Ford Fiesta vs Ford Mondeo

Mondeo man is throwing his money down the plughole. After three years, our sample 2.0-litre is selling for one-quarter of its list price – while a Fiesta we found with identical mileage had retained half its value to sell for £500 more used.

Heavy discounting when the family car was new is partly responsible, but mainly it’s the current lack of demand for big cars. While we focused on the petrol model, three-year-old diesels are easy to find for less than £5,000.

The hole under the waterline is this: tax for the petrol Mondeo will rise to £260 next year. In contrast, the Fiesta’s £35 bill sinks to £30, as the 1.4 TDCi emits 116g/km of CO2. It also returns 64.2mpg – with a heavy foot, the family car would struggle to achieve half that.

But think of the space on offer. The Mondeo has a 500-litre boot, against 284 litres for the supermini.

Fiesta 1.4 TDCi / Mondeo 2.0
* Price from: £4,600 / £4,000
* Example we found: 1.4 Style / 2.0 Zetec
* Year/Mileage: 05-reg, 56,000 miles / 05-reg, 56,000 miles
* Price now : £4,795 / £4,299
* Price new in 2005: £9,795 / £17,900
* Economy/CO2: 64.2mpg/116g/km / 36.2mpg/187g/km
* Tax now/Apr 2009: £35/£30 / £210/£260