It’s fair to say Fiat has a good reputation for style and driver appeal but an unfavourable one for reliability and build quality. That’s fast changing however and the Grande Punto is a perfect example. Neatly styled, good to drive and solidly constructed it’s a much better long term prospect than Fiat’s of old and comes with a good choice of engines including the excellent MultiJet diesels.

The inside is neat and well laid out but does lack the quality feel of some rivals while the slack gearchange also lets it down. However it’s great value for money and typically around £1400 less than rivals like the Renault Clio or Toyota Yaris.