Used Honda Jazz 2008 - 2015 review
Category: Small car
The Honda Jazz offers all the space and versatility of amuch bigger car and should give you years of trouble-free motoring. The biggest weakness is its ride.
What's the used Honda Jazz hatchback like?
There are plenty of small cars that are more stylish or better to drive, but none are more practical than the Honda Jazz.
Its boot is larger than that of a Ford Focus, despite the Jazz being shorter than a Fiesta. What’s more, a series of flaps let you divide up the space to stop smaller luggage sliding around, and there’s a suspended net for loose items.
The cleverness doesn’t stop there. The rear seats cantilever down when you lower the backrests so they lie completely flat. Or alternatively, you can flip the bases up, like cinema seats, to fit bikes or other large items across the car.
When the rear seats are in place, a six-foot passenger can sit behind a similar-sized driver without their knees touching the seat in front. All the seats are also mounted higher than they are in most small hatchbacks to make it easier to get in and out.
Light steering makes the Honda Jazz pretty effortless to drive in town. However, the firm suspension jostles you and your passengers around. True, comfort improves with speed, but there’s so much wind noise at 70mph that you can hear little else.
The steering is rather vague, so on winding roads it’s difficult to find an enjoyable rhythm in the Jazz.
Ownership cost
What used Honda Jazz hatchback will I get for my budget?
Prices for this second-generation Jazz range from about £2500 for early 1.2-litre petrol cars that have covered more than 100,000 miles, to about £13,000 for low-mileage hybrids built just before the car went off sale in 2015.
A 2013 1.4-litre petrol car in our favoured ES-T spec that has covered 24,000 miles will cost about £7000 if bought privately and £8000 if bought from a dealer.
How much does it cost to run a Honda Jazz hatchback?
The 1.2- and 1.4-litre petrols average about 50mpg in official tests, while the hybrid manages 62.8mpg. However, the petrols both need to be revved quite hard, while the hybrid rarely switches into electric mode, so in the real world you’ll struggle to get within 10mpg of the official figures no matter which engine you choose.
The same is true of rivals, such as the Nissan Note and Citroen C3 Picasso, although unlike the Jazz, these are available as diesels, which offer improved fuel economy, particularly on the motorway.
Road tax bills will be small no matter which Jazz you choose, with the hybrid costing just £10 a year. Servicing isn’t that expensive, eitherm despite Honda dealers having a strong reputation for customer care and quality.
Insurance is expensive compared with rivals, though. The 1.2-litre models are in group 13-14, while the hybrid is in group 16 and the 1.4s are rated at 16-19.
Our recommendations
Which used Honda Jazz hatchback should I buy?
The 1.2-litre petrol engine feels underpowered, so it’s worth spending a little more to get the 1.4-litre.
Both came with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard, while the alternative when the car first went on sale was Honda’s i-Shift automatic gearbox, which is best avoided because it causes the car to lurch disconcertingly whenever it changes up.
Fortunately, Honda dropped the iShift in favour of its CVT-7 auto gearbox in February 2011; this is much smoother, even if it does let the engine get raucous under hard acceleration.
A petrol-electric hybrid was added to the range at the same time, and this gets the CVT-7 gearbox as standard.
Our favourite used Honda Jazz: 1.4 ES-T manual
Alternatives
What alternatives should I consider to a used Honda Jazz hatchback?
The Jazz’s closest rival is the Nissan Note, which was introduced in 2005 and features the same sort of elevated seating. It has a more comfortable ride than the Jazz, but its boot and rear seats aren’t as clever. A second-generation version of the Note with similar attributes followed in 2013.
A slightly bigger alternative is the Citroen C3 Picasso. On sale since 2009, it has sliding rear seats to let you alter the balance between passenger and luggage space, and the ride is comfortable, putting the Jazz’s to shame. It’s reliability record is merely average, though.
If you like the idea of an elevated driving position, but want something a little more stylish, the Renault Captur (introduced in 2013) is worth considering. It looks like a small 4x4, despite all versions being front-wheel drive. Although it isn’t as spacious as the Jazz (or the Picasso), it also has sliding rear seats and a very comfortable ride.
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
