Proton Savvy road tests and consumer car reviews

Proton Savvy Style 2008

I am a driving instructor and wanted a car that would look different, be reasonably hard wearing, easy to drive and not cost the earth to own! I purchased a 2008 model; after hearing bad reports I took one for a test drive as it was important that my students could find the car easy and informative to drive. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. The car easily copes with town driving but struggles a bit on motorways, however, a good all round car! I have taught in Ford Focus, Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza, and the Savvy is competent in the job it has to do! I have a few rattles, which the dealer did warn me about, a rad fan packing up and a dodgy electric window; the window and fan were sorted out with no grief under the warranty by my dealer. Overall I quite like the car and sometimes give it a cheeky second glance when I finish work as I like the styling so much. The last car I did this to was a skoda rapid cabriolet that was my pride and joy! The savvy is my first dip in the proton market, if it stands up well to the learners I would definitely buy another to replace the one I have!

Proton Savvy 2010

Brand new savvy! This is my 3rd Proton and without doubt the 2010 savvy is a100% improvement on the earlier model. For the price, the finish, vastly improved interior and exterior cannot be beaten. Trust me, any derogatory reviews are totally unjustified! Before buying a car in that price range go and look at one, you’ll see!! Got three years free servicing and I cannot speak highly enough of the dealer, Melplace, at Brent Cross, excellent! As for the overall drive, I honestly don’t think you will beat it, what a great little car!

Proton Savvy 2008

I bought a 2008 Savvy (chili red) in April 2010 and have no regrets! My car was previously owned by Proton UK and had only covered 5,500 miles and was in excellent condition; while looking at some Savvys on the net I actually noticed my exact car (same number plate!) being tested by a few motoring journalists so it was actually leant out to them! Was a bit worried but I’ve done another 6,000 miles since April and no probs so far (except for a dodgy electric window on the drivers side which I’ll get fixed at the next service). Testers of the car seems to either love it or hate it! In my opinion its one of the best small cars I’ve driven - the steering, handling and ride are superb for a budget city car - it really sticks to the road like glue (thanks to Lotus I guess!) and I find performance is fine once you’re going - the engine is very revvy too which is fine. The gearbox is fantastic - so smooth and positive, one of the best I’ve used. I’ve since had white viper stripes fitted(!) so it really stands out! Personally I like the look of the car - at least Proton have designed something a bit different looking to the usual weedy looking high-sided city alternatives - I think the car looks very chunky and sporty - more reminiscent of a small Suzuki Swift. I got a very good deal on my two year old model - for the best value a nearly new model is ideal. My advice is try one out - you may be very surprised!

Proton Savvy style auto 2010

This is our third Proton, previous car was a new 57 plate gen 2 1.6 auto which ran completely trouble free so now we have down sized and bought a 1.2 savvy and our thoughts so far are great it ticks all the boxes for space finish warranty mpg. If you’re not a badge snob well worth a look, great product for the price, even get air con and a fantastic stereo. Keep up the good work Proton, we have been ripped of for far too long.

Responses to this review

I was looking for a small car for about £7000 and thought I would have to buy used and to be honest the Savvy was not on my radar. However I noticed an ad in my local paper offering 3 years sevicing for free plus a very attractive finance deal. I read some road tests on the internet which seem to be split into two camps, some full of praise, some very critical. However I noticed owner reviews full of praise for the car. Anyway I visited the dealer who was not pushy, let me have a very varied demo drive in all types of conditions and the car won me over. He offered me a fantastic deal and even reduced the price of the car as I had nothing to trade in. Now, after 1500 miles, I am won over. Fuel consumption is better than the figures suggest, it’s very solid with no rattles, handles well and is equipped with many standard features ie: seat height adjustment, reverse sensors, fog lights, alloys, excellent radio and a very useful load net in the boot. The dealer service was excellent and they will either collect the car from my house when it needs sevicing or loan me a car. I think most of the road tests were carried out on very early imported cars which may have had new model teething problems. I rate it a 5 star bargain. Excellent for the price.

Yes I agree .The latest Savvy is much improved on the early imports. I used to have a 2006 model Street, which did have a few minor problems but never let me down. However, my latest Style has a better standard of fit and finish and the gearbox is much improved. I think What Car?,autocar,Auto Express should retest the latest model - David Green from Kent

Yes, I agree. The latest Savvy is much improved on the early imports. I used to have a 2006 model Street, which did have a few minor problems but never let me down. However my latest Style has a better standard of fit and finish and the gearbox is much improved. I think What Car?, Autocar and Auto Express should retest the latest model - David Green from Kent

Proton Savvy 1.2 Style 3dr 2006

Cheap, affordable little runaround. Gets me from A to B without any fuss. A basic car but if that’s all you need then it does what it’s supposed to and has so far been extremely reliable. Won’t turn any heads but it will go forwards, backwards and park. Good little car.

Proton Savvy 1.2 Style 2007

Cheap car and that about all you can say. Really loud on the motorway. Get what you pay for.

Proton Savvy

Firm & sturdy driving despite small size. Just like driving a big car.