Ford Fiesta is named the top used car of 2012

THE Ford Fiesta 1.25 Zetec five-door has been named Used Car of the Year 2012 and used supermini of the year.
And in a triple swoop for the blue oval brand the Ford Mondeo was voted best used family car while the S-Max took the best used MPV trophy in the annual What Car? awards.
Last year’s overall winner, the Nissan Qashqai, was voted best used SUV, with judges praising its spacious and classy cabin, comfortable ride and commanding view.
Volkswagen picked up a pair of awards, the Golf being named best used small family car and the Passat Estate landing the estate category.
Audi also won two trophies, with the A6 awarded best used executive and luxury car and the TT named used fun car of the year.
The Toyota Aygo was named best used city car. The judges said that the Aygo’s blend of funky styling and rock-bottom running costs were exactly the attributes city car buyers are looking for.
What Car? chief Chas Hallett said: “The Fiesta is a fantastic used car. It’s stylish, refined, safe and great to drive. It’s also reliable and cheap to run, and you can buy a three-year-old example for a little over £6000, so it’s a lot of talented car for the cash.”
The judging panel were from all areas of the motor industry, including Fords of Winsford car supermarket, Warranty Direct and CDL Ltd, plus experts from the magazine.
As well as selecting the overall Used Car of the Year the judges picked winners and runners-up in nine categories, looking at running costs, reliability, driveability, quality, longevity, safety features and desirability.