Ford dominates the list of the UK’s most popular cars of all time. So it should come as no surprise to discover that the Ford Fiesta is the most popular first car.
More than 1 in 4 respondents to a recent survey said that their first car was a Ford. Of these, 12 percent took their first steps on the road in a Ford Fiesta.
An insurance company spoke to 500 drivers to learn more about the nation’s first cars. The average price spent on a first car was £3,782, with 66 percent of people saying they felt it was worth what they paid for it.
Predictably, we turned to Auto Trader to find out how much Ford Fiesta you can buy for £3,782. Quite a lot, as it happens. There are around 575 examples between £3,500 and £4,000, with Zetec the dominant trim, and petrol outnumbering diesel by four to one.
In 2020, many people buy a car using a Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) plan. Right now, you can buy a Ford Fiesta Trend 1.0 for £170 a month after a £4,354 deposit. This is based on a three-year contract with a restriction of 9,000 miles per annum.
Over half of the respondents to the survey sold their first car to buy another, but 17 percent were sent to the scrapyard. Meanwhile, seven percent were written off.
‘Lovely elderly lady’
Rachel Bustin, a blogger from Home in the Pastures, shared her memories of her Ford Fiesta: “I remember going to buy my first car with my dad. We bought it from a lovely elderly lady who lived on the coast overlooking Porthtowan. It was a red, two-door Ford Fiesta. The mileage was low due to the elderly lady using it once a week to go to the shops. It was a great find!”
Victoria from Lylia Rose also had a Ford Fiesta for her first car. She said: “I was 19 when I bought my first car. It was a burgundy Ford Fiesta, really old, and cost around £300. Someone told me Ford Fiestas are really reliable and easy to buy parts for, which I’ve found to be true. I only had the car for one year, but it was a great little runner.
“Since that car I’ve had a couple of Ford Ka cars and a Vauxhall Corsa, but I’ve actually gone back to a Ford Fiesta which I’ve now had for a few years as they are so easy to drive and really reliable as I was told all those years ago.”
We’ll leave you with the news that 20 percent of people decide to name their first car. The most popular name? Betty. Hmm.
Click here to read the full results of the Dayinsure first car study.
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