Skip advert
Advertisement

Ford EcoSport review - Reliability & safety (2014-2023)

Poor protection for pedestrians resulted in the Ford EcoSport getting a four-star safety score

Carbuyer Rating

2.5 out of 5

Owners Rating

4.0 out of 5

Read owner reviews
Reliability & safety Rating

2.5 out of 5

Strangely, although Ford consistently sells the most cars of any brand in the UK, it has also fared consistently poorly in our annual customer satisfaction survey – the fact that so many people keep buying its cars doesn’t square completely with customer feedback.

Ford EcoSport reliability

The Ford EcoSport placed 35th out of the 75 top cars in our Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, which was a very impressive result. However, Ford's result as a brand has been rather lacklustre for a number of years. In 2021 it finished in 25th place out of 29 manufacturers.

Advertisement - Article continues below

EcoSport owners were happy with reliability and build quality, along with the car's design and its performance. However, a fairly poor result for running costs shows that its petrol engines may return lower fuel economy than expected.

Safety

Many family cars now achieve five stars in Euro NCAP crash-testing, so it’s always slightly surprising when a new car like the Ford EcoSport only gets four. You should be careful when comparing it directly to older cars that appear to have done better, though, as Euro NCAP’s standards are regularly updated and made more stringent. 

The EcoSport actually did extremely well for adult occupant protection, scoring 93% (while its 77% child occupant score is also decent), but it was let down by low scores of 58% for pedestrian protection and 55% for safety assistance.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Andy is Carbuyer's managing editor, with more than a decade of experience helping consumers find their perfect car. He has an MA in automotive journalism and has tested hundreds of vehicles.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Car tax: VED rates and increases explained 2024/25
Car tax
Tips and advice
4 Nov 2024

Car tax: VED rates and increases explained 2024/25

Ford EcoBoost engines: reliability, problems and should you buy one?
Ford Puma EcoBoost front
Tips and advice
5 Nov 2024

Ford EcoBoost engines: reliability, problems and should you buy one?

New Renault 5 is here! Retro EV costs from just under £23k
Renault 5
News
19 Nov 2024

New Renault 5 is here! Retro EV costs from just under £23k

Tips & advice

View All
Car dashboard warning lights: what does each symbol mean?
Car dashboard symbols and meanings
Tips and advice
21 Oct 2024

Car dashboard warning lights: what does each symbol mean?

Electric car charging stations: public networks, charger types, apps and maps
Charging station
Tips and advice
23 Jul 2024

Electric car charging stations: public networks, charger types, apps and maps

PCP vs HP – which type of car finance is right for you?
PCP vs HP
Tips and advice
17 May 2022

PCP vs HP – which type of car finance is right for you?

Average speed cameras: how do they work?
Average speed cameras: how do they work?
Tips and advice
21 Mar 2024

Average speed cameras: how do they work?

Best cars

View All
Top 10 best car interiors
Peugeot 208 hatchback
Best cars
25 Jun 2021

Top 10 best car interiors

Top 10 best electric cars 2024
Best electric cars
Best cars
16 May 2024

Top 10 best electric cars 2024

Top 10 best cheap-to-run cars 2024
The best cheap-to-run cars 2023
Best cars
2 Jan 2024

Top 10 best cheap-to-run cars 2024

The UK's top 10 fastest hot hatchbacks 2024
Fastest hot hatchbacks hero
Best cars
2 Jan 2024

The UK's top 10 fastest hot hatchbacks 2024