Vauxhall Corsa reviews

It has been quite reliable, things that have gone wrong were the indicator relay that needed replacing, the bulb behind the odometer, one number plate bulb, and a tail light bulb, both headlamp bulbs, the handbrake cable broke - I use the handbrake a lot, a couple of short rubber hoses on the engine split - the material has been improved now, and a plastic nozzle on the engine for the radiator sheared off - the replacement is brass. I had to drill a hole under the dummy fog light / reflector as water was collecting in it and preventing the reflector from doing its job. All fairly minor. Front CV boot clips corroded away so new ones were fitted, and a couple of minor items on the front suspension were replaced during servicing - not expensive. One of the emission sensors in the exhaust needed replacing too as a warning light lit up. I've just recently replaced the indicator assembly as it wasn't always returning to the off position. It's never failed to get me to where I had to go, the glove box & wide boot are a good size, better than the later version Corsa. Throttle response sometimes seems to lag, not sure if that's because it's electronic and fuel consumption isn't great, perhaps 30-32 MPG which I think my 1970s beetle did.

The reason I chose the Vauxhall Corsa was because of its very low road tax and insurance group. It appears to be the most sensible choice among its much smaller sized rivals in insurance group 2. The annual running cost of the Corsa was lower than the train fair in London. It was my first car so at first it seemed very luxurious, however, now looking back I must admit that the Corsa is a very basic and cheaply built car. The parts wore fast and it required rather frequent visits to the garage. Even passing the MOT was an issue due to some problems with CO2 emission. On motorways at 70+ mph it was making a lot of noise and shaking slightly, like a plane before take off! My Corsa had a 1.0L engine so I could not have much fun driving, but I must admit it was very fluent on turnings and it could be quite a good racing car with a bigger engine in it. Although the Corsa is not a very reliable car, it is extremely cheap to run and it is a great choice in comparison to public transport in London (which is even less reliable). Even taking into consideration the fact that you may need to pay a mechanic for some repairs, it is definitely excellent value-for-money.

Catch securing rear passenger seat when in upright position broke and jammed the seat in upright position (preventing lowering of seat to increase boot space). Caused MOT to fail, expensive repair (I think about £120 or so from memory) and needless if the catch had been designed/built better. Internet search revealed seems to be a common problem, design fault. Also, because of the difficulty of access etc. and tools required, not a problem that can be fixed yourself unless exceptionally capable. Front grille fell off while on busy road, did not realize what loud noise was till later - so had to buy a new one (£27). Surely bits shouldn't just fall off (even if a stone or something hits it, which I guess was possible though will never know)? Plastic covering front seat belts when not in use (just behind each front seat) broken. Cheap fragile plastic. Other than those things, pleased overall. Comfortable even on long journeys, which is quite unexpected in a small car. Doesn't feel as small inside as it looks from outside. Boot space is not large when it comes to packing luggage - but just manage. Responsive and quite zippy if you want it to be.

As I am now over 86 years of age, most of my driving these days is local, and of short distances. In this respect I am not sure that my choice of a diesel powered car was the best one; however I am very satisfied with the vehicle which meets all my personal requirements. During the summer I made one or two journeys of about 100 miles without encountering problems of any kind. The vehicle handles well in all traffic conditions, and cruises happily at 70 mph on motorways and other dual carriageways. Fuel consumption is around 50+ mpg on long journeys, and about 46 mpg on local journeys. Display panels are adequate, but not always easy to read after dark. Headlights are good, whether on main beam or dipped. Maintained by the local Vauxhall dealer, it has never failed me in any mechanical or electrical aspect. The all-round view of the road is excellent and I am not aware of any "blind spots". While I can happily sign the declaration below, I should nevertheless declare that my son is Service manager with the local Vauxhall agent, but he knows nothing about this communication and nr does his employer.

This car replaced a 1995 Corsa but as it's only been six months l may find problems later. l think there is too many electric items that could in time breakdown.For a start three times l've been locked out,the doors can be opened by the key but the petrol flap will only open by the key button so l'm worried now there is no way to refill petrol without the key button working.It's not better than the old one for the miles to the gallon so it's around 40 around town and 45 on a run. The power steering is good,radio/CD player is very good,the boot is very good but with the speakers in it take alot space. Most light bulbs have had to be changed but it's easy to get to them,even though the car was supplied with full MOT l've had to buy new tyres but they were only the same as the old Corsa's cost.l've used it for two holidays so far and found it very good, but with most of the engine it is impossible to see l can see it will cost a lot of more money as the old one, as l had been able to cure that one if neeeded.

