Vauxhall Astra review

The Vauxhall Astra has long been a go-to choice for families wanting value-for-money motoring, and that's made it a big seller over the four decades it's been around.

In the hope of continuing that success, Vauxhall has given this new eighth-generation Astra sharper looks, electrified engine options and up-to-date tech to help it compete with rivals. By "electrified engine options", we don't just mean the Vauxhall Astra Electric (which we've reviewed separately) – there are also two plug-in hybrids and a mild-hybrid.

Previous generations of Astra have offered lots of kit for a competitive price, but the model never really shone in any one area. So does the latest version – which is closely related to the Peugeot 308 – have what it takes to mix it with the best family cars?

Read on to find out how we rate the Vauxhall Astra against rivals including the great-to-drive Ford Focus and Seat Leon and the smartly kitted out Mazda 3 and VW Golf...

What’s new?

• September 2025: Astra plug-in hybrid launched with a bigger 17.2kWh battery and more powerful 1.6-litre turbocharged engine

• June 2025: Griffin trim level revealed as the new entry-point, offered with two engines or as an EV with up to 260 miles of range

• February 2024: New 1.2-litre three-cylinder hybrid engine added, which is claimed to reduce fuel consumption by up to 19%

• April 2023: GSe trim level introduced, bringing improvements to the suspension, steering calibration and damper technology for better ride comfort and control

There are five engine options for the Vauxhall Astra, starting with the 1.2 Turbo 130 petrol, which has plenty of grunt from low revs for town driving. That said, it runs out of steam a bit during overtaking, and when we timed one at our private test track, the 0-60mph sprint took an underwhelming 9.5 seconds (more than a second slower than a Seat Leon 1.5 TSI Evo). 

For a little extra punch and efficiency, you’ll want the 134bhp 1.2-litre with mild-hybrid tech. Its official 0-62mph sprint time of 9.0 seconds is 0.7 seconds faster than the non-hybrid engine and you can feel the difference, with the hybrid getting up to speed slightly faster and with greater ease. The difference isn’t so great that we’d recommend it over the entry-level engine though.

That leaves the two plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). Both have an official electric-only range of up to 35 miles, which is much less than the Leon e-Hybrid’s 72 mile. If you want a PHEV Astra, we’d stick with the entry-level 178bhp PHEV 180, because its performance is more than brisk enough and makes the "sporty" 222bhp GSe – which shaves just 0.2 seconds off the 7.7 second 0-62mph time – look a bit unnecessary.

If you value comfort more than fun on a country road, the Astra is a good fit. It rides well over most road surfaces and the suspension soaks up bumps well. It’s forgiving enough at low speeds to cushion you over speed bumps, yet there’s enough body control to prevent it wallowing about on undulating roads.

The Skoda Octavia is more comfortable, isolating you against sharper ripples on the road, but the Astra strikes a good balance between comfort and composure, and feels calmer than a Honda Civic or Seat Leon. Lower trim levels, which have smaller wheels and tyres that help to absorb bumps, have the plushest ride you’ll get in an Astra.

The PHEV models are heavier and will occasionally thump over sharper imperfections on battered urban roads, but we’d stop short of calling them uncomfortable. Even the GSe, with its slightly firmer suspension, doesn’t crash over broken Tarmac and rides speed bumps without a secondary bounce.

The Astra isn’t the best family car in terms of agility, but handles tidily enough when cornering. The suspension does a fair job of keeping body lean in check and grip levels remain strong, so the car feels composed and safe.

The GSe version comes with lowered suspension, stiffer springs and Koni dampers, which help to improve handling. As a result, it has better body control than the standard car,but it’s not what you’d call playful. The eco tyres don’t grip particularly hard and the steering is rather numb, as it is on less-powerful Astras. As a result, the car lacks the immediacy and involvement of a Ford Focus or Seat Leon.

