Skip advert
Advertisement
In-depth reviews

Vauxhall Meriva (2014-2017) review - Reliability and Safety

The Vauxhall Meriva safety scores are great, but its reliability ranking is definitely below par

Reliability and Safety rating

4.0

How we review cars
Find your Vauxhall Meriva
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

Vauxhall knows a thing or two about building reliable, safe cars, so the fact that the Meriva offers a five-star EuroNCAP test result should come as no surprise. However, only four airbags are fitted as standard, with only Exclusiv, Tech Line and SE models getting additional curtain airbags – you can add these desirable extras to other models for £460.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Elsewhere you’ll benefit from electronic stability control, adaptive brake lights that flash during heavy braking, ISOFIX child seat mounting points and hill-start assist. However, unlike newer rivals there’s no option to add blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist or autonomous emergency braking.

The EuroNCAP crash-test ratings were 89 per cent for adult occupants, 77 per cent for children, and 55 per cent for pedestrians. Equivalent scores for the Ford B-Max were 92 per cent, 84 per cent and 67 per cent, while the Hyundai ix20 managed 89 per cent, 85 per cent and 64 per cent – they’re both 5 star cars too.

While safety is fully covered, we’re not quite so confident in the Meriva’s reliability, having witnessed its poor performance in the latest Driver Power 2015 survey. Out of 200 cars surveyed, the Meriva came in 186th overall for customer satisfaction, and its 156th for reliability and 163rd for build quality weren’t much better either.

The overall manufacturer/brand ratings don’t paint a better picture either, as Vauxhall ranked a poor 28th out of 32 manufacturers for reliability. For overall satisfaction, owners ranked Vauxhall an even worse 30th.

Warranty 

The entire Vauxhall range comes with a standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty – and it’s been looking a bit stingy for a while now. The Meriva is up against rivals such as the Kia Venga, which has seven-year cover, and the Hyundai ix20, which comes with five years. 

Servicing

Vauxhall maintenance prices are pretty competitive, with fixed price servicing for the Meriva starting at £129. The manufacturer also has fixed prices for changing wear-and-tear bits and pieces, so we can tell you a new set of brake pads is £99, and a clutch replacement is £529.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Nissan Qashqai

Nissan Qashqai

RRP £27,415Avg. savings £5,568 off RRP*Used from £12,295
Dacia Spring

Dacia Spring

RRP £14,995Avg. savings £1,676 off RRP*
Renault Clio

Renault Clio

RRP £16,160Avg. savings £2,721 off RRP*Used from £8,800
MG MG4

MG MG4

RRP £26,995Avg. savings £8,094 off RRP*Used from £13,290
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Chinese cars can’t match their European rivals when it comes to engineering
Opinion - Shanghai Auto Show

Chinese cars can’t match their European rivals when it comes to engineering

This new brand of cars might have battery tech on their side, but European buyers want much more than that
Opinion
25 Apr 2025
Leapmotor B05 family hatch on route to the UK with sub-£30k price and 400-mile range
Leapmotor badge

Leapmotor B05 family hatch on route to the UK with sub-£30k price and 400-mile range

The Stellantis-backed brand will launch a Volkswagen ID.3-rivalling small car with almost 20 per cent more range
News
23 Apr 2025
New Subaru Outback is “simply unsellable in Europe” for one very simple reason…
Subaru Outback front 2025

New Subaru Outback is “simply unsellable in Europe” for one very simple reason…

Subaru has confirmed that the new seventh-generation Outback will not be coming to the UK, or anywhere in Europe for that matter
News
23 Apr 2025