Vauxhall Corsa Review (2020-present)

What is the Vauxhall Corsa?

The Vauxhall Corsa has been with us for almost three decades, and is one of Britain’s most popular cars. With previous versions, the Corsa's ubiquity meant it often faded into the background; these were cars that did nothing badly, but didn’t really stand out, either.

The latest Corsa is designed to change that. It’s packed with upmarket styling cues, slathered in distinctive paint colours, and replete with a range of punchy new engines, pilfered from the car with which it shares its underpinnings – the Peugeot 208. Also like the 208, the Corsa is available with conventional internal combustion engines, or with a fully electric drivetrain. In 2024 Vauxhall also launched the first hybrid Corsa. However, while it combines petrol and electric power and is badged as the Corsa Hybrid, note that in reality it's a mild hybrid system with a much smaller battery than a full hybrid like the Toyota Prius.

The current Corsa was launched in 2020, and facelifted in 2023; it's easy to spot the more recent cars, because they use an updated grille with a gloss black finish. The name of the fully electric Corsa also changed from Corsa-e to Corsa Electric.

How practical is it?

Up front there’s plenty of space in the Corsa, though storage for your odds and ends isn’t quite as generous as it could be. Space for passengers in the back is even less impressive, with head and leg room both tight, and a narrow door opening making it difficult to strap a child into a car seat. A Skoda Fabia or Seat Ibiza offers more space in the back seats.

The boot space is decent at 309 litres, provided you go for a petrol or hybrid model, although a Renault Clio's boot is larger still. The Corsa Electric has a significantly smaller boot at 267 litres.

Interior quality is a big step forward from Corsas of old. The new model is instantly a more classy place to be than before. The big spear of silver (or bright red, in the SRi version) trim that sweeps across the dashboard is distinctive, while the overall design is mature. Overall a Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo and Peugeot 208 still have the edge for upmarket feel, but the Corsa is still perfectly acceptable in this regard.

What's it like to drive?

If you're looking at a brand new Corsa you can choose between a 1.2-litre petrol engine, a 1.2-litre with mild hybrid technology, or a fully electric model. The petrol engine comes in three power outputs; there's a 75bhp model without a turbocharger, or a turbocharged version of the engine with either 100- or 130bhp. We rate the 100bhp version of this engine as the sweet spot in the range, because it's got a good spread of power that makes the Corsa feel very flexible to drive.

The Corsa Hybrid can be order with either 100bhp or 136bhp, and makes use of a 28bhp electric motor that's mounted with the gearbox housing to drive the car at low speeds (up to 18mph). It's a neat system in theory, but a combination of very sensitive throttle and brake pedals, and an automatic gearbox that's slightly slow to respond, can make for a jerky driving experience at low speeds. As such we think a standard petrol Corsa is better to drive.

The Corsa Electric meanwhile uses a single electric motor with either 136bhp in the standard model or 156bhp in the Corsa Electric Long Range. Both feel responsive and enjoyable to drive, and have useful official ranges of 222 miles and 246 miles respectively.

It is a shame that the ride in all versions isn’t a little smoother, though. It's not uncomfortable as such, but you do feel that the car can be quite jiggly on rougher surfaces. There's also a fair bit of tyre noise to contend with once above 40mph.

The good news is that the Corsa feels well controlled in corners. There’s lots of grip, and the steering’s linearity means the Corsa always feels predictable and confidence-inspiring. It’s just a shame you don’t get the same feedback or sense of involvement as you do in, say, a Ford Fiesta or a Mazda2.

If you're looking at a used Corsa there's also a diesel engine to consider alongside petrol and electric models, but we'd only really recommend this for drivers planning to do high mileages.

Technology, equipment and infotainment

The Corsa's trim lineup has evolved since the car has been on sale, with facelift models sitting in a simplified range of Design, GS and Ultimate. All models come with a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, climate control, LED headlights and rear parking sensors.

GS models and above feature wireless smartphone connectivity, smarter styling and digital dials, while the top-spec Ulimate has keyless entry, Matrix LED headlights, and upgraded safety features.

Of the pre-facelift Corsas, the SRi trim combines good levels of equipment with some sporty styling touches, but the slightly lower-spec SE Nav is likely to be better value.

The central touchscreen display is hidden behind a darkened screen, which makes it look as though it looms seamlessly out of a glossy black panel – a neat touch, undoubtedly. But the software running the infotainment system can be fiddly, laggy, and occasionally counter-intuitive to use. It has been improved in the 2023 facelift, but still isn't as quick to respond as you might hope.

Vauxhall Corsa running costs

While expensive to buy new, the Corsa Electric is an efficient EV, and so you can expect very low running costs if you can charge at home on a competitive tariff. It's also a great option as a company car thanks to favourable BIK rates for EVs. However, there's no ignoring that the Corsa Electric looks expensive to buy outright next to some rivals, which makes it difficult to recommend outside of the company car market. Alternatively, consider a used Corsa-e, which are looking like very good value (see the Which One to Buy section for more details)

Of the petrol models, our favourite Corsa, the 100hp 1.2-litre turbo, should see close to 50mpg in the real world, which is decent enough, and more efficient than some rivals.

The other thing you’ll have to keep in mind with all Corsas is their below-average predicted resale values. This means you might not get as much cash back when the time comes to sell your Corsa on than you will with some other rivals – notably the Volkswagen Polo.

The Corsa should at least be cheap to maintain. Vauxhall servicing is relatively affordable, and the company offers a good service plan that includes the first three years’ servicing and roadside assistance and the car’s first MOT, all for a fixed monthly sum.

The 1.5-litre diesel Corsa meanwhile can achieve as much as 70.6mpg – a fairly impressive feature.

All Corsa petrol and diesel engines are fitted with a timing belt, and this will need changing every 10 years or 112,000 miles, whichever crops up first. The cost of replacement varies from engine to engine, but it will probably set you back a little over £400 when the time comes.

Vauxhall Corsa reliability

Petrol and diesel versions of this generation of Corsa didn't feature in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey. The Corsa-e did, however, finish 15th out of the 20 cars in the Electric Car class of the same survey, beating models including the Kia EV6, MG4 and Porsche Taycan. Vauxhall as a brand meanwhile finished 30th of the 32 brands included.

The Corsa comes with a three-year a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which can be extended up to five years for an extra cost. The Corsa Electric also has an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty for its battery. Generally speaking, Vauxhall's warranty looks a little mediocre compaed with what you'll get from Toyota, Kia or Hyundai.