The quietest Astras (not including the Astra Electric) are the PHEVs because they can drive on electricity alone. That said, even when their 1.6-litre petrol engines kick in and you work them hard, they still remain quiet. By contrast, the 1.2-litre petrol engines aren’t the quietest in the family car class but don’t emit the same constant drone as a Leon or Octavia engine.

Wind and road noise are generally well-contained in the Astra. There's some pulsing through the steering wheel when cruising at higher speeds, and vibrations felt through the gear lever on manual versions, but you’re otherwise well isolated from the outside world. Ultimate trim gets double-glazed front windows, which help too.

On versions with an automatic gearbox the shifts are slow, haphazard and occasionally jerky. Plus, the 1.2-litre petrol's stop-start system and grabby brakes make it almost impossible to drive smoothly in slow traffic.

Finding a comfortable seating position in the Vauxhall Astra should only take a moment, with plenty of adjustment available from the seat and steering wheel. Better still, the standard seats are comfortable, especially in GS and Ultimate trim cars. They offer firmer bolstering for more support when cornering.

If the dashboard layout in the Peugeot 308 (with its tiny steering wheel) doesn't work for you, you might find the Astra better. The 10in digital driver's display is viewed through the steering wheel (rather than over it as in the 308), and you get a head-up display on Ultimate and GSe models.

The graphics on both the screen and the head-up display are sharp and the font is clear enough to read at a glance. In the PHEV, the text of the speedometer read-out turns blue when you're running on electric power. It’s a very simple visual indicator that saves you looking at a separate dial or dashboard light.

While the Astra is generally pretty easy to see out of, it does have some issues. For starters, the front windscreen pillars are quite narrow but are angled in such a way that they can get in the way when you try to see out at junctions.

When you look over your shoulder, you’re greeted by thick rear pillars that restrict your view (the Mazda 3 suffers from this too). Luckily, to help you with parking, all versions come with front and rear parking sensors, while GS, Ultimate and GSe trims add a 360-degree camera.

Seeing at night shouldn’t be an issue thanks to bright standard-fit LED headlights on all trim levels. On Ultimate and GSe trims, you get matrix LEDs that can stay on full beam without dazzling other road users.

All versions of the Astra come with a 10in infotainment touchscreen. Its responses could be quicker, and while the home screen uses a simple grid lay-out to help you find the function you want quickly, the sub-menus' fonts are tiny.

All versions get wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, but it’s best to stick with the built-in sat-nav if you want to see instructions on the driver display. There's also a voice-control programme designed to recognise everyday phrases. We tried "Hey Vauxhall, it’s too warm in here!" and the system turned down the climate control by one degree.

Thankfully you can adjust the climate control using physical buttons rather than having to use the touchscreen (as you must in the Seat Leon). It’s fair to say that the Vauxhall’s controls don’t look as classy as the 308’s touchscreen panel, but they’re easier to use, and that’s arguably more important.

Inside the Astra, it doesn’t take long to notice how dark everything is. There are plenty of soft-touch plastics within easy reach and a lot of them are finished in a variety of textures, but every trim comes with one interior colour option: black.

You do get some coloured trim finishers on the doors and dashboard (they're red on GS and silver on Ultimate) but they don't really lift the sombre mood.

While it all feels solid enough, some of the controls, such as the indicator stalks and the slide adjustments for the driver’s side air vent, don’t have quite the build precision found in the Seat Leon or Volkswagen Golf.

Even if you're over 6ft tall, you won’t find yourself having to squeeze into the front of the Vauxhall Astra, thanks to the generous amount of head and leg room. You won’t be bashing elbows with your passenger or the doors either.

There’s plenty of storage space on the centre console, with two cupholders, a large cubby with a tray big enough for your phone and a "secret" sunglasses holder revealed when you press a button on the centre air vent. On Ultimate and GSe trim models, you also get a wireless phone-charging tray.