I have owned my corsa for 11 years and had it from new. It has been totally reliable, never let me down,and very few repairs needed. The Main expense has been having too replace both Front and rear Road springs both of which have had one snap. the fronts at 5 years old and the rear this year. The only two other parts which have failed, were the hand brake cable, and the outside temperature sensor. It has only covered 36,000 miles and has been serviced totally by myself. The Handling, comfort, performance, and economy are all perfectly acceptable. The paintwork is still all original and has a good shine still., and the interior is still good. I have no immediate plans to change it, as it does everything I want, also I do not like the newer version, (or the Astra) as the hatchback opening has become to narrow in the interests of styling over practicality.Also the rear side windows and rear windscreen, have become to small with too much blacked out round the edges reducing rearward visibility dramatically.

I purchased my '08 Corsa from a main agent in February 2011. Since that time I have loved driving "her" as she is comfortable and extremely reliable. She is a 3 door 1.4 sxi. My previous car was a Vauxhall Vectra 1.8sxi on an '02' plate, but unfortunately this was written-off (buy a driver not looking where she was going, but looking at her phone !!). We traded in my husband's '03' 1.0 Corsa as he had done 75k miles since buying it new. By comparison, I find my Corsa to be of a better/stronger build and more comfortable. But I suppose that's what happens when you purchase a car 5 years newer. The 1.4 engine also means I do not have to wait a fortnight to pull away at the roundabout. The dealership (Tony LeVoi at Lakeside) are, in my opinion excellent. This is the fourth car we have purchased from them and now have signed up to their 'Servicing Scheme' whereby we pay a monthly fee towards our annual servicing costs - very useful when a 'big' service is due.

This is my fourth Corsa and the second one with the Easytronic semi-automatic gearbox. I originally chose it as it was the only super mini that offered adequate leg and head room in both the front and rear for adults. The Easytronic gearbox is excellent and I fail to understand why anyone opts for the fully automatic gearbox. The Easytronic gearbox drives the same as an automatic, but Corsa versions with it are cheaper to buy and cheaper to run. Insurance, mpg and road fund licence are all cheaper. I have been very satisfied and although there have been a few minor faults, all have been fixed under warranty. The only disappointment is that, when I bought the last one, Vauxhall had reduced the options that you could have with the Easytronic version. Consequently I had to forego some of the extras that I enjoyed on the previous version. This seems very short-sighted of Vauxhall.

The Corsa has been a very good buy for me. I do a lot of running around for Grandchildren when Parents are busy, which often involves town driving. The back seats can be put down so 'the dump' can be visited with rubbish too big for the bin. It copes very well with forest tracks and nature reserve drives and is easy to clean thereafter! We have holidays in Scotland and/or Wales each year and the motorway driving is fine with 2 adults and rather a lot of luggage to accommodate walking boots, poles, rucksacks etc as well as the usual suitcases. Three point turns on naroow tracks are a doddle and I don't miss the big engined car as the Corsa's gears are easy to change to compensate. Yes, I do miss a longer wheelbase and the added comfort of the big Volvos I used to drive, but I'm more than happy with the greater economy and ease of parking of my smaller car.

Vauxhall changed the wonderful streamlined Corsa shape and cute headlights to something resulting from a liaison between a Renault Megan and the old Corsa - giving us the big bottomed Corsa - I wouldn't buy one. My last car was also a Corsa - the best feature was people in a fast car would pull up alongside thinking they would pass me like I'm standing still - oh you didn't notice it was GLS sport - Byee. I'd accelerate away from them like it had a rocket up it's tailpipe - of course they'd pass me a moment later when I stopped at the road speed level and they'd cruise past doing 50 in a 30 area. Corsa's don't give a smooth ride, every dish, every bump every eyelash on the road - you feel it. It's not cheap and the road tax is horrendous even though it has low emissions. I only bought another (second hand) because I like what I know.

I love my sxi: It is effortless to drive and its simple shape still looks good. It is cheap to run and reliable. No issues of aches and pains after a long journey. It has another life after 70 if you give it or you have the chance. The only draw back being, that some, like mine have a tendency to develop a leak into the drivers foot well, which has caused some consternation and inconvenience, but the fact that it is such a great little car, means that this is not much more than a niggle that spoils the perfect simpatico a little. It does have a poor turning circle, but so does the mini according to my friend who drives one! - On the plus side I am excellent at manoeuvring in small spaces, due to all of the practice!! I am in still in no rush to change my car, as most in the same bracket have little appeal over this one.

This is the 3rd Corsa I've had, and although I really like the car, some features of my previous model are missing despite it being more expensive. For example, if you had front windscreen wipers on with the previous car, and you put it into reverse, the back wipers automatically came on. My main bugbear with this one thought is it just doesn't seem to 'do' hills, even though it's a 1.2L, same as my old Corsa. While in Northumbria last year, I was on my way to Rothbury, which has some SERIOUSLY steep hills. I was in 1st gear, being passed by cars 20 years older than mine with smaller engines. I actually got to a point where I thought I was going to have to get out and push; which was a bit scary to be honest. Oh well, maybe it's the driver, not the car. The garage are at a loss to explain it's lack of uphill 'Oomph'.....

