The beloved Ford Fiesta went off sale in the UK in 2023 after 47 years on the market and 17 years as Britain’s bestselling car. 

It’s still the most popular used car in the UK, even three years after they stopped selling new ones. It wasn’t a lack of popularity that killed the supermini, but an inability to make any money off it. 

Emissions rules have been steadily tightening up for petrol and diesel cars, safety regulations mean they have to come equipped with lots of pricey tech that gets on our nerves, there’s lots more competition in the new car market and it all eats into your profit margins. 

So is Ford bringing back the Fiesta? 

The Fiesta badge is indeed set to return for a new electric era… which is nice, because the streets just don’t feel right otherwise. Although not everyone was sad about it going... 

Will the new Ford Fiesta be electric?

It will – in fact that’s really the one definite thing we know about the new Ford Fiesta. If anything, the economics for a supermini have got worse, though batteries are getting steadily cheaper to make if you can get enough volume. (Though BYD doesn't seem to have had too many issues building a Dolphin PHEV though to be fair...)

To achieve those economies of scale, Ford has teamed up with Renault and will use the retro 5 as a base for its Fiesta comeback. The car will be built at the same factory in northern France as the 5, Nissan Micra and Alpine A290 that are all based on the same engineering platform.

So same batteries and motors?

More than likely – you get 52kWh and 40kWh battery options in the Micra and 5 (the A290 just comes with the larger battery), it's reasonable to assume the Fiesta will be the same. 

It also means we already know to expect a range figure of around 250 miles (400km) from the Fiesta, barring any upgrades to the Renault trio. The French carmaker has said that it won’t be updating the 5’s styling, but it will be due a traditional mid-life upgrade around 2028. 

Ford seems to be sharing a lot of platforms these days doesn’t it?

It does – the Explorer and Capri (above) EVs are both on a platform shared with the Volkswagen ID.4/ID.5, but the E-Transit Custom goes the other way, the Volkswagen Transporter now based on Ford’s engineering. 

Ford has signed a deal to build two electric cars on Renault’s platforms – the Fiesta is one, and rumours suggest that a larger crossover-styled EV could feature the Focus badge. That could be based on the same underpinnings as the Renault Megane. 

The US carmaker used to be the biggest cheese in town and now it's reduced to going round trying to find other manufacturers it can share a few bits with to save money. 

What will the new Fiesta look like?

Imagine a Renault 5 but slightly different – Ford should be in a better position than Nissan was with the Micra when it comes to putting its own looks on the retro-styled bestselling 5, but the stance will be familiar, as will elements like the window lines and overall shape of the car. 

The Fiesta won’t be retro like the Renault donor car, but will feature the distinctive LED light signature’s of Ford’s more recent models. 

When will the new Ford Fiesta be launched?

The new Fiesta supermini is planned to go on sale in 2028, which could mean that we see the final production version of the car before the end of 2027. 

How much will the new Fiesta cost?

Pricewise, Ford will be looking to start the range somewhere around £20k/£22k, but it there’s a sportier RS-badged version on sale it could sail towards the £35k mark. 

The latter version is a distinct possibility given the presence of the A290 hot hatch and Ford’s mysterious recent statements about how its new line-up of EVs are going to be rally inspired. 

What cars will it rival?

There’s a very healthy spread of electric superminis around these days – the Renault 5 will be an obvious rival, but the new Fiesta will also go up against the likes of the Peugeot E-208 (a new version arrives in 2027), the Vauxhall Corsa Electric (a new version will arrive at some point after the Peugeot because they’re based on the same platform) and the Volkswagen ID.Polo.