Vauxhall Mokka Review

The Mokka’s biggest strength has long been that it does not look like the default choice. In a class crowded with worthy but often interchangeable small SUVs, the Vauxhall has always stood out thanks to its Vizor front end, strong colour and trim combinations and a shape that feels more deliberate than some of its softer-looking rivals.

That visual appeal gives it a real advantage, because the small-SUV class is now one of the most crowded and hardest-fought sectors in the market. Buyers can pick from everything from style-led crossovers to quasi-family cars with chunkier wheelarches, and plenty of them are very good indeed.

The Mokka’s task, then, is not simply to be competent. It has to offer something a little more memorable. It broadly does that through design, decent standard kit and a line-up that now feels easier to navigate than it once did.

The more recent update has helped in that regard. The interior technology story is cleaner, the trim walk-up makes more sense and the line-up now revolves more clearly around petrol and hybrid power.

For this review, the focus is firmly on the petrol and hybrid Vauxhall Mokka models. The fully electric version is covered separately in our Vauxhall Mokka Electric review.

That leaves the Mokka to make its case as a stylish, easy-to-live-with small SUV rather than a class leader in any one hard metric. It does that reasonably well, even if it still feels compromised in a few familiar areas.

For most buyers, the best Vauxhall Mokka is the GS with the 1.2 Hybrid 145PS e-DCT6.

That version makes the strongest all-round case because it combines the most convincing current powertrain with the trim level that best balances price and desirability. The hybrid drivetrain brings stronger efficiency and smoother low-speed responses than the standard petrol, while GS adds enough extra kit to make the Mokka feel more complete without pushing the price all the way to Ultimate territory.

The standard 1.2-litre petrol still makes sense in Griffin trim if you want to keep costs down. It is a punchy little engine and the lighter, simpler setup suits the Mokka reasonably well. But if you are buying the current car new, the hybrid is the one that feels most in tune with where the market has moved.

Ultimate adds extra luxury and safety features, but it is harder to justify unless you specifically want items such as adaptive IntelliLux lighting, heated comfort features and keyless entry.

In simple terms, Griffin petrol is the value option, GS Hybrid is the sweet spot and Ultimate is the plush one.

The current Vauxhall Mokka range starts at £25,790 for the Griffin 1.2 Turbo 136PS manual. The GS 1.2 Turbo 136PS manual is £27,710, while the Griffin Hybrid 145PS e-DCT6 starts at £28,440.

From there, the GS Hybrid 145PS e-DCT6 rises to £30,360, and the range-topping Ultimate Hybrid 145PS e-DCT6 comes in at £31,790.

That means the Mokka is not especially cheap by small-SUV standards, even if it still undercuts some premium-badged alternatives. The higher-spec hybrid cars in particular ask you to spend serious money.

The upside is that Vauxhall usually pushes hard on retail offers and stock-car deals, so real-world transaction prices can look more appealing than the list alone suggests.

The Skoda Kamiq remains one of the Mokka’s clearest rivals because it is roomy, comfortable and very easy to live with. It does not have the same visual flair as the Vauxhall, but it makes a stronger practicality case.

The Ford Puma is another obvious alternative if you want something that feels sharper to drive and more rounded overall. It is one of the more enjoyable cars in the class, though Vauxhall’s updated infotainment and trim structure have narrowed the gap in showroom appeal.

The Renault Captur is also well worth considering because it blends distinctive styling with a more useful rear cabin and greater flexibility. It feels particularly strong if family practicality matters.

The Peugeot 2008 is impossible to ignore because it shares much of the Mokka’s underlying hardware. It takes a slightly more premium and design-led approach inside, while the Vauxhall counters with a cleaner, less eccentric feel.

Beyond those four, the Nissan Juke, Hyundai Kona and Volkswagen T-Cross all deserve a look depending on whether you value image, efficiency or usability most.

The dashboard in the Vauxhall Mokka is a mish-mash of trendy, angular design and old-fashioned buttons, while the rest of the interior is very much spec-dependent. It all feels decent but not class-leading with the 2024-on updated Mokka, while earlier models were very spec-dependent.

You sit higher than you would in a Vauxhall Corsa, while the near-horizontal bonnet helps with the SUV vibe. You can adjust the lumbar support in the top-spec Ultimate model, which also comes with a massage function on the driver's seat.

The Vauxhall Mokka is comfortable enough, while the button overload on the dashboard actually makes life a little easier than a more minimalist approach. We like having dials and buttons for things like the climate control and the stereo, for example.

The Vauxhall Mokka is pitched as a more stylish alternative to the Vauxhall Crossland, which explains why it has a smaller boot than its affordable sibling. The boot space in the Vauxhall Mokka will officially accommodate up to 350-litres of luggage, which is less than the majority of its rivals. The Skoda Kamiq, Renault Captur, Ford Puma, Volkswagen T-Roc, Peugeot 2008 and Nissan Juke can all carry more.