Vauxhall changed the size of the Corsa between my old car and my current one, making it quite a bit bigger; it is also heavier and this affects its performance in that it is much more sluggish at pulling away and going up hills. I have the same engine size as previously but I have nowhere near as much power. I feel this seriously diminishes my enjoyment of driving the car and can be dangerous, especially when joining a motorway for instance. I am very happy, however, with my Corsa's reliability, and it is comfortable - my passengers have commented on how much room they have in the back and the good head room. The boot is large and holds a lot. However, the glove box and other in-car storage is poor. Overall I am happy with my Corsa and will look at them again for my next car, but would go for one with more engine capacity.

We've had our Corsa for nearly 6 years now and have been delighted with it. For the last 4 years we've been running our own business where my husband travels a lot in the local area to customers' houses. We've found our car both very economical and practical for this purpose. For a 1 litre car it's very nippy and it's not a big fuel guzzler. Apart from parts replaced due to general wear and tear we have only had to have one repair carried out. Parts are economical as well - we love the fact that we bought British! I wouldn't advise the car if you were going to make a lot of long journeys. It's not uncomfortable but you would probably want a bit more comfort if you were going to spend a lot of time on the road. When the time comes for us to replace this car we will be looking for another Corsa.

A reliable, easy to drive car. I've had Corsas before and bought this one as it was 6 months old but had only 16 mls on the clock. I've also had Fiestas so compare the Corsa to them. 3 gripes: 1. I'd prefer a heated windscreen to the heated seat and heated steering wheel it came with, they're totally useless. My previous car was a 2007 Fiesta and this had an excellent heated windscreen. 2. The Fiesta also had a dashboard button to release the boot which is more secure than the boot opening when you unlock as the Corsa does. 3. Fiesta gearbox is superior, much smoother. I've never bought a new car in 50 years of driving. I buy the newest, low mileage used Vauxhall/Fiesta car I can find, it has to be pristine and in a colour that I like.

I chose a vauxhall corsa after reading reviews about small cars and I also liked the new shape. It has not disappointed me. As it is a 5 door, it is easy to get in and out of. The drivers seat is comfortable. I can't comment on the passenger or back seats as I have never sat in them but I've had no complaints and there is plenty of leg room. My car has been very reliable and to date in the 4 years I have owned it, it has never broken down. It is powerful enough to accelerate away at roundabouts and copes with the steep mountain roads that I have to use every day. The boot is quite small but if I have no back seat passengers, it is easy to put the seats down and extend the boot space. I would definitely choose this make and model again in the future.

Small is beautiful and although small cars are ever expanding it's fair to say the manufacturers really think about the product. We have a Corsa diesel with lots of decent equipment (Air Con, electric windows, multifunction steering wheel) decent build quality and cheap to run. The handling is really impressive and for a short burst of speed the willing engine gives decent acceleration around town. The only gripe is the demist function is a little slow but it only means an extra five minutes to demist in cold weather. However, this is a minor inconvenience in an otherwise brilliant car. Our other car is a BMW and the Corsa is every bit as good - top quality, top value and an overall top product. Vauxhall should take a bow!

It's great to have a 3 door car that you can fit 3 people in the back without too much of a squash. Passengers often comment on its back seat space. Boot size is decent too compared to many newer small cars. It hasn't always passed its MOT first time, even when only 5 years old. Different things have needed fixing which I can't remember the name of now. A few hundred pounds worth, a few times, to get it to pass anyway. It's 10 years old now and still has good acceleration, drives on the motorway at max speed (ehem), gets up steep hills really well, corners well, I can drive nippily! It does the job I want it to do which is the odd long distance, commuting and other short trips and getting up steep hils. Everything really!

I am now retired and don't do a lot of mileage but have had Vauxhall Novas/Corsas since about 1980 and have never had any breakdowns or problems with them. This new Corsa which I bought this year has a tiptronic gearbox ( no clutch )and is the 4th one of this type. I like the acceleration and comfort when driving at speed. There is plenty of space for driver and passenger. This is the 1st car I have had with no spare wheel which gives more boot space but not sure I will be able to use the system fitted in the car if I have a puncture !! Will prob. call the AA, of course. ( Have never had a puncture for years, though, so hope this continues ) Love the shape of the car and design of lights Overall very satisfied

I have had my very low mileage Corsa for two years now and I must say I was verry surprised at how good it was. In the first 3 months of owning it I had to take a trip to Cornwall from London. I filled up the tank and didn't fill up again untill I got to Bodmin wow I would have had to fill up twice in my Honda by that point. Also I found that driving didstances in the Corsa was very comfortable. I found that the distances between comfort stops was much greater than in previous cars. I'm sure some people are wondering what planet I'm from as some people have said that their Corsa was quite uncomfortable well mine isn't. Overall reliability is very good, only had to change the cam position sensor after an MOT a year ago.