Which small car-mid car?

[Rac20]

Hi all!

I’m currently driving an 09 corsa that has seen better days and we are looking to replace it soon.

Thought I’d ask for recommendations from the Dibb as I’m stumped as to what to go for.

We have a Ford Kuga as our main family car so the main purpose of the smaller car is for my commute to work. 90% of the time, it will just be me. We do live in the Pennines and I frequently have to drive up what feels like fully vertical hills with only just enough room for two cars to pass (sometimes there isn’t even that!) which is why I’d like a small car but it does need enough power to manage the hills.

I’ve had a look at fiestas. (The eco boosts seem popular and even though they are 1 litre, my neighbour has one and says it copes fine with the hills?)
I like the look of the DS3s but there are lots of mixed reviews online about reliability and parts needing replacing even though the car has hardly done any mileage etc.

Any recommendations would be great. Thank you.