Say hello to…
…the Puma, last year’s best-selling car, which has had a midlife upgrade for 2025 including a subtly revised exterior and an all-new dashboard and cabin as well as a an update engine line-up all based off Ford’s 1.0-liutre petrol engine.
There are three trim levels (excluding the full-on ST hothatch).
- Titanium
- ST-Line
- ST-Line X
Standard equipment on the Titanium includes 17-inch alloys, rear privacy glass, 12.8-inch digital driver’s display, 12-inch infotainment screen, drive modes, climate control, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and LED headlights.
ST-Line adds power-fold and heated door mirrors, Quickclear windscreen and sports suspension.
ST-Line X adds 18-inch alloys, wireless charging, keyless entry and start, powered boot lid, synthetic leather upholstery and rear camera with parking sensors.
Is The Ford Puma Suitable For My Fleet
Unfortunately the Puma is starting to show it’s age. Once a sector leader, the small sporty SUV was a highly appealing option to fleet. However, until the all-electric version arrives, the current mild-hybrid versions are somewhat off the pace in tax terms. The 125hp automatic model we tested sits in the 32% BIK band from April 2025. Picking the manual helps a bit, and drops to 29%. However, the Puma is still an impressive package in terms of small car practicalities. The boot is huge and there’s reasonable space for four in the cabin.
Leasing A Ford Puma
Gateway2Lease is offering the Ford Puma ST mild hybrid on a 3+36 lease for £339 a month with 10,000 miles a year. Gensen Reports predicts reasonable monthly maintenance costs of £29 a month, but due to the high BIK band Class 1A NIC payments are £98 a month.
Driving A Ford Puma
Ford’s revisions to the Puma’s interior – mainly the dashboard and steering wheel – aren’t necessarily an improvement.
Gone are most of the useful buttons in favour of a large infotainment screen. Ford says “physical buttons are at a minimum for a calm environment”. However, a few more buttons would help, particularly when the software running the screen is slow to respond to inputs. Fortunately some buttons remain, such as the one to turn off the lane-keeping. However, to turn off the speed limit warning takes far longer as it’s buried deep in that slow infotainment system.
A bigger screen is usually a welcome thing, however, it’s coupled to a new (squared off) steering wheel which blocks your view to the lower right side of the screen.
Interior quality is also not up to that of the competition both in terms of the materials used and the fit and finish. Our car had a noticeable, and uneven, gap around the gear lever surround.
The experience improves when you’re on the move in the Puma. Ford hasn’t messed with the way the car steers and handles. It’s on the firm side, but that’s what you want in a sporty small SUV. And when you’re on the motorway the Puma settles down nicely. Plus the high driving position provides a good view out and avoids the feeling you’re in a small car.
Unfortunately in town driving the automatic gearbox, which should help things, isn’t the smoothest. The way it changes gear, particularly on downshifts, makes smooth braking difficult to achieve. And the stop-start system coupled to the automatic hill-hold brake can lead to less than smooth progress in traffic.
Sport mode solves some of these issues, but does lead to lower efficiency, higher revs and more noise.
In the main drive mode, efficiency is good. We saw 46mpg over a week of driving with a high mix of motorway work. And perhaps this is where the Puma is strongest for fleets. Some drivers still aren’t able to adopt an EV and for those, the Puma offers a reasonably priced package, but perhaps stick with a manual for a lower CO2 figure and a better driving experience.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Ford Puma
Not as competitive as it once was, but it still has appeal.
Ford Puma
- Model: Puma ST-Line X MHEV auto
- Power: 125hp
- Torque: 170Nm
- Max speed: 118mph
- 0-62mph: 9.6 seconds
- Official fuel figure: 49.6mpg
- Test fuel figure: 46.3mpg
- CO2 emissions: 131g/km
- BIK tax band 2025/26: 32%
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