Vauxhall Grandland review - MPG, CO2 and running costs

The Vauxhall Grandland should be a reasonably affordable car to run, no matter which version you go for. The 1.2-litre (128bhp) turbo petrol is able to return a claimed maximum of 45.6mpg, with CO2 emissions at 140g/km. Adding the optional automatic gearbox results in a slight dip in economy and a small rise in CO2 emissions.

When we drove the Grandland with this engine, it struggled to get very close to its official mpg figure, reinforcing our past experience with this 1.2-litre engine in other models. Because of its relatively small capacity and low power output, drivers have to work it harder to make similar progress when compared with other petrol-powered family SUVs.

The 1.5-litre diesel will return more miles per gallon, with an impressive 54.3mpg and 136g/km CO2 emissions, however it can’t touch the plug-in hybrid model’s official 235.4mpg rating or CO2 emissions of 27-28g/km. 

Business users will be best served by the Grandland Plug-in Hybrid, which attracts the eight per cent Benefit-in-Kind rate, rather than the 32-34 per cent of the petrol and diesel-powered cars. Of course, the Grandland PHEV’s higher start price of nearly £41,000 – compared with just over £30,000 for the non-hybrid models – will eat into any potential future savings.

Electric range, battery and charging

The plug-in Grandland uses a 14.2kWh battery to feed a single electric motor, while the Grandland GSe gets two electric motors for all-wheel drive. Both powertrains offer up to 39 miles of zero-emissions driving, at least according to Vauxhall. On the cold day we drove the Grandland Plug-in Hybrid in the UK, closer to 30 miles of electric driving was possible.

To get the most out of the plug-in Grandland’s hybrid system in terms of both range and fuel economy, you’ll need to charge them as often as possible. Ordinarily, 3.7kW is the Grandland PHEV’s maximum charging speed, but there is an optional 7.4kW on-board charger, which cuts the time needed to fully replenish the battery from four to two hours. That is if you use a standard 7.4kW home wallbox – a domestic three-pin socket will take six hours to do the same job.

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Insurance groups 

Vauxhall Grandland insurance groups are pretty competitive: the entry-level Design models sit in groups 15-16, while higher-spec GS and Ultimate cars are only in groups 16-17. The plug-in hybrid models will attract higher premiums, thanks to being in groups 23-24, while the sportier GSe sits in group 34.

In comparison, the closely related Peugeot 3008 starts in group 20, while the top-spec 221bhp plug-in hybrid model is in group 31.

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Depreciation

Our data suggests that the Grandland should hold onto a healthy chunk of its value over a typical three-year/36,000-mile ownership period. You should see the family SUV hold onto at least 50 per cent return of its original list price after this time, with the plug-in hybrid Grandland GSe performing the best, retaining 58 per cent.

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