Vauxhall Corsa was best-selling car in July but we’re loving the Ford Fiesta
The Corsa and Fiesta are the UK’s most popular superminis, especially with young people. This is mainly down to the fact that they look great and are cheaper to insure.
If you’ve narrowed down your car search to these two, and just can’t decide between them, why not read on and see what the experts in the automotive industry are telling us for 2020.
The Vauxhall Corsa led the new car registrations charts in July, latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveals.
The supermini accounted for 5,455 registrations in the month – which saw registrations up 11.3 per cent in total with just under 175,000 cars sold.
However, the Corsa wasn’t out in front by much as the Ford Fiesta was just 34 cars behind and still holds the number one place in year-to-date registrations with 26,519 units.*
Car Price
New car sales up by 11.3 per cent in July thanks to pent-up demand lifting the market
You’ll find that when looking at equivalent cars, the Corsa is more affordable than the Fiesta. You’ll probably see a difference of around £1,500 between them.
The Corsa can also offer more features for less money. It’s equipped with cruise control, speed limiter, Bluetooth and a heated front windscreen as standard. Higher spec models of the Corsa from 2016 and onwards come with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, which only the newest Fiesta has.
When it comes to insurance costs, the Corsa tends to be better too. Across the range there are models which can fall into insurance groups as low as 3 which makes them ideal as first cars.
Style – Fiesta or Corsa?
The Fiesta has a sportier look than the Corsa with its Aston Martin-style grille, but the Corsa has a fabulously friendly smile on it that has started to spread across the range like on the smaller Adam.
You can get both cars with 3 or 5 doors, although Corsa has a more coupe-style shape for the 3-door model.
In terms of performance models, both the Fiesta ST and Corsa VXR have eye-catching body kits, and big alloys. Plus, when you get behind the wheel, both models have sports-style seats that hold you in place whilst you cruise through the corners.
Corsa & Fiesta Interior
The Corsa’s interior is a lot like its bigger brothers – the Astra’s, and also looks a lot more modern than the Fiesta’s interior with plenty of features as standard.
In the Fiesta, you will need to look at the higher level trims like Titanium and Titanium X for features like cruise control and SatNav.
Both cars have a similar amount of legroom and headroom for both front and rear passengers, but the 3-door Corsa’s coupe shape may compromise the rear headroom, especially if you’re carting around taller passengers.
For boot space, the Fiesta is slightly larger, at 290 litres compared to the Corsa’s 285 litres. But saying that, the Corsa has much more luggage space with the seats down – a massive 1,120 litres compared with the Fiesta’s seats-down capacity of 974 litres.
It is worth mentioning that the 3-door Corsa has a slightly smaller boot than the 4 door version. It is 280 litres with the seats up and 1,090 litres with the seats down.
Engines of the Corsa & Fiesta
The Fiesta comes up trumps when it comes to engines.
Its award-winning Ecoboost engine can come with 100bhp, 125bhp or even 140bhp. So, why does the Ecoboost stand out? Well, from a turbo-charged 1.0 litre petrol engine, it can produce the same power as larger, non-turbocharged engines, and still gets amazing fuel economy.
You can also get the Corsa with a turbocharged 1.0 litre petrol engine, and this has around the same fuel economy as the Ecoboost engine (around 60mpg). But, as it is only available with 95bhp or 115bhp, it’s not as powerful.
The non-turbocharged 1.4 litre petrol engine is the most common for the Corsa and comes with 75bhp or 90bhp. A few people might find this engine a little sluggish but it does help keep insurance premiums down.
You can also get models with diesel engines in both cars. They both have great fuel economy which makes them ideal for long motorway miles. The Corsa shines here as it can get up to 88mpg on average.
The engines in the performance models are in hot competition too. The Corsa VXR can get from 0-60 in just 6.5 seconds whereas the Fiesta will take 0.4 seconds longer.
But, the Fiesta has a better driving experience and if you choose models registered before 1st April 2017, it’s cheaper to tax too.
The Verdict
The Corsa is a great first car and you’ll be able to enjoy loads of features at a great price. Although the Fiesta isn’t as well equipped, it has a much better driving experience and a great choice of engines.
So it really depends what is important to you.
