Used Ford B-MAX for sale: everything you need to know

The Ford B-MAX is an MPV that offers lots of practicality thanks to its big doors that make for easy access. It’s fun to drive too and comes with a solid specification and a range of engine options.

Considering the Ford B-MAX is classed as an MPV, it offers a great drive just as you’d expect from this manufacturer. Ford has the Galaxy, C-MAX and S-MAX too, but there’s something about the B-MAX that makes it a little more fun. Maybe that’s to do with its reasonably compact but clever design?

The Ford B-MAX is hugely practical too, the appeal of which is increased by a pair of sliding rear doors. Other clever design touches make the MPV a breeze to get into, which is one of the main aspects about the B-MAX for anyone needing to carry people around.

Out on the road there’s sharp and reactive steering and well-sorted suspension with a choice of four petrol engines and two diesel versions depending on the model year. A PowerShift automatic gearbox is available too making the driving experience slick and efficient. Our pick of the bunch are the two tiny 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrols.

Alternative options include the Vauxhall Meriva, although if you prefer a small hatchback rather than an MPV, Honda’s Jazz is almost somewhere between the two. If you to stay with the Ford brand and don't mind a utilitarian look then check out the Tourneo Connect.

Should you buy a Ford B-MAX?

Anyone who needs to get people and their stuff from A to B will find a used Ford B-MAX a great option. This is a reasonably compact vehicle, so you don't have the bulk that comes with many commercial vehicles. There's comfort and handling too, with performance to match any kind of need thanks to a decent range of engines.

If you want or need to carry a lot of stuff and/or people on a regular basis but want to do so in a small car, your choices are, on the whole, relatively limited. The B-MAX therefore makes an excellent case for itself. It is a practical car even before you take into consideration the sliding rear doors, and if you regularly have people getting in and out of the back seats - or even use the space as a makeshift van - you’ll wonder how you lived without it.

It also drives well enough that it won’t feel like a compromise, although if you can live with a conventional Fiesta you’ll save yourself some money and have a car that is easier to sell on afterwards.

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What’s the best used Ford B-MAX model to buy?

As far as your model choices go, the basic Ford B-MAX Studio is enough to get by but lacks some of the more appealing extras, which no doubt contributed to it being ditched from the range later in the car’s life. Better to plump for the Ford B-MAX Zetec model as the pick of the range - plenty to choose from, an increased range of engines plus some of the more important extras like the Quickclear heated windscreen, air conditioning and the better SYNC infotainment system.

From the engine range, the 1.5-litre diesel is frugal and sufficiently brisk, but either of the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrols makes the smartest choice. We’d go for the more powerful 125PS version as it also gets stop/start as standard.

Used Ford B-MAX fuel economy and performance

The Ford B-MAX has gone through a number of engine options in its lifetime, with the range slimming-down as it moved towards the end of production. In terms of fuel consumption, the 1.6-litre automatic with 44.1mpg combined (NEDC) can be cheap to run. The diesel options are the most economical though, with either delivering a official combined figure in excess of 70mpg (NEDC) which should comfortably translate into 50mpg during everyday driving. Other engine options to consider include:

• Ford B-MAX 1.4-litre 90PS petrol: Available in Studio and Zetec trims, which moves the B-MAX along reasonably well but isn’t especially quick or particularly frugal either. The bigger 1.6-litre petrol has 105PS but comes with the PowerShift automatic gearbox only - it works well enough but saps power a little.
• Ford B-MAX 1.5-litre 75PS diesel: Two diesel engines are offered - a 1.5-litre in 75PS along with the beefier 95PS. The 75PS is best avoided. It may have a useful 190Nm of torque but it is comfortably the slowest Ford B-MAX you can buy, whereas the 95PS version offers identical fuel consumption but is usefully quicker. Neither version is particularly refined, but if you must have a diesel then the 95PS is the one to have.

We’d recommend one of the two EcoBoost petrols however. Even though the design is getting on a little now, the basic brilliance hasn’t been diminished. The larger version is as quick as the higher-power diesel, and although it can’t match that car’s economy it still performs well - with 55.4mpg combined (NEDC) and 109g.km of CO2. Better still, the 125PS version adds the stop-start system as standard, is the quickest B-MAX you can buy and offers better fuel consumption than the 100PS version too.

A five-speed manual gearbox is standard on all engines (except for the 1.6-litre petrol) and offers a stress-free, effortless gear change.

What used Ford B-MAX trim levels are available?

Ford has kept the trim levels on the B-MAX relatively simple and straightforward. The Ford B-MAX Studio model is the lowest option, which doesn't possess lots of equipment but it's got the essentials like a decent audio system including DAB and Bluetooth. 

Next up, the Ford B-MAX Zetec model offers more engine choices including the diesels, the EcoBoost petrols and the automatic. Kit-wise, it adds some desirable extras like air conditioning, Ford's SYNC system and a heated windscreen, which is nigh on essential for winter mornings.

Meanwhile, the Ford B-MAX Titanium and Titanium X ramp up the equipment levels still further - there's climate control and part-leather seat trim for example, which can be good value if you're buying used as opposed to when it was a trim level option new. Better still, later models offered Navigator specification, which added sat-nav to Zetec, Titanium and Titanium X models.

Used Ford B-MAX dimensions and boot size

The Ford B-MAX's dimensions are:

• Length: 4077mm
• Width: 1857mm
• Height: 1604mm
• Ground clearance: 140mm

The Ford B-MAX's boot size is:

• 318-litres
• 1386 litres with rear seats folded down

Used Ford B-MAX road tax

The level of road tax you pay for a Ford B-MAX depends not only on which engine you choose but more crucially when it was registered. As an example, the 1.5-litre diesel can qualify for zero VED if it was registered on or before March 31st 2017 - buy the same car registered a day later and your VED bill suddenly becomes £150 a year. 

It's the same for the EcoBoost petrols, which can cost £30 or £150 a year depending on when it was registered. Nevertheless, lower-emission models will generally pay less as a rule of thumb.

How much is it to insure a Ford B-MAX?

Used buyers of the Ford B-MAX should be able to enjoy relatively low insurance costs compared to much cheaper and smaller cars. For example, the 1.4-litre petrol and low-power diesel versions drop into group 8E, while the top-spec Titanium Navigator models with the 125PS EcoBoost engine are the highest rated at group 12E.

Read our full Ford B-MAX review