Vauxhall Corsa review

Even if you haven’t owned a Vauxhall Corsa you've almost certainly been a passenger in one. That’s because this small car has long been one of the biggest-selling models around, appealing to everyone, from teenagers to pensioners.

But why do people love it so much? Well, for a start, Vauxhall has mastered the art of providing its cars with engine and trim choices that fit every budget and need.

While the Corsa is closely related to the Peugeot 208 (both brands are part of Stellantis), it’s not just a cut-and-paste job. Vauxhall has calibrated the steering and suspension for a unique feel, along with ensuring it’s different inside and out.

A recent update has made the differences even more apparent, with new exterior styling and extra standard equipment.

It does, of course, take more than a pretty face to succeed in the small car class so is the Vauxhall Corsa really as good to drive as a Seat Ibiza or as able an all-rounder as the Volkswagen Polo? Read on to find out – or if you're interested in the all-electric version see our Vauxhall Corsa Electric review.

You can have your Vauxhall Corsa with one of three different engines, but we’d suggest sticking with the entry-level 99bhp 1.2 Turbo Petrol 100PS. 

It’s flexible and copes well with motorway journeys, sprinting from 0-62mph in a very respectable 9.9 seconds (or 10.8 seconds with an automatic gearbox). That's around a second faster than an equivalent VW Polo 1.0 TSI 95.

Then you have two Hybrid versions, both with a 1.2-litre petrol engine paired with an electric motor and a six-speed auto gearbox. We’ve sampled the Hybrid 1.2 109bhp (there's also a more powerful 143bhp version). It feels punchy enough but its official 0-62mph is only 0.1 seconds quicker than the automatic version of the entry-level engine.

The Corsa handles abrupt bumps, such as potholes and drain covers, with reasonable ease, but tends to be disturbed by smaller road surface imperfections that the softer Peugeot 208 would glide over.

That shortcoming is highlighted if you go for anything other than the entry-level Yes trim, which comes with 16in alloy wheels instead of the bigger 17in ones you’ll find on all other versions.

What’s more, despite things improving as speeds increase, the ride never quite settles down as it does in the best small cars including versions of the Audi A1 and the Polo, as well as the 208.

Handling wise, the Corsa is surefooted enough and offers good levels of grip, but it’s not exactly dynamic, exhibiting more body lean than you’ll experience in, say, a Hyundai i20, Renault Clio or Seat Ibiza.

On top of that, the Corsa’s steering is extremely light. That’s great when it comes to slow parking manoeuvres but the lack of weight makes it feel vague at faster speeds and results in a less engaging experience than with its rivals.

GS and Ultimate trim both add a Sport mode into the mix. When you flick into Sport the Corsa's steering gets some extra weight, but it's still not as feelsome as sportier rivals.

You hear a fair bit of wind and road noise in the Corsa at motorway speeds, and the petrol engines are a bit more vocal than in other small cars, such as the Polo, although not unpleasantly so. Trim levels with a Sport mode allow you to change the exhaust note to something a bit rortier but it's not that convincing.

The six-speed manual gearbox makes a decent account of itself, with a long throw but a relatively slick action (not unlike the 208's). It’s just a shame that the clutch biting point is a little more vague than we’d like, making it harder to pull away smoothly.

The eight-speed auto gearbox can be a little jerky from a standstill but shifts smoothly on the move, and is nowhere near as hesitant as the alternative in the Citroën C3. That's less of a problem in the hybrid models where you can trickle along at low speeds on electric power, but when the engine kicks in it can take the gearbox a second to find the correct ratio and power you onwards.

"There are sharper handlers out there, as well as comfier cruisers, but I found the Corsa's driving experience perfectly acceptable." – Claire Evans, Consumer Editor

The Vauxhall Corsa gives you a good range of adjustment for the steering wheel and driver's seat so you should be able to find a comfortable driving position. Adjustable lumbar support is reserved for the top-of-the-range Ultimate trim, and that version also gets a massage function.

Design trim comes with an analogue driver's display as standard, with a 3.5in screen between the dials to show trip information. The other trims get a 7in digital display. It’s not as versatile or sharp as the 10.3in display in the VW Polo in Style trim and up but can show useful information such as sat-nav directions.

The air-conditioning is controlled using physical buttons and knobs, making it less distracting to operate on the move than the system in the Peugeot 208 (which is controlled through the infotainment touchscreen).

All-round visibility from the Corsa’s driving seat isn’t quite as good as in the Polo due to its comparatively thick front and rear pillars hampering the view out. 

To help combat the issue, rear parking sensors are standard across the range, while mid-spec GS trim adds front parking sensors and a rear-view camera. Ultimate gets an upgraded panoramic rear-view camera. 

Every Corsa has bright automatic LED headlights and daytime running lights, with GS trim adding LED fog lights. Intelligent matrix LED headlights are standard on the range-topping trim. They can shape their light output to avoid dazzling other road users while full beam is selected.

Every Corsa comes with a 10in infotainment touchscreen as standard, with DAB radio, Bluetooth and USB sockets. You also get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay so you can bypass Vauxhall's software and use your smartphone's apps instead. That's handy because you don’t get sat-nav unless you go for Ultimate trim.

