The Ford EcoBoost is brilliant from a performance perspective. The engine is high revving and has lots of low-gear acceleration, which means it rasps through the gears at an impressive rate.

Ford had some problems with the EcoBoost engine in older versions of the Fiesta (built between 2013 -2017) with some cars overheating due to a problem with the degas pipe from the turbo to the coolant expansion tank. Ford recalled these EcoBoost Fiestas and replaced the pipe, which means a seller should have paperwork to show this work has been completed by a Ford dealer.

The 1.25 petrol engine has been around for many years. And I'd argue it is one of the most reliable in the UK. Admittedly, it's not much fun to drive with 0-62mph taking 13 or 14 seconds, but it will return 50mpg and run like clockwork if you service it (with an oil change) every 12,000 miles or 12 months (whichever comes first).

The Hyundai i20 is another good option, especially if you can find one with some of its five-year warranty still on its books. But if low running costs and reliability is key then I'd probably go with a Fiesta 1.25 petrol.