Used Vauxhall Corsa review: 2014-2019 (Mk4) - Running costs, MPG, CO2 emissions and insurance

Low running costs are a big part of the appeal of a used Corsa Mk4. Some of its engines are extremely economical, servicing prices are modest – especially away from the main Vauxhall dealer network at respected independent garages – some of the diesels are exempt from road tax, and insurance starts from group 2. Even the spare parts prices are painless.

The Corsa Mk4’s service intervals are annually or every 20,000 miles, whichever comes first. The types of service fall into three categories: interim, main and major. The basic cost of an interim service for a petrol-engined Corsa Mk4 at a Vauxhall dealer is about £160, rising to roughly £265 for a main service and £305 for a major: for a diesel-engined Corsa Mk4 the costs are approximately £170, £295 and £335. You may be able to better these prices by shopping around, and you’ll certainly be able to save money by getting the work done at an independent garage.

The price of spare parts is reasonable, too. Replacement front brake discs are between £36 and £108: front brake pads are between £30 and £72. A new radiator is about £120, an air filter £12.

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How much do Corsa Mk4s cost?

Currently, car dealers appear to be doing their best to keep prices of post-2106 Corsa Mk4s above £7,000, almost regardless of trim grade, engine or mileage. It’s a different story with older cars, where some 2014-vintage models in low trim grades are now around the £4,000 mark – higher trim grades can cost £1,200 more.

Because the Corsa Mk4 was consistently among Britain’s top 10 best-selling cars for several years, secondhand car forecourts are brimming with them, so you’ll have heaps of choice. The best way to browse and compare the very latest prices is to visit our sister website, Buyacar.

What’s it like for fuel economy, emissions and tax?

If good fuel economy is your primary consideration, then a Corsa Mk4 fitted with the 94bhp version of the 1.3-litre turbocharged diesel engine is the model you’ll be wanting. Depending on the trim grade, this diesel delivers between 83.1mpg and 88.3mpg, and with its CO2 emissions spanning 85g/km to 89g/km, you reap a secondary benefit of it being exempt from annual road tax. 

The less powerful (74bhp) version of that same diesel engine isn’t as parsimonious as its sibling, but fuel consumption of between 74.3mpg and 76.3mpg (depending on the trim grade) still puts it comfortably ahead of any the Corsa Mk4’s petrol engines in the economy stakes. As a three-door in some trim grades, the Corsa Mk4’s CO2 emissions are low enough to make it VED-exempt, but in other trim grades you’ll pay either £20 annually or £155 – when you’re looking at a diesel Corsa Mk4, check what emissions/tax bracket it falls into.

It’s a similar tale for the ecoFlex 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine – in some versions of the Corsa Mk4 it’s VED-exempt because of its low CO2 emissions, while in other trim grades it can be as much as £155 annually to tax. The 1.0-litre is the most economical of the petrol engines, with figures for the lower-powered version (89bhp) ranging between 62.8mpg and 65.7mpg, and those for the 114bhp model spanning 56.5mpg to 57.6mpg. 

Fuel consumption figures for the 1.4-litre petrol engines are in the 49mpg to 55mpg range, although if you choose one mated to an automatic gearbox, the economy plunges to 42.8mpg. It’s even lower for the sporty 1.6-litre turbocharged Corsa VXR – just 37.7mpg. A small number of the 1.4-litre models cost only £30 to tax, but most are £155, as are the VXR and GSi hot hatches.

How much will a Corsa Mk4 cost to insure?

Most Corsa Mk4s sit in insurance groups 2 to 11, but the GSi is group 20 and the VXR group 30.