Used test: Ford Fiesta ST vs Vauxhall Corsa VXR costs

Buying and owning

Costs, equipment, reliability, safety

As we’ve already mentioned, the Ford Fiesta ST is more expensive than the Vauxhall Corsa VXR at seven years old, at £10,000 compared to £8500. It's worth remembering that the Corsa VXR was also slightly cheaper from new, though. It came in at £17,995, while the Fiesta ST was priced at £18,395. 

On the flipside, the ST is considerably less costly to run than the VXR. For starters, it's more economical, officially returning 47.9mpg compared with the VXR's 37.7mpg. In our hands, the ST managed 36.9mpg and the VXR 29.9mpg

 Following on, the Fiesta ST will cost £165 per year to tax, and the Corsa VXR a whopping £265 per year – this is because the latter emits 36g/km of CO2 more. To insure, both cars occupy group 30, so should cost you around £816. Ford offers competitive servicing prices and various servicing plans, which can be paid for by monthly direct debit. There’s also cheaper Ford Essentials servicing for examples that are outside of the manufacturer's warranty period; it costs £169.

On the Vauxhall side, you can pay a fixed-price fee for interim, main and major services, that being £160, £265 and £305 respectively. 

Both cars are reasonably well equipped, with a heated windscreen, DAB radio, Bluetooth and air conditioning fitted as standard. On top of that, the Corsa adds xenon headlights and cruise control, while the Fiesta counters with heated front seats and rear privacy glass. Neither car came with sat-nav as standard.

In our latest What Car? Reliability Survey, only the pair's standard counterparts were featured, with the Fiesta (in petrol form) placing seventh out of 17 cars in the small car class and the Corsa coming 14th. As brands, Ford ranked 27th out of 30 manufacturers while Vauxhall finished in 22nd. 

In Euro NCAP crash testing, the Fiesta received its maximum five-star rating. The Corsa was given a four-star rating. 

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