Ford Ka vs Fiat 500

See how these old and new cars square up in the scrappage battle. Check below to see if your car qualifies for the Government's scrappage scheme.

Does your car qualify for scrappage?
The Government has set aside another 100 million for the scrappage scheme. That's enough for 100,000 cars, so get in quick. The latest the scheme can run until is February 28, 2010 and your old car must meet the following criteria:

• First registration was before February 29, 2000
• You must be the registered keeper and have owned the car for at least 12 months
• It must be taxed and have a valid MoT certificate
• There must be no outstanding finance

Name Olivia Pina Age 43
Current car 1998 Ford Ka 1.3 2
Mileage 99,000
New car Fiat 500 1.2 Pop

Olivia's Ka has racked up nearly 100,000 miles over the past 12 years, and things are starting to go wrong she recently spent several hundred pounds on repairs and is worried that the vultures are circling. Style and running costs are important, so we recommended the funky Fiat 500 1.2 Pop.

Buying a 500 would certainly slash Olivia's fuel bills. Our tests showed her old Ka is 4.5mpg down on the Fiat, which would work out to 368 over three years. It's also a lot cheaper to tax and quite a bit nippier, too.

Although the old Ford is still surprisingly good to drive, it's scarily bad at stopping it took longer than any of the cars we tested to come to a halt from both 30mph and 70mph. Budget tyres that were well worn didn't help.

Olivia's fears about the state of her Ka were proved right by an RAC inspection. It needs 587 of work to get it fit for the road again, and the car isn't worth much more than that.

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