Feature

Used test – clever city cars: Fiat Panda vs Skoda Citigo

Both of these used city cars rely on neat design to save you pennies without making you feel like a pauper. But which is best?

What will they cost?

There’s not a lot in the purchase prices of these cars, but the Fiat Panda is just about the cheaper of the two. That said, you’ll struggle to find a Panda with this particular engine fitted, which means you might have to settle for the less efficient 1.2-litre, which will increase fuel consumption and reduce performance.

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If you can find a Panda fitted with the 0.9-litre engine, you’ll benefit from an average fuel economy of 67.3mpg, according to official government figures. The Skoda Citigo will match that, and both cars fall below the 99g/km CO2 output tax threshold, so will cost you nothing to tax.

The Panda will be the cheaper of the two cars to service. The Citigo’s servicing isn’t extortionate, but you’ll find the Fiat will cost you less for both major and minor services. What’s more, if you get your service carried out at a Fiat dealer, you get free 12 months’ breakdown assistance thrown in, which is a handy extra to have.

However, you might need it: Fiat has a pretty poor reputation for reliability compared with Skoda. The latter manufacturer finished third overall in the 2017 JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study, whereas Fiat finished fourth from bottom of the table of 25 car makers. That suggests the Panda might let you down more frequently and cost you more when it does so.

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