :)

I've recently got a 2014 Fiesta with EcoBoost (not happy that I didn't fully research this engine before hand but that doesn't matter now) I do notice the lag, but I'm also a slow and careful driver most of the time, so it doesn't bother me, I don't really like shooting off like a rocket. As for the breaks, I noticed this exact thing, but I took it in for a service and they replaced the front break pads, and I did immediately notice the difference, there wasn't as much travel on the break pedal anymore before it actually starts breaking. Overall I'm happy driving it, it's my first car and I think it drives fine and feels more comfortable than driving a Vauxhall Adam (the only other car I've driven). Feels solid on the motorway at 70, it seems to have a slight judder at 30 which goes away at higher speeds, I'm not sure what that's about, when I get time I'll take it to Kwik Fit, they said they would take a look. ... just worried about that cam belt though.

ive got a mark 4 fiesta as my first car. its the 1.25 zetec 16v however was only £1100 ish to insure or £1300 without a black box. interesting how this 1.0 fiesta has more power but takes about 5 seconds slower from 0-60. my mum has a mark 7 1.25 zetec fiesta and i agree the seats are awful and i find the mk4 to be so much more spacious in the front, back and boot. shame they dont make nippy little cars like that nowadays i also dislike the incredibly light feeling of the mk7 steering, and found that the brakes would do barely anything for alot of the peddle travel then come on very sharply.

How good is ford fiesta 1.0 zetec 5dr 2017 with 5 gears petrol? I know its good in city, but can you please me its performance in motorways? Since it didn't have 6 th gear, will I have issues?

I think you can tighten your brakes by putting pressure on them multiple times while the car is off

I was planning to buy this car but now I have to rethink

I just bought my first car,skoda fabia 1.9 sdi 2006,100km/5.5 l.

Hi in there ! What about a Ford B Max which is based on a Super Fiesta Mini !

At 2:14 if you were to change down to 4th gear would it have been able to accelerate past 40 mph by keeping the engine at a higher RPM. It looked like it wasn’t producing enough torque in 5th gear to climb the hill.

hello i'm 42 and currently taking driving lessons what would be your recommended car for first time driver....I would be looking for a small engine like a 1.0L but also cheap to insure. Do you have any recommendations ? i'm a new tuber and like your vids

Nice video! What do you think about a Mercedes A Class 2018 as a first car?

better to just spend inbetween 400-700 for a mk6 1.2 fiesta, get a box for first year boom cheap insruance without a box for 2nd year. and if you scuff it up no worries so many parts down the breakers yard

That prince harry comment was so underrated😂

Try driving it on a motorway and feels like the engines going too blow out the bonnet. I had the 100ps ecoboost variant and much better in my opinion. They gave me the 1.0 non turbo as a courtesy car while mine was in for service and i couldnt cope

I've watched this video a few times but not taken in when you said 100nm of Torque 😳. 100nm is next to no power when you start having passengers. I think these smaller engined cars were designed for young parents dropping kids off at school or an alone driver to work and back, maybe a first car. Ticked off as a 5 seater but it being full of adults will just kill the power. The Ecoboost version is a bit better at a further 20bhp (100) and a further 70nm of Torque (170). Although with all these "Ecoboost Problem's" i'm half wishing i'd bought something else. My Ecoboost is a great car but i do drive carefully and service regularly.

How good is a Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 2016/17 plate for a first car? Also what are the best cars insurance wise?

Ppl complain about a 2013 Fiesta with 1.0 non-turbo engine? Wait until they drive a 1st-gen Daewoo Matiz or older Daihatsu cars with non-turbo 800cc engine.

Volvo C30 can be had for cheap and with the 1.6 it's cheap on insurance. Get a high mileage diesel for less than 1k

Also Suzuki Swift 2010-2016 model is a good choice as a first car (1,2l with 4cyls 92bhp non-turbo natural aspirated engine), with proper maintenance the car easily run 250-300k kms, futhermore the spare part cost nothing..

Always wondered, why do driving instructor cars have high powered hard to stall engines? Wouldn't it make more sense to have small engines as instructor cars as they are slightly harder to drive.. Like I don't recall a time when I've ever had to change down a gear in an instructors car due to a hill (only getting caught out by steep hills in my own low powered car, changing down gears under load is tricky, and not helped by someone following you very close behind!) Not good when a pupil could learn in a diesel, learn that they don't need to use gas to pull away (bad habit) and then get a car for themselves after they have their license..and just keep stalling! (i think this is one of the reasons your car is petrol?)

