Same dilemma in our household at present.

Mrs RickyBoy currently runs a 1.2 Clio Dynamique (her 2nd Clio) though the NHS. It's nicely finished-off with a few individual extra's that make it stand apart.

The latest Clio equivalent is the Dynamique TomTom. She's not fussed about SatNav as most work related journeys are local and it could be a case of 'one Clio too many', so time to change brand? Stuff she's looked at:

Polo = Very nice and the doors close as on a Golf, but they're quite hard to source in correct spec and the most expensive in this sector;

Mazda 2 = Looks absolutely fine from the outside but a bit 'compressed' in the cabin;

Hyundai i20 = Not sure why she dismissed this;

Suzuki Swift = Just looks too boxy (square) and she knows very little about them;

Alfa Mito = We both agree that they're lovely to look at!

Fiesta Zetec = probably going to be the one as readily available and she's now 6-weeks beyond the 3-year changeover point, but she still hasn't decided ticked the 'YES' box.

What to do...

Yes, toyota reliability and safety is legendary. The recall issues across the world aside.

There is no such thing as a fault-free car, all manufacturers suffer from frequent recalls and get basic designs wrong occasionally, I firmly believe the recent media emphasis on Toyota recalls was US-led in a desperate bid to shore up its virtually bankrupt home-grown motor manufacturers, as Toyota were quite rightly going from strength to strength - uncle Sam didn't like it.

In my experience the VW group are terrible at admitting mistakes, they tend to hide problems rather than issue recalls when they should, eg the tens of thousands of exploding 2 litre PD engines - which they will not even admit there's a problem - let alone do something about it. Toyota on the other hand are generally honourable and are very responsive to issues. Warranty companies do not lie – their very business depends on accurate data – Japanese cars are the cheapest to warranty and have the least number of claims – I'm sorry if this contradicts your badge-snobbery, but it's fact.

Don't get me wrong, I was VWs biggest fan when they built genuinely better cars than everyone else (MK1 Golf era) but more recent VWs are vastly over-rated.