Used Vauxhall Corsa 2014-2019 review

Easy to drive, well made and often well equipped, the Vauxhall Corsa is one of those cars that is omnipresent on the nation's roads because it has something to offer the majority of drivers. It's perhaps not the most exciting of purchases, but it would not be fair to dismiss the Corsa for that reason. It is, after all, very hard to please all of the people, all of the time.

This generation, which ran from 2014 until 2019, was known to insiders as the Corsa E (not to be confused with the Vauxhall Corsa-e, the company's latest electric car). It was essentially a complete reskin of the 2006-2014 Vauxhall Corsa, with heavily revised underpinnings.

Engines & Performance: There was a large choice of engines available, the majority being petrol, but there were a couple of Euro 6-compliant 1.3-litre diesel versions (74 and 94bhp) if you needed better fuel economy. For those who made mostly urban journeys, both the 1.2 and non-turbocharged 1.4 petrols did just fine, but for faster routes, you might have wanted to go for one of three turbocharged petrol options: an 89bhp 1.0-litre, a 99bhp 1.4 or a more powerful 113bhp version of the 1.0-litre engine. There was also a lukewarm hot-hatch GSi with a turbocharged 148bhp 1.4 or, if you fancied something hotter, there was also a 202bhp 1.6-litre engine, as fitted to the VXR.

In 2018 they were all replaced by a quartet of Euro 6.2-compliant 1.4 petrol engines producing 74bhp, 89bhp, 99bhp and 148bhp.

Ride & Handling: The driving experience is where this generation of the Corsa is a let down. It’s an easy car to drive, and it’s about as quiet as its contemporaries, but it doesn’t steer with the accuracy of the Ford Fiesta, nor does it manage to be as capable at long-distance motorway work as the Volkswagen Polo.

Of the engine options, in the later cars, the 74bhp 1.4 petrol is fine for town driving, but you should hold out for the turbocharged 99bhp unit for motorway trips. The 148bhp petrol 1.4 engine makes the car brisk.

Interior & Practicality: Most of the interior is also made from classy materials, with only a few brittle pieces of trim undermining the overall feeling of quality. Design trim cars and above get a 7.0in colour touchscreen that can become an extension of your smartphone through the use of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, thus enabling you to have sat-nav in your Corsa. It isn’t as intuitive as the system in the Skoda Fabia, as the buttons for the volume control can easily be knocked if you rest your hand on the screen.

The Corsa is a rather spacious small car, especially the five-door version, where rear occupants are treated to one of the most capacious back seats in the class. There's much more head room in the Corsa than either the Volkswagen Polo or Ford Fiesta, which helps if you have child seats in the back. To that end, those rear doors do open wide to help you to load children into their seats.

Drivers with long legs might not be too happy with the amount of leg room available, finding that the front seats don’t go quite far enough back. The driver’s seat might also be a bit mean on back support for some. If you want seat height adjustment, then you will need to avoid Life trim and go for Sting or above.

Trims & Equipment: When it comes to trim levels, this Corsa's have always been many and varied. Life, Sting and Active trims are a bit too basic, and you should instead go for a Design model with air-con, the 7.0in infotainment system and Bluetooth. SRi and Limited Edition models add sporty exterior and interior touches plus a more practical 60/40 split for the bench in the back.

If you want to get into a really posh Corsa, look at either Excite, Energy or SE trims; they give you heated front seats with a heated steering wheel on Excite and Energy cars, while SE models come with front and rear parking sensors. SRi VX-Line and SRi VX Nav Black models have bigger alloy wheels and firmer sports suspension.

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

An early 2014 Vauxhall Corsa can be found from £2000, but most will have high mileages at this price, and, such is the proliferation of Corsas on the market, it's probably best to seek one with an average mileage for its year.

Better-equipped Corsas, such as SRi and Excite models, from 2015 with an average number of miles, should start at around £3000. As mentioned, the sheer number of used Corsas available means there isn't a significant premium for choosing a five-door Corsa over a three-door.

