Where each one leads
Ford Fiesta
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Nissan Versa
- Against cars of the same year, the Nissan Versa comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 20% more often than average) than the Ford Fiesta (fails 31% more often than average).
- NHTSA rates the 2025 Nissan Versa at 5 of 5 stars, the 2019 Ford Fiesta at 4.
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2025 Nissan Versa uses 6.8 l/100 km, the 2019 Ford Fiesta 7.6.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Ford Fiesta | Nissan Versa | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1988–2019 | 2007–2025 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 3,231,019 (2010–2022) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 1,296,479 | — |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 168,800 | — |
| In traffic in Finland | 31,947 | — |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Ford Fiesta | Nissan Versa | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 66% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | −5% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 2.7% | 2.4% |
| … against cars of the same year | +31% | +20% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.3% | — |
| US owner complaints | 3,176 | 3,327 |
| Most complaints about | Power train | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2011 (730) | 2009 (504) |
| US recall campaigns | 12 | 26 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 744 | 1,840 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 19 | 34 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Ford Fiesta | Nissan Versa | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 4★ (2019) | 5★ (2025) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Ford Fiesta | Nissan Versa | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 7.6 l/100 km (2019) | 6.8 l/100 km (2025) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 6.7 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 6.3 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 120 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 80 kW (108 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 1,204 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €17,945 | — |
| Average odometer in Finland | 124,000 km | — |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).