New Vauxhall Corsa & Corsa-e

The Vauxhall Corsa made a name for itself as a brilliant hatchback that’s excellent value for money some time ago and it seems that the legacy has continued with the all-new Corsa as well.

The all-new Corsa and Corsa-e (the electric variant) have now been named as Europe’s best value new car. Not only is this an impressive award by its own merit but this just so happens to also be the third time the Corsa has won the prestigious and highly-recognised Autobest award, making it the first and only car to have done so.

The panel of 31 auto journalists from around Europe made the decision and praised the car for its excellent fuel economy, style, quality and of course, its value for money.

The new fifth-generation Corsa has once again transformed its appearance, sharing very little with its predecessor. Although it may not look quite as sporty as the previous models that we all know and love, the new model still has a lot of personality and is loaded with more technology and cool features than ever.

Richard Aucock, a UK Autobest juror commented:

“It is affordable, drives well, is impressively refined and extremely fuel-efficient. It has an impressive array of tech, including some sector first features such as matrix LED headlights. The introduction of the all-electric Corsa-e is also significant. Vauxhall’s best-seller will help democratise electric motoring, another aim of the AUTOBEST organisation.

Simply put, the AUTOBEST Best Buy award should go to the car offering the very best all-round package for real-world car buyers. The 2020 Vauxhall Corsa is a very deserving winner.”

With features such as those fancy LED headlights Richard mentioned, along with incredible amounts of space for rear passengers, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard and massaging driver seat available at higher specs, the new Corsa certainly has a lot to offer.

However, I don’t think that the Corsa is the best in class when it comes to value for money. One reason for this is that the prices for the new Corsa have increased a little compared to the previous generations. In the past, the Corsa has undercut comparative hatchbacks such as the Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio etc. But now, the Corsa is basically on par with competitor’s pricing. This would be fine if the Corsa offered the same levels of refinement as other value hatchbacks but it simply does not. While cars like the new Peugeot 208 are offering outstanding interiors and stunning designs, the Corsa is still being built with the same basic, all-plastic interiors with scratchy plastic and beige headliner.

Although it’s a very solid car that will do the job just fine, now that the prices have increased a little the Corsa is now that little bit harder to justify over other hatchbacks. That being said, it is still cheaper than most competitors which is probably why it’s still worthy of winning the Autobest ‘Best Buy Car Of Europe 2020’.

Vauxhall CEO Michael Lohscheller said:

“We are very happy to receive this award. The verdict of the independent specialist journalists shows that with the Corsa we have created a future-oriented car for everyone. A car that is state-of-the-art, efficient, and well-equipped, with strong driving dynamics. At prices you can afford. At the same time, the Corsa, as a three-time AUTOBEST winner, shows that with each new generation of vehicles we are delivering on our promise to make top technologies available to a wide range of buyers.”

With over 2.1 million UK sales, the Corsa is (as we expected) Vauxhall’s most successful car in terms of sales. Now, for the first time, the Corsa will be available as a full-electric vehicle and will be sold along the standard model as the ‘Corsa-e’. By 2024, Vauxhall aims to offer an ‘e’ version for all of their models making them one of the first manufacturers to do so.

Can you see yourself buying a new Corsa or Corsa-e or do you think there are better options available?

If you enjoyed this read, you may be interested in reading about how electric cars could get green number plates soon!