Vauxhall Corsa review - Interior & comfort

Think of a Corsa and you'll probably imagine a first car or budget runaround, but the latest model is more sophisticated than ever. The Corsa feels more luxurious and advanced, and may pleasantly surprise anyone looking to downsize from a larger car. It does get rather pricey in top Ultimate trim, however, so we'd stick with Design or GS at the most for the best value.

Vauxhall Corsa dashboard

While traditional class champions Volkswagen seem to be downgrading the quality of some of its new interiors, the Corsa takes a definite step up. Soft-touch materials now adorn the top of the dashboard and tasteful colour-coded trim spans the dashboard. Since the facelift, the steering wheel boss even mirrors the exterior’s Vauxhall ‘Vizor’ front grille somewhat.

All trims now get a 10-inch infotainment display with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, and we think it’s better than that of rivals such as the Hyundai i20. The system has been updated over time and on the latest cars the software and hardware has been improved to make it more usable. Loading times are faster, the graphics are sharper and the interface is easier to use. We like the tiles on the main menu which provide shortcuts to major functions, and are always present, making it more intuitive to jump between them.

There are some physical controls too, making controlling the heating and ventilation easier than having to use the central screen. There's also a physical volume button and a set of shortcut keys to quickly access important features.

A 3.5-inch digital instrument panel is offered on entry-level cars, but we found it odd that it doesn't fill the space on offer, making it look cheaper than rivals with wider displays. GS trim and above features a digital gauge cluster that’s twice as large. In either case, the digital dials don’t quite live up to the standard set by those in the Hyundai i20.

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Equipment

To make the Corsa even more affordable, Vauxhall introduced a new limited-edition Yes trim level below the Design trim in early 2024. Though it’s designed to make for a more affordable entryway into Corsa ownership (both in petrol and electric guises) it still comes with a great amount of kit. It features 16-inch alloys finished in black, a seven-inch digital gauge cluster, a 10-inch central display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, high beam assist, cruise control and sporty styling complete with a contrasting black roof.

Quite honestly, the Yes edition – while it may be offered with fewer engine and colour choices – makes the Design spec seem redundant when compared like-for-like. For example, the Design spec gets a 3.5-inch digital instrument cluster and more pedestrian styling in comparison. As far as we could tell, the only differences were some LED fog lights and a rear view camera, but otherwise, Design offers less for more money.

GS is sportier, with 17-inch wheels, a black roof, tinted windows, LED front fog lights and LED rear lights. GS models also get a larger seven-inch digital gauge cluster, a new automated emergency braking system with pedestrian detection. It also gets a Sport driving mode and useful features like electric rear windows, rear parking sensors and an alarm. 

Ultimate offers yet more convenience items, such as sat nav, folding door mirrors, a rear-view camera, front parking sensors, a Winter Pack and ambient mood lighting. It's surprisingly well-equipped for a supermini, boasting Alcantara seats, keyless entry, blind spot alert, lumbar support and a massage function for the driver’s seat. There are also Intellilux adaptive LED headlights which feature 14 elements on each side which improve the lighting performance by 30 per cent.

Options

There aren’t many options available for the Corsa, but buyers can specify a body-colour roof on GS models at no extra cost (a black roof comes as standard). There’s also the option of different 17-inch wheels or a Winter Pack, which includes heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and centre armrest with storage for an extra £500.