How reliable is the 1.25 engine, I know the eco boost, version hasn’t got the best record

I have a 2005 Citroen C1 1.0 as a first car, which I'm happy with. Pros Base model is group 1 insurance £20 VED 1.0 Toyota engine gets 50-55mpg Lack of gadgets means less to go wrong Aux port on radio Easy to service Inexpensive parts Full size spare wheel Small size & good visibility Nice exhaust note Cons Back seats are practically unusable No mpg or temp display 2 airbags No central locking No glovebox Front seats don't return to original position (3 door) No reach adjustment on steering wheel No tachometer No clutch footrest Seat doesn't go back far enough for tall drivers What to look out for? Early produced cars had a weak clutch which would wear out prematurely. Later cars had a revised clutch which reduced failures However, the clutch cable must be adjusted at each service Changing down gears to 2 & 1 can be difficult. You have to be crawling along before 1 can be selected without resistance, which can be difficult in town. It seems to be commonly reported online however. A sign of wear I reckon The door & tail light seals commonly leak. Check that the carpets are dry when viewing. The tail lights can be DIY sealed with silicone sealant. Older models will be pretty rusty underneath now. You don't want to buy a car to find out it needs welding. Try and opt for a later model

mhh also just bought my first car in october 2019 but somehow i seem to be one of the only young drivers that buys a 2008 Volvo S60 with a 2.4L Diesel just has a 126hp

I have a 2016 1.25 Fiesta for my first car and I don’t like how the brakes feel either... the brakes on my instructors ecoboost are a lot better

what about the 2017 fiesta 1.6 L vetec?

Mine was a picanto se 1.0. Anything 1.0 is perfect first car

Why can't I find insurance quotes? Soon 17 and live in Manchester

80 hp isn't THAT underpowered in a small car: the 1,6L Ford engines from the 1980s put out a similar amount of power and they weren't that anaemic if one knew how to drive. Of course, older cars are lighter due to lacking the safety reinforcements and stuff that help save lives.

These engines are known as ecoboom! Cos they blow. The 12.5 is old school reliable and much more durable.

OK yes turbo lag exists but I wouldn't use that to justify not buying a turbo car. As a new driver I wouldn't ever aim to make my driving as easy as possible, I need something to learn or something to tame otherwise I'll never get better!

Hi, I have same engine version as in your video, and noticed that at 100 km/h engine already at 2900-3000 rpm. Is it normal for non-turbo version?

can you help me?? Does 2013 Ford Fiesta ecobost 1.0 have cruise control?

I recently passed my driving test, now looking for a car, but I don’t have good knowledge of cars. Someone help😅

Don’t want a car that’s gonna struggle. What’s the best Ford Fiesta that won’t struggle? For a new driver?

What about a bmw 118d 2015 any good

I got a 2011 Mazda 2, 1.5 litre na and cheap to insure for young people because they aren’t that popular

Or you can get a diesel, save tons on fuel costs and not have any issues going up hills in high gears.

How much would one of these cost in the current climate

I'm buy yundai i 10 manual 5 speed , its my first car , good ??

Is this version tax exempt?

Do you watch Scotty kilmer?

Fiestas are popular therefore more crashes higher insurance so not a good first car choise

I have this car, can someone tell me the MK of this car?

Can anyone here help me? I'm trying to find insurance as a first time driver. I'm 37, and keep getting quoted between £500 a month and £660. Is this a normal amount to pay per month? I don't see how I can afford this.

Land Rover Defender, 0-60: eventually

So much nit picking here...the steering wheel is too squidgy, reminds you you are in a budget car. Most 18 year olds would be very glad to be able to afford to run this car. Their insurance even with a black box will be hundreds if not thousands of pounds. So what it doesn't have the perceived quality of a Polo?. Fords are MUCH cheaper to repair and maintain and that is what counts when paying to keep a car on the roads. In fact driving a lower powered car fast in the right places can be very enjoyable and a great learning experience, against a high power car that overwhelms a new driver and doesn't give them the chance to explore their abilities gradually. No two cars brake pedals have the same feel and it doesn't take long to become familiar with a car in that respect and use it properly, it's just about being flexible and willing to learn, something you are familiar with, right?. For a newly qualified driver, does 0-40mph time matter?. Are you encouraging them to buy a car based on that metric?. I hope not. Your point about sudden turbo intervention, was valid 20 years ago, but again this in modern cars is much less, perhaps not now a problem and again we adapt to the peculiarities of a car soon after beginning to drive it. I think you are overly dramatic on this point. I generally enjoy your videos, thought will comment when I think you're going off at a tangent.

Who has 8 grand to spend on there first car?

probably not the 2013-16 model cos they like 5ish k +

F.O.R.D Found on rubbish dump. Sorry! Had to say it.

I have a Mercedes A Class 1.8. Better than a Fiesta

im worried that you are driving and talking to the camera !!!!! this is dangerous

nah its crap way too sloow

Too young to be calling them wing mirrors.

He's just a badge snob

LoL Ford means FIRST ON THE RUBBISH DUMP ! Just Saying Mate. PS Owned A Ford Focus MK1 Second Hand For 8 yrs 108000. Miles On The CLOCK And Loved It :) Failed Mot And Sold 8 yrs Later Lost £800 Pounds Fantastic Motor