Vauxhall Corsa - MPG, CO2 and running costs

Based on the WLTP testing procedure, the 74bhp petrol can achieve 52.3mpg and emissions of 121g/km, exactly the same as the 99bhp 1.2 Turbo when equipped with an auto gearbox. In manual form, the same turbocharged engine manages 55.4mpg and 114g/km emissions. During our testing of the latter in our Vauxhall Corsa vs Hyundai i20 twin test, we found it entirely plausible to get 50mpg from the Corsa.

The Hybrid models are even more efficient, with the 99bhp version returning up to 62.8mpg and emissions of 102g/km, while the 134bhp model manages a still highly respectable 61.4mpg and 104g/km. That’s on par with the Honda Jazz, but can’t quite match the MG3, or the Toyota Yaris, which drops below 100g/km and gets up to 68.9mpg.

Electric range, battery life and charge time

The 50kWh Corsa Electric has a WLTP-certified range of up to 220 miles. This depends on the driving mode you’ve selected, however: the official figure is based on the ‘Normal’ setting, but Sport mode will cause this to decrease (by around 10 per cent, says Vauxhall) while drivers looking to eke out a little extra range can do so in Eco mode. The 51kWh battery comes with a noticeable jump in range of up to 246 miles. 

The Corsa Electric can accept rapid charging through a CCS port at up to 100kW. In optimal conditions, charging from 10 to 80 per cent (going from around 20 miles of remaining range up to about 180 miles of range) takes 30 minutes. Based on a 7.4kW home wallbox, a full charge takes seven-and-a-half hours.

Tax

Either of the Hybrid models would be desirable for company car drivers compared with the petrol-only counterpart. However, they should consider going fully electric with the Vauxhall Corsa Electric, because its zero tailpipe emissions mean paying even less tax thanks to being in an even lower Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax band.

Fortunately, no version of the petrol or hybrid Corsa range costs above £40,000 when new, so you’ll only have to pay the standard rate of yearly vehicle tax, with the hybrid getting a small discount as an alternative fuel vehicle.

Insurance groups

The Corsa should be a cheap car to insure. Design trim models with the non-turbo engine start in group 12, while the Ultimate model starts in group 19. One point to note is that the 99bhp 1.2-litre in You trim is in insurance group 22 - two groups higher than the equivalent Design trim despite You being cheaper. 

Those looking for a cheaper supermini to insure might want to look at the Volkswagen Polo, which starts in insurance group three for the entry 1.0-litre petrol engine.

As described in the separate Corsa Electric review, insurance is pricier when compared with its petrol counterparts. However, the same is true for its rivals.

You can get personalised car insurance quotes fast with our comparison tool powered by Quotezone...

Depreciation

Cars that sell in numbers as vast as the Corsa tend not to be that great at holding onto their value. Combine this with the fact that the Corsa has an asking price that’s higher than the class average, and it means that the Vauxhall is generally behind rivals in terms of depreciation.

Depending on the model, a combustion-powered Corsa should retain between 39 - 53 per cent of its value after three years and 36,000 miles of motoring. The all-electric Corsa Electric is more expensive to buy than a petrol model and depreciates much worse, with the majority of the range only maintaining 33 per cent over the same time period. The best version is the least expensive You trim, with 41 per cent retained value over the same three-year period.

For those not keen on depreciation, consider the Audi A1. In 30 TFSI Sport trim, it’s cheaper than our preferred 99bhp 1.2 Turbo GS trim Corsa, but the A1 will hold on to 58 per cent of its value over the same period instead of just 44 per cent for this version of Corsa.

To get an accurate valuation on a specific model check out our valuation tool…