Ford Ka+ review (2016-2019)
The third-gen Ford Ka earned the ‘+’ moniker because – as you’d expect – it's a bit bigger than the previous versions. It’s not just a case of giving this fun city car a bit more room for your legs to stretch in, though. The Ford Ka+ adds a few nice touches while keeping the fun driving experience of the first Ka. Find out what we think in our road-tested Ford Ka+ review.
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Pros
- Affordable to buy
- More space than a regular Ka
- Nippy around town
Cons
- Limited engine options
- Feels cheaper than a Fiesta
Interior
Our rating: 6/10
The Ford Ka+ has a fairly low purchase price, so you might not expect it to feel like a BMW inside. And it doesn't.
Nevertheless, the whole ambience and feeling of quality is better than you might expect. Everything certainly feels built to deal with the rigours of a busy family life.
Tech and features
The little Ford's dashboard is a pretty attractive offering with various shapes, cut-outs and vents to draw the eye.
Immediately ahead of the driver sits a wonderfully simple steering wheel that has pleasingly few buttons on it.
In front of that, the instrument cluster also has all the information you need and nothing more.
Top the left of this on the dashboard is a small information display, while on higher-spec Zetec models there is a colour infotainment screen on the top of the dashboard.
In Studio models, this is surrounded by a selection of buttons seemingly designed upon a mobile phone from 2004.
Thankfully, Zetec versions have a more modern set-up that’s easier to use and more informative. There’s no sat-nav, but Zetec models come with DAB radio.
Performance
Our rating: 7/10
Handling and ride comfort
The Ka+ is based on underpinnings from the Fiesta model, which is a cracking start as the Fiesta is a truly brilliant supermini to drive. And so it proves with the Ka+.
Its light, accurate steering makes it a delight in the cut and thrust of city traffic, and parking the Ka+ is a breeze.
Where some city cars start to feel slightly ill at ease when the roads open up and become a bit quicker, the Ka+ deals with this kind of driving well.
It takes most bumps in its stride, too.
Engines and power
The more powerful 1.2-litre petrol gives the Ka+ enough performance. Later cars also have the choice of a diesel powerplant, which feels more lethargic.
Practicality
Our rating: 7/10
Ford has clearly learned the art of bending physics because the Ka+ is easily one of the most practical city cars around.
It genuinely has space for five adults, despite only being four-paces long.
Rear seats
The clever bit is behind because a couple of tall adults should easily fit behind a couple of similarly tall folk up front.
A third adult will also fit in the middle, but they’ll need to be on first-name terms with the others – Ford may be able to bend physics, but it can’t work magic yet.
Boot space
The boot, meanwhile, is one of the largest of any similarly sized vehicle, so you’ll get a week’s shopping in there easily. There’s also an underfloor area for valuables.
Running costs
Our rating: 7/10
The Ford Ka+ takes all the fun driving characteristics and cheap running costs that the original Ka was rightly lauded for but adds genuinely amazing cabin space, boot room and general usability.
It’s also decently equipped. If there’s one caveat, the Ka+ scored only a middling three-star result when it was tested by Euro NCAP back in 2017 and was mainly marked down because it has no automatic emergency braking system fitted.
Fuel economy
It’s known for being reliable, and the thrifty engines are fabulously thirst-free. There’s also a Ford dealer on basically every second street, so servicing and maintenance shouldn’t be a problem.
The verdict
Interior
6/10
Performance
7/10
Practicality
7/10
Running costs
7/10
The Ford Ka was always a fun city car to drive. The second generation gave it serious credentials too.
It looked like a proper scaled-down version of a bigger hatchback and was comfortable to be in, whether nipping around town or cruising on the motorway.
Best of all, the Ka is easy and cheap to own.
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