Used Ford B-Max review and buying guide (2011 to 2017): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Ford B-MAX should you buy?

Buy a B-MAX with a manual gearbox. There's only one generation, the Mk1 sold from 2012 to 2017, and owners have reported the Powershift automatic juddering on cars built from 2012 right through to 2016, often well before 25,000 miles. Some had the clutch pack replaced two or three times on the same car and it still came back, so there isn't an automatic year that's clearly safe.

Among the manuals, the 1.0 EcoBoost comes with two High severity known faults, so buy one on its paperwork and condition, not on faith. Its oil-bathed cambelt can break down and block the oil pickup between 60,000 and 80,000 miles, and the nylon coolant degas hose can crack between 40,000 and 70,000 miles, losing coolant fast enough to crack the cylinder head. The five-speed manual 1.0 at least has no dual-mass flywheel.

The 1.5 TDCi diesel has no known fault logged against it, but there's only one owner's report on it, a failed heater matrix, so that's a thin record rather than a clean one. The other owners' reports are scattered one-offs, like corroded wiring under the engine and tyres losing air, so treat them as things to check rather than reasons to rule a car out.

Which B-MAX engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

A manual is the gearbox to have, and the six-speed Getrag Powershift dual-clutch automatic is the one to avoid. Owner after owner has reported it shuddering when pulling away slowly, around 10mph, as the dry clutch pack wears. Several went back to the dealer again and again, and new clutch packs, a new control module and software updates didn't stop the judder returning on the same cars.

The Powershift reports that name an engine mostly involve the 1.6 Ti-VCT 105 petrol. Trouble ranged from a new clutch pack needed by 5,000 miles to a whole new transmission at 20,000 miles, plus one car that kept dropping into limp-home mode without the diagnostics finding why. It also wants fresh fluid every three years, so an automatic without paperwork for that and for any clutch-pack work is a gamble.

The 1.0 EcoBoost is a lesser risk than a Powershift, not a safe bet. Its wet cambelt is due at 100,000 miles or 72 months, but the known fault has the belt breaking down and blocking the oil pickup between 60,000 and 80,000 miles, starving the engine of oil. The nylon degas hose can also crack or snap between 40,000 and 70,000 miles, dumping the coolant and cracking the cylinder head.

There's less on record for the 1.5 TDCi diesel. One owner's heater matrix failed on a 2015 car, and getting to it means taking much of the dashboard apart. That single report doesn't rule the diesel out, but it's worth knowing about if the heater's blowing cold when you view one.

What should you check when viewing a used B-MAX?

On an automatic, the test drive decides it. Pull away gently from a standstill several times and creep along at walking pace; any shudder or jerk at low speed is the dry clutch pack going. Watch for a transmission warning light and for revs that don't drop when you brake. Ask for invoices for clutch-pack work and the three-yearly fluid change, because one owner found a pack the dealer said it had replaced never was.

On a 1.0 EcoBoost, check the coolant's at the right level with the engine cold, and watch that the temperature gauge reaches normal and stays there; a sudden spike means the degas hose has let go. A low oil pressure warning, heavy brakes or a loss of power point to the wet belt, so ask what's been done about the belt on a car past 60,000 miles. On a manual, a stiff clutch pedal can mean worn plates, as one owner found at 13,100 miles.

Check the tyre pressures and ask whether the pressure warning keeps coming on, since two owners had tyres losing air, one from alloys corroded around the valve stems. Try every electric control, steering-wheel buttons and windows included, because corroded wiring under the engine upset them on one 2014 car. Make sure the heated front and rear screens work, and feel for damp in the offside corner of the boot.

A car that's had flat batteries isn't always just a tired battery: one owner traced the drain to water getting into the rear parking sensors. If it's got automatic climate control and the stop/start won't cut the engine, ask whether the 2013 software fix for that has been done. Front wheel bearings needed replacing at 35,000 miles on one 1.0, so listen for a hum at speed.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

Is a used Ford B-MAX Mk1 (2012 to 2017) a good buy?

It's a good buy as a manual, because the Powershift automatic is where most owners' trouble sits on this one generation. The wide-opening doors make it a clever family or Motability car, though the centre console's cluttered. Powershift judder has turned up from new, with clutch packs needed at 5,000 and 25,000 miles on different cars, and one 2012 car that failed three times under warranty went again at 33,000 miles.

The 1.0 EcoBoost's two High faults cover every year from 2012 to 2017 and both arrive at ordinary mileages: the degas hose between 40,000 and 70,000 miles, and the wet belt between 60,000 and 80,000 miles. One owner's 1.0 lost coolant at 16,000 miles, and another needed a new engine at 25,000 miles that its owner paid £1,500 towards, with a failed degas pipe suspected.

Look for a manual with a steady coolant level, an answer on the belt if it's a 1.0, and proof of software work such as the 2013 fix for automatic climate control stopping the stop/start from working. One owner's water leak into the offside load area was traced to hinge gaskets left out in production, so check the boot floor for damp.

What does a used Ford B-Max cost to run?