This figure only tells part of the story, though. It's a usefully wide boot, without much intrusion from the wheel arches, while a height-adjustable boot floor reduces the lip (making loading easier). If you do need more space, the rear seats fold down to accommodate up to 1105 litres of luggage – although it's a shame the rear bench doesn't slide backwards and forwards for extra versatility.

The Vauxhall Mokka measures 4,151mm long, 1,791mm wide & 1,535mm high.

That makes it compact enough to suit town driving very well, which is part of the reason it feels so easy to manoeuvre and park.

It also explains some of the compromises. The Mokka is sized to feel city friendly first and family friendly second, so while it looks chunky, it is not one of the bigger cars in this class.

The updated Mokka now gets twin 10-inch displays across the range, which makes the technology story much easier to understand than it used to be.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and the overall interface is clear enough once you get used to it. It is not the slickest system in the class and it can lag slightly, but it does the important things well enough.

Vauxhall also deserves some credit for not giving up entirely on physical controls. The Mokka still has useful shortcut buttons and enough conventional switchgear that basic tasks do not become a chore.

The Mokka’s interior quality is a bit of a mixed bag. The design itself is quite interesting, and the higher trims in particular look reasonably smart.

Touch the lower dashboard, door trims and switchgear more closely, though, and it becomes clear that the Mokka is not as plush as the best rivals. A Peugeot 2008 feels richer inside, and even a Hyundai Kona can feel a touch more solid in places.

The Mokka is not badly built. It simply does not feel as polished or expensive as it first appears.

The current Mokka line-up revolves around two core powertrains. The standard petrol is a 1.2-litre turbo three-cylinder with 136PS, offered with a manual gearbox. Above that sits the 1.2 Hybrid 145PS e-DCT6, which uses the same basic engine with mild-hybrid assistance and an electrified six-speed dual-clutch automatic.

Earlier cars also offered a 100PS petrol and a conventional automatic 130PS version, while used buyers may still come across the old diesel. Those are now best treated as legacy choices rather than the core of the current range.

For most buyers, the hybrid is the one to choose. It is the most efficient, the smoothest around town and the version that feels most aligned with the Mokka’s compact-SUV brief.

The Mokka is straightforward and easy to drive. Around town, the steering is light enough to make urban life painless, and the compact dimensions give it a nimble, easy-to-place feel.

Ride comfort is decent enough at lower speeds, though the Mokka can get flustered if you hit sharper ridges or broken tarmac at pace, particularly on larger wheels.

That means it is not as settled as the best comfort-focused rivals, but it is rarely genuinely uncomfortable. The real issue is that it never quite turns that firmer edge into driver enjoyment. A Ford Puma is more entertaining, while a Kamiq is more forgiving.

Refinement is acceptable rather than outstanding. The little petrol engine makes itself heard in stop-start traffic, but settles down reasonably well on a cruise. The hybrid helps most in town, where its smoother drivetrain behaviour makes the Mokka feel more relaxed.

The Mokka has a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating from 2021, and that still looks a little underwhelming in a market where many rivals managed five stars.

Euro NCAP was particularly critical of the car’s cyclist protection and the absence of some increasingly common safety features at the time of testing.

That said, the standard safety equipment is still respectable. The Mokka gets autonomous emergency braking, lane assistance, speed-sign recognition and the expected child-seat mountings, while upper trims add more advanced driver-assistance features.

The 1.2 Turbo 136PS petrol returns up to 50.4mpg in current form, which is a respectable figure for a small SUV with this kind of performance.

The 145PS Hybrid e-DCT6 improves on that with official economy of up to 58.9mpg, making it the clear efficiency pick of the current non-electric range.

That means the hybrid has the strongest all-round financial case if your mileage is mixed and includes plenty of town work.

Vauxhall’s new-car warranty runs for three years from first registration, with unlimited mileage in year one and a 60,000-mile cap across years two and three.

Servicing is structured around Vauxhall’s current service-plan pattern, with Interim and Main services following a 24-month cycle and Major services every 48 months.

In practical terms, owners should still think in terms of regular annual maintenance checks and retailer servicing rather than assuming the Mokka can simply be ignored for two years at a time.

Insurance groups for the latest petrol and hybrid Mokka range run from 13 to 24, with the cheaper Griffin petrol models at the lower end and higher-spec hybrid cars towards the top.

That is quite normal for the class, though the most expensive hybrid versions are no longer especially cheap by small-SUV standards.

Vauxhall Mokka owners will pay the standard annual VED rate after year one, which is £200. The current Mokka range stays below the £40,000 threshold in standard petrol and hybrid form, so there is no Expensive Car Supplement to worry about.