• Well-sized boot (but some rivals are bigger)
• Hardy plastics and lots of clever cubbies
• Sunroof eats into headroom

How much space is there?

Ford binned the three-door Fiesta as part of the 2022 facelift, so practicality at the end was the same across the range. The rear doors are a good size and open wide, which aids rear access greatly – although there’s only space on the rear bench for two adults. It’s a touch narrow for three. Most child seats should fit easily, though consider the impact on front legroom and take the seats with you on a test drive, and it might be worth opting for the taller-riding Fiesta Active if you want to avoid bending too much.

Front occupants aren’t left wanting for space. There’s loads of headroom, plenty of elbow room and wide footwells. All the controls fall neatly to hand, as well – even as a small car, the gap between the seat and the door is wide enough to adjust the seats without crushing your fingers.

In fact, the only thing that makes the Fiesta feel any less than spacious are the thick front pillars. They’re wide enough to block family cars from view.

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Boot space and storage

The Fiesta’s boot isn’t a bad size. It measures 292 litres with the rear seats in place and 1,093 litres with the bench folded, which makes it almost identically sized to the previous-generation Renault Clio. However, the contemporary Clio has a 391-litre boot, which makes the Fiesta look tiny in comparison.

You have to reach up and over a fairly high boot lip to load heavier items as well, which could prove problematic for some. However, the opening itself is a decent size and the bench folds in a 60:40 split, which gives you some more flexibility if you need to carry passengers and luggage.

There are cupholders between the front seats and door bins large enough to swallow smaller bottles, notebooks and snacks. Ford also designed a very thoughtful space in the cupholder that’s exactly the right size for a packet of chewing gum or a vape pen.

There are some foibles, though. The wireless smartphone charging pad, where fitted, is ahead of the gear lever and larger phones can get in the way. Even so, the Fiesta still had one of the best interiors to live with in the real world.

Is it easy to park?

As a small car, the Fiesta was designed to be manoeuvrable and easy to park in towns and cities. It’s around 4,040mm long (varying with spec), 1,941mm wide with the mirrors, and 1,484mm high; a genuinely compact package next to a Focus.

It has reasonable visibility to the rear and it is generally easy to judge where the corners are without any gadgets. But we’re living in the 21st century, so of course there are gadgets. Reversing sensors were standard on all but the cheapest Trend model and Ford offered an optional parking pack that added front parking sensors, a rear-view camera, active park assist (it steers into the space for you) and door-edge protectors that prevent you from chipping the paint in tight parking spaces.

Safety

• Five-star rating from Euro NCAP
• Two Isofix points as standard
• Much safety technology optional

The Ford Fiesta was crash-tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP in 2017 and scored a solid five-star rating, with impressive adult and child occupant scores. However, bear in mind that the car was tested under an old set of regulations. Euro NCAP had tightened its belt an awful lot before the Fiesta went off sale, putting greater emphasis on driver assistance technology. That means the most basic versions of the Fiesta might not have achieved the same score if they were tested again later.

All Fiestas got lane-keeping assist, a speed limiter, a rear seatbelt reminder and automatic headlamps. You also got a tyre-pressure monitoring system, a tyre repair kit and six airbags including a pair of curtain ones. The bodyshell itself was also far stronger than the previous-generation Fiesta thanks to use of more advanced metals.

The important optional safety kit included blindspot warning, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking and forward collision warning.

Watch: Ford Fiesta Euro NCAP crash test video