Ford Ka (2008 – 2016) Review

The second-generation Ford Ka is heavily based on the Fiat 500. That’s no bad thing and Ford waved its magic wand to improve the ride and handling for its version. There’s also a bit more rear space, but blander styling compared with the Italian model was a drawback. It also faced some talented rivals such as the Hyundai i10, and good-value Skoda Citigo. Read on for our full Ford Ka review.

The original Ford Ka that arrived in 1996 with chiselled good looks and nifty handling was a smash hit. Drivers loved it, and it sold strongly.

When it came to replacing it, Ford looked to Fiat to share the costs, and the two companies split the development between the Ford Ka and the reborn Fiat 500.

This all made sense right up to the moment the world went mad for the cute retro-styled Italian, and completely ignored the Ford Ka.

Ford had shot itself in the foot to a large degree with the anonymous looks of its city car, even if it had enjoyed a big slice of corporate product placement in a James Bond film.

It was all the more galling for Ford that it had invested time and effort in making its offering a better car to drive than the Fiat 500, with improved ride and handling. Ford had even squeezed a bit more space inside the cabin for those sat in the back.

A 1.3-litre diesel engine was offered, but most buyers opted for the 1.2-litre petrol and this engine makes most sense for the majority of used car buyers today.

The Ford Ka was not offered with Fiat’s cheeky TwinAir 0.9-litre engine, which feels like a missed opportunity.

A plethora of trims were available, but Zetec and Titanium are the ones to look for in the used market, as the others are all quite basic by comparison.

This is especially evident when looking at the amount of safety kit you get as standard with each trim. When tested in 2008 by Euro NCAP, the Ford Ka scored a so-so four-star rating, as it only had driver and passenger airbags as standard.

As a used buy today, the Ford Ka is cheap to own and decent to drive, but there are several more attractive alternatives from other car makers.

Fancy a second opinion? Read heycar's Ford Ka review here.

Ford could not resist tweaking the Ford Ka’s chassis set-up compared with the Fiat 500’s.

This resulted in a city car that rides bumps very well and feels like a larger, more grown-up vehicle as a consequence.

We can’t help wonder if all that effort was worth it, though, given the Italian model sold in far greater numbers.

However, it does make the Ford Ka fun to drive, even now. It handles nimbly, and there’s decent steering feel, too. Plus it is easy to park and zip through congested city streets.

On country lanes it’s enjoyable, but bigger ridges and potholes can catch out the suspension’s calm demeanour.

On the motorway it’s stable, but this is not its favourite environment and there’s a fair degree of noise from the engines, wind and tyres.

There’s a straight choice between a 1.2-litre petrol engine with 69PS and a 1.3 turbodiesel offering 75PS.

The more potent diesel might seem like the engine to choose, especially with its better fuel economy. However, performance is sluggish at best, although it does improve if you simply let the motor’s low-rev shove do the work rather than using lots of revs.

While the petrol motor doesn’t offer any advantage in acceleration figures, it does feel peppier to use.

This makes it the engine to have, particularly in town where it picks up with a more eager feel than the diesel.

Both engines come with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard, and Ford did not offer an auto option at any point.

The Ford Ka managed a four-star crash safety rating from Euro NCAP in 2009, but that is a long time ago and test methods and expectations have risen hugely since then.

Looking at that test result, it’s worth noting that it only came with two front airbags as standard. Side airbags were an option along with ESP.

All Ford Kas do come with ABS anti-lock brakes and only the very base models miss Isofix rear child seat mounts.

If you find a car with the optional ESP fitted, it will also have hill start assist included, which can be handy for anyone living on a sloping street.

Beyond that, the Ford Ka is sparse on safety kit, and rear parking sensors were pretty much the only other driving aid that could be added from the options list.

You’re kidding, right? And if you’re not, no towing capacity figures were ever quoted for this generation of Ford Ka, so you cannot use it to hitch up to any sort of trailer.

