Used Vauxhall Corsa 2019-present review

Although it carries a fine old British name and is very proud of that heritage, the fifth-generation Vauxhall Corsa is actually quite an exotic animal.

You see, this latest Corsa is built in Spain, plus it's mechanically based on the French Peugeot 208. It was also developed in Germany.

Engines and performance: The Corsa has a wide range of power options to choose from, including two petrols, one diesel, two hybrids and a fully electric Vauxhall Corsa Electric (also known as the Corsa-e). Petrols are a 74bhp 1.2 75 and a 99bhp 1.2 Turbo, while the diesel is a 101bhp 1.5 102 Turbo D. The hybrids combine a 1.2-litre petrol engine with a tiny electric motor to produce 109bhp or 143bhp.

The turbocharged 99bhp version has enough flexibility for motorway journeys and accelerates quite briskly: 0-60mph takes 9.3sec, although the eight-speed automatic transmission option makes the Corsa almost a second slower from 0-60mph. The 101bhp 1.5-litre diesel is stronger than the 1.2 100 petrol from low revs and provides more flexible in-gear performance, but isn't quite as quick away from the traffic lights, 0-60mph taking 9.6sec. The 109bhp hyb4ie feels punchy enough, but its official 0-62mph is only 0.1 seconds quicker than the automatic version of the entry-level engine.

Meanwhile, the Corsa Electric is quick and quiet. Press your right foot down and you’ll find that there is enough performance to shove you into the back of your seat. In our tests, the Corsa Electric managed a 0-60mph time of just 8.0 seconds.

Ride and handling: The Corsa handles abrupt bumps, such as potholes and drain covers, with reasonable ease, but tends to be disturbed by smaller road surface imperfections.

It's stable and surefooted with good grip, but there’s more body lean than you’ll experience in some of its rivals. Also, the Corsa’s steering is extremely light and quite vague, too.

Interior and practicality: Inside, you’ll find a good range of adjustment, in both reach and height, to the steering wheel and driver's seat, so you should be able to find a comfortable driving position. Analogue instrument dials come as standard, with a 3.5in screen set between them to display trip information. A 7.0in digital instrument display is provided from SRi trim and up. A 7.0in touchscreen infotainment system comes as standard with a DAB radio, Bluetooth, USB sockets and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Even tall drivers will find plenty of space up front, with head and leg room being fairly generous for the class. The Corsa’s rear seats aren’t the easiest to get in and out of if you're an adult of above-average stature, due to its fairly narrow door apertures. Once inside, though, there's a good amount of room for two tall adults.

Meanwhile, the boot is a fair size for the class, and access is good despite a fairly high loading lip.

Trims and equipment: Essentially, you have four core specifications to choose from: SE, SRi, Elite Nav and range-topping Ultimate Nav. On most trims, you can then add a Nav, Premium or a Nav Premium pack, each of which gives you a selection of extra features that Vauxhall has lumped together, and that you can’t specify individually.

As an example, entry-level ‘SE’ trim has most of the everyday basics covered, including cruise control, 16in alloy wheels, air conditioning and electric windows, while SE Premium will get you heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, automatic lights and wipers, and rear parking sensors. From 2022 trims were simplified to just three: Design, GS Line and Ultimate.

On facelift cars, the trims consist of Yes, Design, GS and Ultimate. Yes gets lots of equipment, including 16in alloys, heated front seats, cruise control, air-conditioning and a flat-bottomed leather steering wheel. Strangely, Yes has 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.

Top-spec Ultimate trim gives you all the toys you could ever need, including adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, and keyless entry and start.

Facelift: The Corsa was given a mid-life facelift in 2023. It introduced Vauxhall's new "Vizor" front end design, a standard 10in infotainment screen and mild-hybrid engines. Other upgrades include improved LED headlights, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, new upholstery and improved electric range for the Corsa Electric.

"I ran a Corsa as a long-termer and I really enjoyed my time with it. I liked its no-nonsense approach, which made it a really easy car to get along with." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

Interested in buying a used Vauxhall Corsa? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.