There is, however, a premium placed on any Corsa that has a turbocharger fitted. If you want to get into a three-cylinder 1.0-litre turbo or a 1.4-litre turbo, you'll need to spend more like £5000.

Look to spend more than £5000 for a 2017 model, and somewhere in the region of £6000 to £8000 on a 2019 one. If you fancy a VXR, set aside at least £5000 for an early one or around £10,000 for a late 2017 example.

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MPG: The lowest fuel consumption is provided by the 1.3-litre, 94bhp Ecoflex diesel engine, at 83.1mpg combined (under the older, more generous NEDC tests), with CO2 emissions of 89g/km.

The turbocharged petrol cars are also very efficient; the 1.0 three-cylinder turbo does better than its non-turbo equivalents, and returns 61.4mpg. The 74 and 89bhp 1.4 and the 99bhp 1.4T are all rated at 54.3mpg. Expect a marginally worse figure from the 69bhp 1.2 at 53.3mpg, dropping to 48.7mpg for the 148bhp 1.4T.

If you need an automatic gearbox, you're forced to go for the 1.4 90 petrol and this increases fuel consumption to 42.8mpg, although this is still better than the turbocharged 1.6 found in the VXR: it only manages 37.7mpg.

CO2 emissions: As with fuel economy, the lowest CO2 emissions are to be found with the 95bhp 1.3 Ecoflex diesel, which emits 89g/km of CO2. The base 74bhp version, meanwhile, puts out 99g/km.

The 1.0-litre petrol engine emits 106g/km. Both non-turbo versions of the 1.4 and 99bhp turbocharged 1.4 emit 122g/km, and the 148bhp version increases this to 133g/km. The automatic 1.4 is worse still with 149/km, but it's still not as bad as the VXR, which emits 174g/km.

Road tax (VED): Any Corsa registered after April 2017 will be charged the flat-rate VED road tax, currently £190 a year, while those registered before that, road tax will depend on the amount of CO2 it officially emits. You can find out more about road tax costs here.

Servicing costs: 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.

Reliability

Feedback on Corsa reliability has been mixed, as seen in our annual What Car? Reliability Survey.

Some owners have faced electrical and engine issues, leading to breakdowns and repairs. Specific problems mentioned include cooling system faults and battery issues.

Dealer service experiences also waver: while some praise their dealerships for quick and efficient handling of minor faults, others were dissatisfied with the management of major repairs and warranty claims, highlighting delays and poor communication. Additionally, the cost of out-of-warranty repairs has been a point of contention for some, being higher than anticipated.

Despite some positive feedback on dealer responsiveness, the inconsistent reliability and service experiences have negatively influenced overall owner satisfaction with the Corsa.

Discover more about used Vauxhall Corsa reliability and common problems on our dedicated reliability page.

Engine: The turbocharged 89bhp 1.0 and 99bhp 1.4-litre engines are the best to go for, but since there are so many examples of the normally aspirated 1.4 petrol, you might as well go for one of those, particularly if your budget is tight.

Specification: Base-spec Life, Active and Sting don't come with much equipment but, again, since there are loads of Corsas out there, it doesn't cost a lot extra to go for a mid-range SRi, Excite or Energy model with plenty of luxuries.

Our favourite Vauxhall Corsa: 1.4 SRi 5dr

The Ford Fiesta is perhaps the default choice in this class, but that’s because it is very good. Its infotainment is woeful and the number of interior buttons confusing, but the way it drives and the value it offers more than makes up for these shortcomings.

The Skoda Fabia has a better interior and slicker infotainment system. It can also be had with some efficient engine choices and a big boot. It will be more expensive than the Vauxhall, though, but some would say it's worth it.

The Volkswagen Polo will be more expensive again, offering much the same things as the Fabia, but with more polish. Again, if you can afford the extra, it's probably a more polished car than the Corsa.

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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.