Vauxhall Mokka SUV (2012-2016) - MPG, running costs & CO2

If you're looking for the cheapest compact crossover to run, the Vauxhall Mokka simply isn't it. Although the car is reasonably efficient – the diesel in particular is actually quite economical and its road-tax rates are fairly competitive – there are several cars in the class with better fuel consumption and better used values, such as the Skoda Yeti and Nissan Juke.

Warranty coverage is only average, too, as Vauxhall has now discontinued its former 'lifetime' warranty, which covered the car for up to 100,000 miles, no matter how long you owned it. Now it's a standard three-year/60,000-mile affair.

Vauxhall Mokka MPG and CO2

For high-mileage drivers, the 1.6-litre diesel is the best Vauxhall Mokka model, as it has the best fuel economy in the range. The two ‘ecoFLEX’ variants of the engine (one with 110bhp; the other with 136bhp) are the most efficient of them all, with returning up to 68.9mpg.

Ticking the all-wheel drive or automatic gearbox options, however, will result in fuel economy dropping substantially on the 136bhp diesel (the only engine they’re available with) to 60mpg and 55mpg respectively. That compares to 65mpg for the standard front-wheel-drive manual.

The diesel engine also has the lowest CO2 emissions in the range, with the front-wheel-drive model’s ultra-low 114g/km figure resulting in a £30 annual road-tax bill (the lower emissions of the ecoFLEX versions drop their road-tax bills down to just £20 a year).

As with fuel consumption, though, choosing an automatic gearbox or all-wheel drive results in increased emissions, bumping up the annual figure to £110 and £130 respectively.

It's a similar story with the Mokka's pair of petrol engines. While they're fairly efficient – returning more than 40mpg – they’re far from the best this class has to offer. The petrols are also more expensive to tax than the diesel, with the 1.6-litre and the 1.4-litre with all-wheel drive fitted attracting a bill of £180 a year (in comparison, a front-wheel-drive Mokka with the 1.4-litre petrol “only” costs £140 to tax).

It’s also worth pointing out that fitting automatic transmission to a Mokka removes the fuel-saving stop-start technology. As a result, all Mokkas with automatic gearboxes are notably less economical than ones with the standard manual transmission.

Insurance group

The Vauxhall Mokka does claw back some ground when it comes to insurance groups, with ratings varying from group five for a Tech Line car with the 1.6-litre petrol engine to group 14 for a top-spec Mokka SE diesel. The all-wheel-drive Mokka is the most competitive with rivals for insurance costs. With a diesel engine, it sits a good few groups below the lowest-rated comparable Skoda Yeti (a five-door 2.0-litre TDI with all-wheel drive). If you'd prefer front-wheel drive, however, there isn't as much of a difference compared to the competition.

Warranty

Vauxhall used to be the market leader when it came to warranty cover, offering a 100,000-mile 'lifetime' warranty with no time limit to the first owner of every new car it sold. This has now been discontinued, however, replaced with the industry standard of three years or 60,000 miles of cover against mechanical failure. This pales in comparison to the five-year/unlimited-mileage cover you'll get with a Hyundai Tucson or the seven-year/100,000-mile policy offered on the Kia Soul.

Servicing

The service interval for the Vauxhall Mokka isn't too frequent, with Vauxhall recommending a dealer visit every 20,000 miles or 12 months (whichever comes first). Servicing costs are also reasonable, and a £19.99 monthly payment is also available to make budgeting for maintenance easier.