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Ford Fiesta vs Volkswagen Polo: which is the better used buy?

On DVSA MOT records the Ford Fiesta and the Volkswagen Polo are too close to call — 0.4 percentage points apart on first-time MOT passes once you allow for the age of each fleet, which is inside what the choice of cars counted can move. A winner is named only at 2 points or more. A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure. Choose on the fault patterns and running costs below.

MOT first-time pass rate

Counted from DVSA’s anonymised MOT test records. “vs age-matched” compares each model against what the national fleet scores at the same age — the only fair better-or-worse number, because an older fleet fails more whatever its build quality.

Ford Fiesta
Pass rate72.3%
Age-matched national74.9%
Difference-2.6
Tests143,495
Volkswagen Polo
Pass rate72.7%
Age-matched national75.8%
Difference-3.0
Tests66,500

These figures count every generation still on the road, not only the one described below: mostly Ford Fiestas registered 2001–2022 and Volkswagen Polos registered 2000–2022.

Source: DVSA MOT Anonymised Data 2025 (Open Government Licence v3.0). National first-time pass rate 77.3%. Class 4 tests in Great Britain, test type NT (a normal annual test), retests excluded. A pass, or a pass with rectification at the station, counts as a first-time pass; DVSA's own initial-test measure counts a rectified pass as a failure and so reports a lower figure. Testing in Northern Ireland is run separately by the DVA under its own rules. The difference is worked out before rounding, so it can be 0.1 away from the two rounded figures beside it.

Ford Fiesta

Mk8 (2017–2023) · A supermini / small hatchback and one of the UK's most common used cars, competing with the Vauxhall Corsa, VW Polo, SEAT Ibiza and Peugeot 208.

The Ford Fiesta Mk8 (2017–2023) is a generally dependable used supermini. The key check on a 1.0 EcoBoost is its timing system: early cars (launch into 2018/2019) have the original wet cam belt, which can shed debris and destroy the engine, while mild hybrids use a chain-driven camshaft. Confirm by engine code. Best buy: 2022–2023. Worst: 2017.

What goes wrong

  • Safety recall R/2025/084recall
    Puma Fiesta Courier – Fuel line chafing
    26,004 vehicles of this model (DVSA’s figures added up) · built between 22 December 2021 and 11 July 2023
    Large recall — 26,004 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Engine — 1.0 EcoBoost wet timing beltcritical
    Engine rattle or knocking noise, sudden loss of power, warning lights, or complete engine failure if the belt sheds material into the oil system and blocks oil galleries or the pickup strainer; metallic debris can also show up in the oil at a routine service.
    Broadly 2017 into 2018/2019: 1.0-litre EcoBoost non-hybrid Fiestas from this window most commonly have the original wet cam timing belt. Ford introduced a revised, chain-driven camshaft design during 2018–2019, which every 1.0 EcoBoost mild-hybrid (mHEV, 2020 on) version uses; these still have a separate, smaller wet belt driving the oil pump. The cut-over wasn't a clean model-year change, so confirm by engine code/VIN rather than assuming from year alone. Does not affect the naturally aspirated 1.1 Ti-VCT petrol. · For cars confirmed to have the original wet cam belt: Ford's original quoted interval was 10 years/150,000 miles (later tightened industry-wide to nearer 6 years/100,000 miles); independent specialists recommend replacement nearer 60,000–80,000 miles given how often belts have failed well inside those figures. · Roughly £600–£1,650 for a preventative belt replacement at an independent EcoBoost specialist (commonly £950–£1,200+VAT; significantly more at a main dealer); if the belt fails, a replacement or reconditioned engine typically runs £2,000–£4,000+, more in severe cases.
    Check: Confirm the engine variant by engine code or VIN check rather than assuming from registration year alone. For any car confirmed to have the original wet-belt engine, ask for a dated invoice proving wet-belt replacement (not just a general service stamp), and budget for the job immediately if there's no such record, regardless of the odometer reading. Even on revised chain-cam/mHEV cars, ask about the condition of the separate oil-pump belt.
  • Body sealing — door seals, boot and rear footwellsminor
    Damp carpets, a musty smell, water pooling in the boot floor or spare-wheel well, wet rear footwells, and — if left unresolved for a long time — electrical faults or corrosion from water sitting inside the car.
    2017–2023, reported across the generation · Not mileage-related; can appear on low-mileage cars if a seal, grommet or drain point has failed · Resealing a door seal, boot seal or roof-rail drain point is typically £50–£150 in parts and labour if caught early; ignoring it can lead to far costlier electrical or interior repairs
    Check: Lift the boot floor and spare-wheel cover and pull back the edges of the rear carpet to feel for damp or staining, sniff for a musty smell, and check the roof lining above the doors and around the rear pillars for water marks.
  • 1.5 TDCi diesel particulate filter (DPF)major
    Engine management light, limp mode or reduced power, poor fuel economy, black smoke under hard acceleration, and DPF-related MOT failures.
    2017–2023, 1.5 TDCi diesel variants only · Can occur well inside 60,000–80,000 miles on cars used mainly for short, low-speed journeys that never let the filter fully regenerate · A forced regeneration or DPF clean is roughly £100–£300; a full DPF replacement can run to £1,000–£1,500+
    Check: Ask how the car is normally driven (motorway runs vs. short urban trips), check the MOT history for DPF-related advisories or failures, and where possible take it on a drive long enough to let a regeneration complete during the test.
Typical asking price:
£5,499–£12,985, median £7,850 (middle 80% and median, cars on Autoza on 29 October 2026)
Fuel economy:
1.1 Ti-VCT: 47–52 mpg real-world. 1.0 EcoBoost 100/125: 45–50 mpg. 1.0 EcoBoost mHEV: 48–54 mpg. 1.5 EcoBoost ST: 34–39 mpg.
Vehicle tax:
£200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included — the alternative-fuel discount ended on 1 April 2025. A car registered from April 2017 with a list price over £40,000 when new adds the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 (£640 in all). Cars registered 2001–2017 pay a CO2 band, roughly £20–£790/year (2026/27 rates).
Best years:
2022, 2023
Years to avoid:
2017
Used Ford Fiestas for saleFull Fiesta fault guideUsed Fords

