Should I buy a Vauxhall?

Vauxhall was born as the UK arm of one of the world’s largest companies: General Motors. It was bought by Peugeot in 2017.

If there’s one thing that defines Vauxhall, it’s the word ‘mainstream’ – few other brands are so relentless in their pursuit of making products appealing to the broadest possible range of consumers. For Vauxhall, that means ticking all the boxes that appeal to family car buyers.

Vauxhall has traditionally gone head to head with Ford in the charge to lead the sales charts in the UK.

As well as conventional models that define their classes – such as the Corsa small car, Astra medium-sized car and larger Insignia – Vauxhall offers a range of more ‘niche’ models designed to compete in the modern market.

The Adam provides a strong range of personalisation options for city car buyers, for instance, while the Mokka, Crossland X and Grandland X take on the challenges of the crossover SUV 4×4 market.

Our expert, independent tests reveal whether Vauxhall cars are worth buying – see all of our Vauxhall car reviews.

Vauxhall Corsa

Vauxhall Astra

How reliable are Vauxhall cars?

Vauxhall cars are reliable – or so the company’s reputation would have you believe. But does the reality live up to the expectation?

Every year, we run an annual car survey where tens of thousands of people tell us about their current car and how reliable it is. Based on feedback from current Vauxhall owners, we have reliability data for new cars aged up to four years old, and also used cars aged between five and nine years old, and old cars aged 10-15 years.

To see how reliable Vauxhall cars are, head over to our most reliable car brands page.

How much do Vauxhall cars cost?

As one of the biggest-selling car brands in the UK, it’s Vauxhall’s job to set benchmark prices. These are almost always very near to its closest rival, Ford, right in the mid-range of the market.

However, bear in mind that you can usually negotiate much better deals at your dealer, or through a broker – our guide to how to get the best price on a car tells you how.

The cheapest Vauxhall on sale is the Vauxhall Viva small hatchback, priced from around £10,000.

The law of supply and demand means that the popularity of most Vauxhall models puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to holding their value. You need to factor this loss of value into overall lifetime running costs.

However, if you’re after a second-hand Vauxhall, this heavy loss of value does result in some very good deals.

Choosing the best Vauxhall car

Vauxhalls tend to appeal to families and people looking for a practical, everyday car. The range starts with the Vauxhall Adam city car, which is designed to appeal to younger buyers.

The Viva is a small hatchback in the budget class, while the Vauxhall Corsa costs more but has extra equipment and a more sophisticated specification.

If you want something larger, the Vauxhall Astra competes with the Ford Focus and VW Golf. The Vauxhall Insignia takes on the Ford Mondeo and VW Passat.

For full MPV practicality, the Vauxhall Zafira offers great space and adaptability. The Vauxhall Mokka X is a popular choice in the compact crossover market. It’s been joined by the Crossland X (pictured above) and the brand’s largest SUV, the Vauxhall Grandland X.

So how do Vauxhall cars stack up against rivals? Our rigorous, independent lab and road tests have the definitive answer – check out our in-depth Vauxhall car reviews.