The two front seat passengers sit quite high in the Ford Ka, which is not a bad thing for the driver’s all-round visibility.

The raised roofline also means there is sufficient space for heads not to touch the ceiling. However, the steering wheel only moves for height, not depth, so you may have to juggle the seat position to get a good overall driving position.

Another drawback is the high-set clutch pedal, which is an odd piece of design for a car meant for city use. In stop-start traffic, it can become quite a chore to lift your foot on and off the clutch.

There is a little more room in the back of the Ford Ka than in a Fiat 500, which is welcome, but you’ll be hard pressed to notice it.

It’s still tight on space for adults, but a couple of younger children will be happy enough there. The Isofix points are not easy to spot or use, however.

The boot comes with 224 litres of luggage space, which is less than a Skoda Citigo, but better than a Toyota Aygo, or its Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 identikit siblings.

You can tip the Ford Ka’s rear bench down for more space, and it’s divided in the middle to give a 50-50 option for varying load and passenger space.

There was a lot of effort expended to give the Ford Ka the appearance of a decent, high-quality city car. That’s all it is, though – an appearance.

Any interaction with the materials used soon reveals this car is trimmed out in cheap plastic and fabrics.

They wear well enough, but the general feeling is well below what you get in a Volkswagen Up or Hyundai i10.

It’s best to look for a Zetec or Titanium model to avoid the horrible plastic steering wheel, as these upper trims have a leather-bound wheel that is much more pleasant to hold.

The age of the Ford Ka’s design is particularly apparent here.

All models came with a CD stereo capable of interacting with an MP3 player. Most cars also have Bluetooth to hook up your phone and a USB port for charging.

The stereo is basic, but delivers decent sound quality for what it is, and there are four speakers as standard where many rivals of the time made do with only two.

With a budget of only £2000, you can reckon on finding a 10 to 15-year-old Ford Ka with a reasonable 60,000 miles on the clock and in decent condition.

Top up that sum with another £500, and you will be looking at cars with air-conditioning in Zetec or Titanium trim.

Later examples will reach £6500 for models with very few miles and in top-spec trims, plus with a full service record to give added peace of mind.

If you really want to cut your driving costs to the minimum, a diesel-powered Ford Ka came with an official fuel economy claimed at 68.9mpg.

That should equate to around 60mpg when driven lightly, so should be easy on the wallet.

The petrol-powered Ford Ka is much more commonly found, and was claimed to return 55.4mpg. Our Real MPG data shows that equates to 46.2mpg, so it’s not bad for an everyday runaround.

Reliability is merely average for the Ford Ka, so look for a car with a complete service record. Maintenance will not be expensive, as parts are cheap for this model.

Insurance is also affordable, as the Ford Ka range starts in group 2 and rises only as far as group 6 (out of a total of 50 groups).

As for Vehicle Excise Duty – or road tax as most of us refer to it – the Ford Ka attracts an annual payment of between £20 and £35, depending on whether you choose the diesel or petrol engine, respectively.

The base Ford Ka Studio model has a bare minimum of kit. It comes with a CD stereo and that really is about your lot, beyond the necessary controls to make the car work. This trim is best avoided at all costs.

Opt for the Ford Ka Style and you gain electric windows, air-conditioning and remote central locking. The Ford Ka Style+ upped that with alloy wheels.

Move to Ford Ka Zetec trim and it has a leather-trimmed steering wheel, 15-inch alloy wheels, front foglights, a heated windscreen and a 50-50 split-and-fold rear seat.

Then Ford Ka Edge joined the range to replace the Style in early 2010. It has air-con, electric windows and height adjustment for the driver’s seat.

Most generous of the lot is the Ford Ka Titanium with its 16-inch alloys, advanced music pack with six speakers, chrome handles, tailgate handle and tailpipe, and climate control.

There was also an array of Ford Ka special editions, and they can include some desirable kit such as air-con and reversing sensors. But you shouldn’t pay any extra for these models.