The touchscreen display is crisp and the system reacts quickly to all your prods and presses. You get a physical home button and a volume knob, which improve usability, but it's still more fiddly than the Seat Ibiza and VW Polo systems.

The design of the Corsa’s interior is about as bold and daring as a grey suit at a wedding but the nuts and bolts of it are pretty decent. It all feels fairly well screwed together and most of the materials are good quality.

However, the buttons, switches and dials are a weak point, and don't feel anywhere near as plush as the equivalents used in the Renault Clio or the Polo.

And it’s a real shame that the interior seems so drab when you compare it with the far more stimulating design of the Peugeot 208, which offers a real step up in perceived quality over the Corsa.

"It's hard to describe the Corsa's interior as exciting but I think it's plenty smart enough for a small car at this price." – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

Even tall drivers will find plenty of space up front in the Vauxhall Corsa, with fairly generous head and leg room for the small car class.

As with the very similar Peugeot 208, the car's width plus the thickness and angle of the front pillars make the Corsa seem less airy inside than a Seat Ibiza, Skoda Fabia or VW Polo.

Front storage space is okay, although the glovebox and the cubbyhole under the central armrest are a bit stingy. Handier is the storage tray at the bottom of the dashboard that's just right for a phone or wallet. There are also a couple of reasonable-sized door bins.

The Corsa’s back seats are not the easiest to get in and out of if you're an adult of above-average stature because of its fairly narrow door apertures. Once you're inside you'll find a good amount of room for two tall adults.

There’s much more head and leg room than there is in the back of a Clio but the Polo pips the Corsa for rear-seat space. Likewise, if you’re planning to carry adults in the back for more than short drives, we’d suggest taking a look at the class leader for interior space, the MPV-like Honda Jazz.

Rear storage includes a map pocket on the back of each from seat plus the two small door bins.

The rear seats split and fold 60/40 as standard. That's par for the course among small cars but can’t match the versatility of the Jazz’s rear seats, which have bases that flip up like those in a cinema to make loading tall items a doddle. 

The Corsa in Yes or Ultimate trim has height adjustment for the front passenger seat but there’s no option of lumbar support or electric adjustment for the front passenger (they can't have a massage function either).

The Corsa has 309 litres of boot space, which is not bad for the small car class and should be enough for a weekly shop. You get a bit more capacity in a Clio, Fabia or Polo.

Access to the Corsa's boot is good and it’s easy to load and unload, but it’s a shame that there’s no height-adjustable boot floor. That’s a feature that some rivals offer to help minimise the drop down to the floor from the boot lip, in turn making them more convenient when loading heavy luggage.

"I value practicality, so I reckon the Honda Jazz makes the better, more versatile choice. The Corsa should offer enough space for most buyers though." – Darren Moss, Deputy Digital Editor

The latest Vauxhall Corsa isn’t offered at the bargain prices previous versions were but it still undercuts most rivals as a cash purchase, including the Honda Jazz, Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza and VW Polo. It is predicted to depreciate faster than most of those rivals though.

The entry-level Corsa engine compares well with other small cars for CO2 emissions and fuel economy. Indeed, it should return more than 50mpg.

The two hybrid engines offer even better efficiency, surpassing 60mpg. However, their higher initial cost makes them more advantageous as company cars rather than private purchases because their low official CO2 emissions place them in a competitive BIK tax bracket. The Vauxhall Corsa Electric (and most other electric cars) will be even cheaper to run as a company car.

While there’s no shortage of Corsa trim levels on offer, we’d stick to the entry-level Yes. You see, it comes with our chosen engine and gets lots of equipment, including 16in alloys, heated front seats, cruise control, air-conditioning and a flat-bottomed leather steering wheel.

Strangely, Yes gets more equipment than mid-spec Design trim, so if you want more equipment you’ll want to go for GS instead. That trim adds bigger 17in alloy wheels, a front armrest with interior storage and extra parking aids.  

Upgrading to the top-tier Ultimate trim gives you all the toys you could ever need, including adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, and keyless entry and start. It’s quite expensive though.

The latest Corsa was too new to be included in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Vauxhall as a brand was and didn’t fare well at all: it came 29th out of the 31 car makers – below all its rivals (only Alfa Romeo and MG did worse).

Every new Corsa comes with a three-year or 60,000-mile warranty. That's fairly typical, but Hyundai gives you five years and Kia gives you seven.

The Corsa is well provisioned with safety equipment. Lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, speed-limit recognition, a driver fatigue alert system and automatic emergency braking (AEB) are all standard across the range.

Despite those, the model only managed a disappointing four-star safety rating when it was tested by the experts at Euro NCAP in 2019.

The Peugeot 208 scored four stars in the same year but did better for whiplash protection in low-speed impacts. The Seat Ibiza and VW Polo were both awarded five stars. 

"Vauxhall is known for price reductions, but I'd still recommend also looking at the similarly priced and closely related Peugeot 208." – Stuart Milne, Digital Editor

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