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Volkswagen Polo

Mk6 AW (2017–present) · B-segment supermini. Consistently one of the top 5 best-selling used cars in the UK. The Mk6 Polo brought Golf-like interior quality to the supermini segment. Available with 1.0 MPI (naturally aspirated), 1.0 TSI (turbocharged), and 1.6 TDI diesel engines.

The VW Polo Mk6 is a premium-feeling supermini with solid reliability when maintained. The 1.0 TSI petrol is the engine to choose — reliable, tax-friendly, and economical. Its 1.0 engines drive the camshafts by a toothed belt, not a chain, so check the belt record on older cars. Owners report judder from the 7-speed DSG in urban use above 30,000 miles, and the 1.6 TDI diesel suits motorway rather than city use (DPF).

What goes wrong

  • Safety recall R/2018/142recall
    The left rear seat belt double buckle may unfasten involuntarily
    45,714 vehicles of this model (DVSA’s figures added up) · built between 1 May 2017 and 12 October 2018
    Large recall — 45,714 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • Safety recall R/2019/037recall
    The adjusted handbrake lever travel for parking the vehicle can increase
    44,256 vehicles of this model (DVSA’s figures added up) · built between 12 October 2017 and 22 October 2018
    Large recall — 44,256 vehicles. Check a car by registration on GOV.UK.
  • 1.0 TSI and 1.0 MPI timing beltmajor
    No warning before a belt fails; a failed belt can cause serious engine damage
    All Mk6 1.0 petrol engines — the camshafts are driven by a toothed belt, not a chain · £350–£600 belt and tensioner replacement at an independent specialist; up to £4,000+ if a failed belt has damaged the engine
    Check: Check the service history for the cambelt inspection or change at the interval Volkswagen's schedule sets for the engine code; no record on an older, higher-mileage car means budgeting for it now. Volkswagen UK offers fixed servicing at 9,300 miles or 12 months as well as longer flexible intervals, and a regular oil-change record is a good sign on any turbo engine.
  • 7-speed DSG dual-clutch juddermajor
    Shudder when moving off from standstill; jerkiness at low speed in traffic; clutch grab in 1st gear
    2017–2022 (7-speed DQ200 DSG automatic) · Above 30,000 miles in urban use · £400–£700 for software recalibration and a voluntary mechatronic oil service (VW schedules no oil service on the DQ200); £1,500–£3,000 if mechatronic unit or clutch pack needs replacement
    Check: Test the DSG at walking pace in slow traffic and pulling away from a standstill on an uphill. Any shudder is the known DQ200 judder — very common on Polo, Golf, and other VAG models with this gearbox. VW schedules no oil service for the dry-clutch DQ200, so absent DSG fluid records are normal rather than a red flag; a voluntary mechatronic oil service (some specialists suggest around 60,000 miles) can ease mild judder. Severe judder at low mileage without service history is a red flag.
Typical asking price:
£7,299–£14,995, median £11,199 (middle 80% and median, cars on Autoza on 29 October 2026)
Fuel economy:
44–51 mpg (1.0 TSI real-world UK mixed); 57–67 mpg (1.6 TDI real-world)
Vehicle tax:
£200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included — the alternative-fuel discount ended on 1 April 2025. A car registered from April 2017 with a list price over £40,000 when new adds the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 (£640 in all). Cars registered 2001–2017 pay a CO2 band, roughly £20–£790/year (2026/27 rates).
Best years:
2020, 2021
Years to avoid:
2017, 2018
Used Volkswagen Polos for saleFull Polo fault guideUsed Volkswagens