Room in the rear of the Astra isn’t as generous as in some family cars, with less leg room and space for feet under the front seats than in the Ford Focus and Seat Leon. Those rivals are also more spacious when it comes to head room. The Astra feels tighter even without Ultimate and GSe’s standard panoramic roof.

The relatively small door openings restrict access, whether you’re an adult trying to get in or simply leaning in to secure a child in its car seat.

You get storage nets on the backs of the front seats, and the fold-down centre armrest fitted to Ultimate models and above has built-in cupholders and a tray for pens.

The Astra’s rear seats fold in a 60/40 arrangement. That's nothing special in the family car class, but at least the rear fold-down armrest on Ultimate trim and above also acts as a load-through hatch for skis or other long, narrow objects.

If you want a more flexible 40/20/40 folding arrangement and useful handles in the boot so you can drop the seats quickly and easily, have a look at the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer (the estate car variant).

The Astra hatchback has a 422-litre boot that's a useful square shape and has a low lip to lift heavy items over. That volume beats most of the rivals, including the Toyota Corolla and VW Golf. Note, though, that the Astra PHEVs lose some boot space, leaving you with 352 litres.

What does that mean in the real world? Well, we managed to fit five carry-on suitcases in the boot of the Astra – matching the number swallowed by the Golf – so it's more than big enough for a week's worth of shopping, a couple of buggies or luggage for a family holiday. Of course, if you plan to fill the boot often, the Astra Sports Tourer estate is even more practical.

Non-PHEV Astras in GS trim and above come equipped with an adjustable boot floor. That's handy if you need to store and protect items, and can eradicate the otherwise big drop down from the loading lip to the floor of the load bay.

As a cash buy, the cheapest Vauxhall Astra undercuts the Peugeot 308 and VW Golf but costs slightly more than the Seat Leon and Skoda Octavia. The Design, GS and Ultimate trims match the cost of similarly specced rivals quite closely, but the GSe version is much pricier.

When it comes to running costs, all the Astra petrol engines have an official fuel economy figure of more than 50mpg. That’s a match for the Leon 1.5 TSI 115, but not the Toyota Corolla, which officially manages 64mpg.

Company car drivers are likely to be attracted to the PHEVs for their lower BIK tax rates. Their list prices are considerably more than for other versions, but if you charge them up regularly, you should save on fuel costs. The Vauxhall Astra Electric will attract even less BIK tax.

The Astra's entry-level Griffin trim is only available with the 1.2 Turbo 130 engine, but we think it’s all you need. It gets our favourite engine and the same equipment as the more expensive Design trim.

Griffin and Design both come with 16in alloys, climate control, cruise control, automatic windscreen wipers, electrically adjustable and heated wing mirrors, and keyless start. Weirdly, the cheaper Griffin trim adds heated seats and a heated steering wheel to the list.

Mid-range GS has sportier styling, and adds adaptive cruise control, keyless entry, heated front seats and steering wheel, ambient interior lighting and larger (17in) alloy wheels.

Ultimate will be worth a look if you favour tech over sportiness. It adds a panoramic roof, eight stereo speakers rather than six, wireless phone-charging, a heated windscreen, a head-up display and matrix LED headlights.

GSe gets you the same equipment as Ultimate but adds a more powerful engine, upgraded suspension and some styling tweaks.

The latest Astra didn't feature in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Vauxhall finished way down in 29th place out of 31 car makers included, above only Alfa Romeo and MG.

The Astra – like all Vauxhall car models – comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. That's in keeping with cover from most other manufacturers, but can’t beat Hyundai's five-year offering, Kia's seven-year cover or Toyota’s 10-year, service-activated warranty.

When Euro NCAP tested the Astra for safety in 2022, it awarded the model a slightly disappointing four out of five stars. The Golf, with its five-star rating, provided better chest protection for the front passenger in a frontal impact.

At least there’s plenty of safety equipment fitted as standard, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assist and speed-limit sign recognition. Cars in Ultimate trim and above get lane-change assistance and rear cross-traffic alert.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here