Used Vauxhall Corsa for sale: everything you need to know
The Vauxhall Corsa is a small car that's one of Britain’s best-selling new cars. Launched in 2019, the latest model represents a major transformation from what came before.
That's even more impressive considering competition from the likes of the Renault Clio, the Volkswagen Polo and of course the Ford Fiesta.
The Vauxhall Corsa has always been a worthy car, but one lacking a little allure in recent years. This current model has notably more appeal, thanks to pretty body styling, an upmarket interior and a high-tech range of engines.
You can even buy or lease a pure electric Vauxhall Corsa: the Vauxhall Corsa-e. Take a look at a Vauxhall Corsa for sale on heycar to discover just what’s on offer.
Should you buy a Vauxhall Corsa?
The latest Vauxhall Corsa is clearly deemed a good car to buy according to the sales charts. It’s been among the UK’s best-sellers since early 2001.
Its clean, sophisticated styling – now in a single five-door body style – undoubtedly helps. The Vauxhall Corsa looks very premium, with smooth lines and an upmarket appearance. This is reflected inside by a smart dashboard that has a well-located touchscreen, plus plenty of chrome highlights and piano black trim. Vauxhall also fits excellent seats, particularly the sports seats in GS Line variants.
All cars are well equipped, with LED headlights, colour touchscreen infotainment, air conditioning and a good brace of safety-assist technology. Vauxhall has simplified the Vauxhall Corsa line-up, so Design has all the core equipment as standard, GS Line has head-turning style (it’s our favourite grade) and Ultimate has a haul of standard equipment that would make a Mercedes-Benz driver feel spoiled.
The engine range is all-petrol and focused around a 1.2-litre turbo with 100PS. There’s a cheaper non-turbo engine, but it doesn’t give the best Vauxhall Corsa driving experience. The 130PS version is fun, but commands quite a price premium due to its standard-fit eight-speed automatic gearbox.
Almost uniquely in this class, Vauxhall also offers a pure electric version: the Vauxhall Corsa-e. This has a generous electric range of around 220 miles.
Reflecting its appearance, the latest Vauxhall Corsa is a really good car to drive. It handles neatly, has a stable and absorbent ride, and offers excellent refinement. It’s a small car that feels like a much bigger one, particularly on long trips – yet still offers small-car agility, ease of parking and fuel economy.
The Vauxhall Corsa has really taken on the challenge of the all-conquering Ford Fiesta - and, right now, it’s coming out on top.
We rate the latest Vauxhall Corsa highly. It ticks all the right boxes in terms of styling, interior, driving manners and running costs. It’s maybe not the most practical supermini you can buy – the Skoda Fabia aces it for rear passenger space and boot capacity – but it’s competitive enough, and is among the best in terms of how it feels for the driver.
Vauxhall has rejigged the model line-up to offer even better value for money. You won’t find any major equipment missing on entry-level Design grade, while GS Line brings to mind the famous sporting Vauxhall Novas of the 1980s.
This is a competitive sector of the market, with highly talented alternatives such as the Volkswagen Polo, Toyota Yaris, Renault Clio and, yes, the Ford Fiesta. But the Vauxhall Corsa is more than able to hold its own. If you’re looking to buy or lease a great all-round supermini, it’s definitely worth checking out.
What’s the best used Vauxhall Corsa model to buy?
There’s not much point in looking beyond the entry-point SE model when it comes to choosing a trim for the Vauxhall Corsa. It comes with everything you need and some luxury items on top such as alloy wheels, air conditioning, cruise control and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It also has plenty of safety gear that includes speed sign recognition and Lane Departure Warning with Lane Assist.
Engine-wise, we’d recommend the 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol motor with 100PS. It has more muscle throughout its rev range than the 75PS non-turbo version, delivers the same emissions and is barely any less economical. We’d also stick with the six-speed manual gearbox that is standard rather than the eight-speed auto as it has a light, easy shift and well-chosen ratios for town and motorway driving.
Vauxhall Corsa fuel economy and performance
- Vauxhall Corsa 1.2-litre 75 petrol: The most affordable Vauxhall Corsa engine is a 1.2-litre petrol that produces 75PS. It does not have a turbocharger, meaning it is OK in town (0-62mph takes 12.4 seconds) but you might wish for more power on the motorway. It is the most fuel-efficient Vauxhall Corsa, though, returning 53.3mpg in the official test. The only gearbox option is a five-speed manual.
