Honda Jazz review

Let’s not beat around the bush, the Jazz is expensive, costing more to buy outright than the Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208 and Volkswagen Polo. However, it does come very well equipped as standard (see below) and it’s predicted to hold onto its value much better than most rivals, including the Toyota Yaris Hybrid. Those strong resale values are good news for anyone going down the PCP finance route, although the Jazz will still set you back the same sort of money as an Audi A1.

We have yet to put the Jazz through our True MPG test, but on a road route that took in towns, B-roads and motorways, the Jazz consistently averaged more than 60mpg, all but matching its official economy figure. That’s right up there with the most efficient diesels.

The Jazz’s CO2 emissions, from 102g/km, compare well against nearly every rival, from regular petrols and diesels, to the Yaris Hybrid. If you're a company car driver looking for a small hatchback, you'll find that the Jazz sits in competitive tax bands, but its high list price jacks up its P11D value, so it’s worth doing the maths before choosing it over cheaper rivals. We wouldn't recommend the Crosstar EX model; not only does it add even more to the Jazz's hefty list price, but it also increases its CO2 emissions. 

This is a very well-equipped car. Even in entry-level SE spec it comes with automatic lights and wipers, climate control, adaptive cruise control, power-folding door mirrors and a whole host of safety equipment (for more on that, check out the Safety and Security section below). One omission is alloy wheels – it comes with wheel trims instead. 

For 15in alloys, you need to upgrade to SR spec, which is our favourite. Why? Well, the reasonable hike in price brings not only the front and rear parking sensors and better infotainment system we’ve discussed, but also part-leather seats and smarter interior trim.

The range-topping EX model adds quite a bit more kit, including keyless entry and a heated steering wheel, but it’s pricey, while the SUV-inspired Crosstar EX is super expensive, even in relation to a top-spec Yaris. 

The fourth-generation Honda Jazz is too new to have featured in our latest Reliability Survey, but the Honda brand finished a respectable 10th out of 31 manufacturers. In terms of rival brands, Ford, Mazda, Peugeot and Volkswagen all finished some way behind Honda in the rankings, while Skoda finished in 9th. Hyundai and Kia finished seventh and sixth, and Toyota finished second. 

Every Honda comes with a three-year warranty as standard for most parts, but the hybrid system is covered for up to five years/90,000 miles. The market leader for warranties is Kia, which offers seven years for free. Hyundai and Renault are next, with five years’ cover. The Jazz also has a five-year exhaust warranty and a corrosion warranty of between 10 and 12 years (depending on which area of the car is affected).

The latest Jazz hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP yet, but it gets lots of safety systems as standard, including lane-keeping assistance and lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, automatic emergency braking and Isofix mounts on the outer rear seats. 

If you upgrade to the EX trim, you also get blind spot monitoring and cross traffic monitoring, which issues a warning if you’re about to reverse into the path of a car. 

As for security, all versions have an engine immobiliser, but only SR trim and above have an alarm.

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