Seeing as the Ford Focus
was in production for 19 years, narrowing down the absolute best model year is nothing short of a herculean task—we can, however, provide a range of the best years, as well as some years to avoid. If you’re looking to buy an older model Ford Focus—which will likely be your cheapest option—we’d recommend one built between 2006 and 2008, as they have high ratings from J.D. Power and Kelley Blue Book.
If you want something slightly more modern, you might consider the 2010 Ford Focus, which received an 81 / 100 rating from J.D. Power, the highest consumer rating of any model year. This model is well known for being both reliable and low-cost to own—it also doesn’t suffer from the PowerShift problems that would befall later models.
If you have a bigger budget and want to buy a used Ford Focus that was actually built within the last decade, you can’t go wrong with the 2018 model—it has everything you’d want from a modern vehicle, including excellent fuel efficiency, high safety ratings, and a low annual ownership cost.