- Vauxhall Corsa 1.2-litre 100 turbo petrol: The core engine in the Vauxhall Corsa range, the 100PS 1.2-litre turbo engine is a great all-rounder. It accelerates from 0-62mph in 9.3 seconds, yet still averages 52.3mpg. It is available with an optional automatic gearbox alongside the standard six-speed manual.
- Vauxhall Corsa 1.2-litre 130 turbo petrol: The most powerful Vauxhall Corsa engine produces 130PS, for swift acceleration from 0-62mph in just 8.2 seconds. It comes with a sophisticated eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard. Average fuel economy is 50.4mpg.
- Vauxhall Corsa 1.5-litre 102 diesel: Discontinued as the public turned away from diesel, this three-cylinder engine makes 102PS and will reach 62mph in 9.6 seconds. It promises a fuel economy of up to 70.6mpg.
- Vauxhall Corsa-e electric: The Vauxhall Corsa-e is the most powerful Vauxhall Corsa of all, with a 136PS electric motor. The 50kWh battery in the latest model gives a fully charged range of around 220 miles (earlier models could manage up to 205 miles).
What used Vauxhall Corsa trims levels are available?
Vauxhall Corsa trim levels were updated and simplified in 2022. The model range now comprises Design, GS Line (later called just GS) and Ultimate, with the top two grades also available in Vauxhall Corsa-e pure electric guise.
Earlier Corsas were available in the following trims:
- The Vauxhall Corsa SE is the original entry-level trim for this generation of Corsa, but it's well-equipped with alloy wheels, a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and air conditioning.
- The Vauxhall Corsa SE Nav adds satnav to the base SE model.
- The Vauxhall Corsa SE Premium adds heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, as well as automatic headlights to the SE.
- The Vauxhall Corsa SE Nav Premium adds features from both Nav and Premium models to the standard SE spec.
- The Vauxhall Corsa Griffin Edition was introduced in 2021 and sits above the SE range. It has larger, 17-inch wheels, LED headlights and a black roof, as well as heated seats and steering wheel, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera. This makes it a well-specced model worth looking out for.
- The Vauxhall Corsa SRi has a sportier look than the SE models, with tinted rear windows, a black roof and sports seats, as well as rear parking sensors.
- The Vauxhall Corsa SRi Nav adds sat nav to the SRi base model.
- The Vauxhall Corsa SRi Premium adds heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, as well as automatic headlights
- The Vauxhall Corsa SRi Nav Premium combines the features from SRi Nav and SRi Premium
- The Vauxhall Corsa Elite Nav is a very well-equipped model with sat nav, a larger touchscreen, panoramic rear camera and super bright LED headlights among the many standard features.
- The Vauxhall Corsa Elite Nav Premium
- The Vauxhall Corsa Ultimate Nav is the fully-loaded, top-spec model just about every available feature included. It even gets an ultra-bright set of IntelliLux adaptive LED matrix headlights – the sort of lights you normally find on an upmarket Audi.
Post-2022, the line-up consists of:
- The Vauxhall Corsa Design is the well-equipped entry-level model. Even this grade doesn't look particularly basic, boasting alloy wheels, body-colour bumpers and other smart features.
- The Vauxhall Corsa GS is the mid-spec version. It has a contrasting black roof and sports-style front seats, plus added extras such as climate control and rear parking sensors.
- The Vauxhall Corsa Ultimate is, as its name suggests, the top-spec Vauxhall Corsa following the same pattern as the Ultimate Nav that preceded it.
Vauxhall Corsa dimensions and boot size
The Vauxhall Corsa’s exterior dimensions are:
- Length: 4060mm
- Width: 1765mm
- Height: 1433mm
- Ground clearance: TBA
The Vauxhall Corsa’s boot size is:
- 309 litres (Corsa-e: 267 litres)
- 1118 litres with rear seats folded (Corsa-e: 1081 litres)
Used Vauxhall Corsa road tax
While the Corsa-e benefits from free road tax thanks to its zero tailpipe emissions, all other new Corsas will cost £210 for the first year. After that, they'll follow the flat rate of £180/year.
How much is it to insure a Vauxhall Corsa?
Unlike some rivals, the latest Vauxhall Corsa doesn’t offer an entry-level, cheap-to-insure variant. The SE has a group 10 (out of 50) insurance rating, whereas some competitors have a lead-in model with insurance as low as group 3. The Vauxhall Corsa therefore won’t be the cheapest car to insure – indeed, the range-topping Ultimate 1.2 turbo 130 may prove surprisingly expensive, due to its group 23 rating. The electric Vauxhall Corsa-e is group 24 for insurance, too.
Read our full Vauxhall Corsa review
