Expert answer

Hi Jacqueline,

I wouldn't wait for the Ka. It's being designed primarily for Asian and low-cost markets, so it probably won't be the most refined, comfortable or high-tech. That's perhaps jumping the gun on the review a bit, but it's certainly likely to be the case. Of the cars you've listed I'd say the Hyundai i10 and Skoda Fabia are the standouts. They're quite different cars (the i10 is significantly smaller than the Skoda), but both are excellent to drive, well-made, reliable and offer excellent value. Have a try of both, and see which one suits your needs, size-wise, better.

Further reading:

Hyundai i10 review

Skoda Fabia review

Peugeot 208 review

Renault Clio review

Toyota Yaris review

Expert answer

Hi Mick,

Yeti. 2008 is nice, really nice in fact, but the Yeti remains one of the most impressive all-round cars we've ever driven.

Further reading:

Peugeot 2008 review

Skoda Yeti review

Expert answer

Hi Louise,

I suspect that the sensor that reports a fault to your car's computer has been disturbed or possibly even not plugged back in after the work was done on the car. However, you really need to get the car back to the garage that did the work as soon as possible to have it checked over and rectified. It is their responsibility to make sure it's all ok.

Let us know how you get on

Expert answer

Hi John,

OK, there's good news and bad news here. The good news is that the four marques of which you've spoken have all really lifted their quality and reliability games. Renault especially has come on a long way since the dark, unreliable days of the early 2000s. While electrical gremlins are pretty much guaranteed further down the line, that's something you could equally say of any Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi.

Dacia tend also to make very reliable cars, in no small part because they're so simple and lacking in the sort of high-end electronics that festoon other models. The brand regularly features very high up in the European JD Power customer satisfaction rankings.

Fiat tends to do less well in those rankings, but much of that is down to a dealer network that's still trying to get its head around modern customer service requirements. The fact is that Fiats these days are no more or less well made or reliable than any other brand (mostly - more on that in a tic). Certainly, we know of many Fiat customers who've had trouble-free motoring for many, many years.

Citroen too has really lifted its game and the latest generations, such as the C4 Picasso and C4 Cactus are really well put together. Long term reliability is still an unknown of course for these new models, but in general, longevity seems to be on the up.

However, just as these Franco-Italian brands have improved, so too have the Japanese and Koreans. There is still a distinct gap in overall solidity between the Japanese brands (Honda especially) and everyone else. It's still the case that if you want genuinely trouble-free motoring, the Japanese are still kings, with the Koreans and Skoda hot on their heels.

That said, I reckon if you bought any Fiat, looked after it properly and made sure it was fully serviced to schedule, you wouldn't have any major problems.

Expert answer

Hi John,

Skoda says every four years or 60,000 miles (just under 100,000 kilometres).

Expert answer

Hi Stephen,

Unless your surname happens to be Axa or Aviva, you need to stick to a 1.0-litre engine. Now, depending on your budget, that might not be the motoring purgatory that you think it is. If you can stretch to it, a Volkswagen up!, Skoda Citigo or SEAT Mii are all terrific to drive and funky to look at and all come with a rev-happy little 1.0-litre lump. Ditto recent versions of the Ford Fiesta with the non-turbo version of the three-cylinder Ecoboost engine.

Need to buy something older and cheaper? Track down an Opel Corsa 1.0. Not the most exciting car, but safe, solid and decent to drive. Older again? Consider a Nissan Micra from the '90s. Yes, it's slow but it's more enjoyable in the corners than you might think and they go forever on minimal maintenance.

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Hi Michael,

If you want to go petrol then there are few better options than Volkswagen's 1.2 TSI turbo, and when it's fitted to the Skoda Octavia, you've got a near-perfect combination. Drive it gently, and you'll probably get very little difference in the overall fuel consumption compared to your old 407. That engine hasn't really been in the market for all that long, so it's a little hard to get a handle on whether or not there are any reliability landmines out there, but in general we've heard nothing bad. 

Expert answer

Hi Mick,

Well, there's a significant difference here in that the Juke is much smaller (and in fairness less expensive) than either the Yeti or Sportage. It's fun to drive too but to be honest I think its lack of rear seat and boot space counts it out here (though the 2015 model has a larger boot than before in two-wheel drive guise). 

The Sportage is a good choice - good looking, high quality and with that long Kia warranty. But it's the Yeti we'd go for. It is well made, good to drive and massively practical.

Further reading:

Skoda Yeti review

Skoda Yeti vs. Fiat 500L Trekking twin test review

Nissan Juke review

Kia Sportage review

Expert answer

Hi Luke,

That light means that something somewhere in the engine that affects the emissions has gone wrong. It really could be anything and may not be really noticeable to the driver. It's still worth having the car checked with a diagnostics reader at some stage, as it could be doing long-term damage. Also, it won't pass its NCT with that light on.

Expert answer

Hi Aisling,

You won't go far wrong with the Octavia. Get the 1.6 TDI and you've got a potential 55mpg car with lots of space and terrific build quality and reliability. If you're looking for alternatives, then there's always the Volkswagen Golf (mechanically the same as the Skoda but less spacious inside) or the Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi (terrific to drive and good value but poor standard equipment and they're tight in the back).