Also compare:

Which one suits you

Ford Fiesta

Good for: First-time buyers and anyone prioritising low running costs — cheap parts, low insurance groups and a huge independent-garage network. The 2020+ mild-hybrid EcoBoost is the safer pick for the wet-belt risk.

Less good for: Buyers wanting maximum rear legroom or boot space — this is a genuinely small car. A pre-2019 1.0 EcoBoost with no documented wet-belt history, given how expensive getting that wrong can be.

Volkswagen Polo

Good for: Buyers who want Golf-level interior quality in a smaller package. Urban commuters who primarily use the car in town (1.0 TSI manual is ideal for this). Buyers who want strong resale value — VW Polos hold value well on the UK market.

Less good for: Buyers doing heavy city driving with the DSG automatic without a DSG service budget. 2017–2018 1.0 TSI buyers who cannot see a cambelt inspection or change in the history. City-only drivers considering the 1.6 TDI — DPF issues are near-certain. Buyers who want the most reliable possible supermini should consider the Toyota Yaris Hybrid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is more reliable, the Ford Fiesta or the Volkswagen Polo?
Neither stands out on the MOT measure. Their first-time MOT pass rates sit 0.4 percentage points apart once each is compared against the national rate for cars of the same age, which is too close to call (we name a winner only at 2 points or more). A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure. The MOT checks safety and emissions items, not the engine, clutch or gearbox, so this is one measure of how each car holds up rather than a full reliability verdict. Pick on the specific faults each is prone to instead.
How do the MOT pass rates of the Ford Fiesta and the Volkswagen Polo compare?
72.3% of Ford Fiestas pass their MOT first time (143,495 tests in DVSA's records) and 72.7% of Volkswagen Polos pass their MOT first time (66,500 tests). The national first-time rate is 77.3%, but cars of the Ford Fiesta's age average 74.9% and cars of the Volkswagen Polo's age 75.8% — so the Ford Fiesta runs 2.6 points worse than its age group and the Volkswagen Polo runs 3.0 points worse than its own. A pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure.
Which years of the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo should I avoid?
Ford Fiesta: Launch-era 2017–2018 cars are now the oldest Fiesta Mk8s on the used market and the most likely to still carry the original wet cam timing belt rather than Ford's later revised chain-driven design, so they're most likely to be nearing or past the belt's safe replacement point without full documented history. This window is also most associated with the early cracking-noise driveshaft complaint, and these cars are furthest removed from the 2022 facelift's refinements. The DVSA MOT table on this page rates 2018 registrations above all cars registered that year, so it is not named as a year to avoid. Volkswagen Polo: 2017–2018 launch cars are the oldest Mk6s on sale, and early automatics carry the most owner reports of DSG judder before the software calibration updates. On an older, higher-mileage car, check when the cambelt was last inspected or changed.
Is the Ford Fiesta or the Volkswagen Polo cheaper to run?
On fuel the Volkswagen Polo has the edge: its most economical version returns up to 67 mpg, against up to 54 mpg for the Ford Fiesta, on the figures in our model guides. For cars registered from April 2017, vehicle tax works the same way for both: the £200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included, plus the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 on a car that listed at over £40,000 new — the price when new, not what you pay for it used. Any Ford Fiesta or Volkswagen Polo registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pays a CO2 band instead, roughly £20–£790/year (2026/27 rates). Insurance differs mainly by driver and postcode rather than by model, so treat any model-level insurance figure with caution.

MOT figures are counted from DVSA records and are the only measured statistic here. Prices, economy and tax bands are indicative and vary by specification, condition and where the car has lived. Last reviewed: 2026-10-06 / 2026-10-06.