Have upwards of £6000 if you'd like a used 2019, 2020 or 2021 Vauxhall Corsa with high mileage. If you want a car with less than 60,000 miles on the clock, expect to pay upwards of £8000. There will be a mixture of petrol and diesel engines at this price point, in a variety of trims.

For a 2023 model, have at least £10,000 to spend. If you want a facelift car from 2023, expect to pay upwards of £11,000. For newer 2024 and 2025 cars, budget at least £14,000.

The Corsa Electric is very well priced for a used electric car. Prices for these start from around £8000, even for cars with reasonable mileage.

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MPG

Fuel economy figures are decent compared with class standards – the 99bhp 1.2 100 petrol engine officially returns 50mpg, while the two hybrid engines average more than 60mpg. The 1.5 102 Turbo D diesel is the most efficient engine of the bunch, officially averaging over 70mpg.

Compared with the conventionally powered Corsa, the Corsa Electric has a slightly longer wheelbase (the distance between a car’s front and rear wheels), with its rear axle pushed farther back to help accommodate the sizeable 50kWh battery that’s packaged in an H-shaped layout under the front and rear seats.

Officially, the pre-updated Corsa Electric can go 209 miles between recharges – a very similar figures to the closely related 211-mile e-208, which we know is capable of more than 160 miles in real-world driving conditions. To charge up from 0-100% using a wallbox at home (Vauxhall will supply one and fit it for you as part of the asking price) takes seven hours and 30 minutes – fine for an overnight charge.

A late 2023 update saw that official range jump to 248 miles – if you go for the 51kWh battery.

Road tax

All Corsas are subject to the current flat rate fee of road tax, which is £195 per year.

Insurance and servicing

The Corsa scores here by being in low insurance groups. Groups range from 10 up to 24 for the Corsa Electric.

You can pay a fixed-price fee for interim, main and major services, with costs depending on whether your Corsa has a petrol or diesel engine. Service costs are £160, £265 and £305 for petrol models and £170, £295 and £335 for diesel models respectively.

If you can't pay it all on the day, you can spread the cost by sorting out a monthly plan depending upon your annual mileage and age of Corsa.

Warranty

All Corsas are covered by a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty from new, while the battery in the Corsa Electric gets a separate eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty. That's fairly typical, but Hyundai gives you up to five years and unlimited miles, while Kia gives you up to seven years or 100,000 miles.

Safety

The Corsa was given four stars out of five when it was tested for safety by Euro NCAP in 2019. That’s not brilliant; it lost points for doing a poor job at protecting front and rear seat passengers against whiplash. Thankfully, automatic emergency braking (AEB) comes as standard. If you want blind-spot monitoring, you'll need to look for an Elite Nav.

Reliability

Based on real-world owner reviews from our annual What Car? Reliability Survey, the 2019-present Corsa is a mixed bag for dependability. While it is a cost-effective used buy, owners frequently report electronic glitches involving the infotainment system, digital dashboard and engine management warning lights. These issues can lead to expensive diagnostic sessions and long waits for parts at dealerships. To keep your running costs low, it pays to be vigilant about these electronic sensitivities.

To find out more about used Vauxhall Corsa reliability and common problems, head to our dedicated reliability page.

Engine

The turbocharged 1.2 100 petrol-engined car is smooth and mostly refined and has decent efficiency as well.

Specification

Choosing SE trim brings a healthy amount of standard kit but we'd look for one with a Nav pack added so you get a sat-nav. Smartphone mirroring is standard, though, on all models, so you should be able to hook up navigation via that method if you can't find a Nav model.

Our favourite Vauxhall Corsa: 1.2 100 Turbo SE Nav 5dr

The Ford Fiesta is perhaps the default choice in this class, because it's great to drive, economical and relatively cheap to buy.

The Skoda Fabia has a neat interior and an easy-to-use infotainment system. It can also be had with some efficient engine choices and a big boot.

The Volkswagen Polo will be more expensive than the Corsa, offering much the same things as the Fabia, but with more polish. It's great to drive, though, and classy.

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Interested in buying a used Vauxhall Corsa? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.