• Mild-hybrid petrols are frugal
• No diesel any more
• Cheap servicing across line-up

What are the running costs?

Ford fitted a mild hybrid system (mHEV) to its 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engines in 2020, which helped improve fuel economy and emissions. Ford claims you can extract as much as 54.3mpg from the unit – and, while that’s a little on the optimistic side in the real world, you should see high 40s if you drive carefully.

View detailed MPG and CO2 figures on our Ford Focus specs pages.

Servicing and warranty

There should be no unpleasant surprises when it comes to servicing and maintaining a Focus, as Ford parts and labour costs are typically low and the brand has more official service centres in the UK than any other car maker. Service packages are also available from main dealers, which further help keep costs in check.

The warranty is three years and unlimited mileage, which you can extend to four or five years at an additional cost. However, many rivals now offer more generous coverage than this as standard. Hyundai, for example is five years with unlimited mileage, Kia is seven years limited to 100,000 miles, while Toyota offers up to 10 years of cover.

Ford uses an ‘intelligent’ oil life monitor, meaning service intervals may vary depending on how you drive the car. That said, budgeting for a dealer visit every 12 months or 12,500 miles makes sound sense.

Reliability

• Overall reliability record is good
• Sold in huge numbers
• No real reasons for concern

The Ford Focus has sold in huge numbers over the years, so at some point everything that could go wrong probably has gone wrong with one of these cars. But there is no really consistent pattern of problems for this model, and the Ford brand is generally well regarded, too.

An exception to this is the highly publicised ‘wet belt’ issue with EcoBoost petrol engines. This will only effect early examples of the mk4 Focus, however, and doesn’t apply to any of the current mild-hybrid range, as these feature an extensively redesigned engine with a timing chain.

Similarly, while there have been some safety recalls, nothing alarming stands out that makes us worry. And with plenty of dealers to keep you going should the worst happen, we’re confident that one of these should make for a dependable buy – though if you’re looking at second-hand examples check for full service history any warning signs indicated by previous MOTs.

Readers have rated this generation of Focus 3.9 out of five in our Ford Focus owner reviews section. Already got one? Why not leave your own impressions to help others.