Chances are that even if you’ve never driven a Vauxhall Corsa, you’ll know someone who has. The Corsa is one of the most popular cars in the UK, and vies with its arch-rival, the Ford Fiesta, for the honour of being the country’s best-selling car.
Like the Fiesta, the Corsa is a small hatchback, or supermini, which means it also counts the Volkswagen Polo, Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza and Toyota Yaris among its other competitors.
So what, exactly, is it that makes Corsas so popular? Well, they tend to be easy to drive, smart to look at, reasonably practical, and affordable to buy: a winning combination for the no-nonsense buyer that simply wants a hassle-free and effective way to get around town. It also explains their appeal to driving instructors, among whom the Corsa tends to be a perennial favourite. Which explains why so many of us have driven a Corsa, even if we haven’t owned one.
But did you know that the Corsa has now been on our roads in some form or other for almost 30 years? Or that, in that time, there have been six generations of Corsa?
If you want to find out which one’s right for you, or simply to bone up on your knowledge of Vauxhall’s best-seller, this potted history of the Corsa will be a great place to start.
Generations: 6
- Vauxhall Corsa F (2019-present)
- Vauxhall Corsa E (2014-2019)
- Vauxhall Corsa D (2006-2014)
- Vauxhall Corsa C (2000-2006)
- Vauxhall Corsa B (1993-2000)
- Vauxhall Nova (Opel Corsa) A (1983-1993)
Vauxhall Corsa F (2019-present)
Bodystyles:
- Five-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Vauxhall Corsa F:
- Shares the same mechanical underpinnings as the Peugeot 208 and Citroen C3
- First all-electric model – the Corsa-e
- New petrol and diesel engines
The latest Corsa hatchback is an entirely new beast, thanks to a takeover of Vauxhall in 2017 by the PSA Group (which itself is now part of the sprawling Stellantis automotive giant).
Under the skin, this small car is based on the same parts as the Peugeot 208 and Citroen C3, so it gets the same range of potent turbocharged 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines, as well as a slick eight-speed automatic option. It’s also lighter than the old model, not to mention more spacious, despite being roughly the same size. This helps to keep the MPG, emissions and running costs low.
Inside, there’s a smartly styled interior built from solid plastics and lots of cutting-edge infotainment system technology, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s great to drive, too, with responsive handling and a comfortable ride.
The new Corsa range is also the first to feature an electric version. The Corsa-e (not to be confused with the Corsa E, which would signify the previous-generation model) teams a 134bhp motor with a 50kWh battery that gives it a 209-mile range.
Read our expert review of the Vauxhall Corsa F or search for a used Vauxhall Corsa on CarGurus
Vauxhall Corsa E (2014-2019)
Bodystyles:
- Five-door hatchback
- Three-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Vauxhall Corsa E:
- Same underpinnings as previous model, but with a new look
- Sold well and there are plenty on the used market
- Corsa VXR hot hatch phased out in 2018
The fifth-generation Corsa might have been billed as an entirely new car, but it was in fact a very heavy revision of the old Corsa D. That was no bad thing, given the old car’s plaudits, and Vauxhall boosted its appeal further with an all-new interior built from glossy materials, more toys as standard, and a slew of new engines. The most notable among these was a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo that punched well above its weight and delivered impressive fuel economy.
By 2014, however, a cavalcade of newer, better rivals had left the Corsa feeling a little dated. And with identical dimensions to the outgoing model, it also felt a little cramped compared with its competitors.
For all that, though, the Corsa was still a decent thing to drive, and rode comfortably enough. Furthermore, thanks to keen pricing and lots of great deals in showrooms, it sold well, finding homes with plenty of buyers who appreciated its solid value for money and smart styling.
The VXR models were replaced in 2018 with the GSi, which featured the same aggressive bodykit, but considerably less power. This trim level of the Corsa E was not well received, and due to a high price, relatively few found homes.
Read our expert review of the Vauxhall Corsa E or search for a used Vauxhall Corsa on CarGurus
Vauxhall Corsa D (2006-2014)
Bodystyles:
- Five-door hatchback
- Three-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Vauxhall Corsa D:
- Shared mechanical underpinnings with the Fiat Punto
- Performance VXR model introduced in 2007
- Facelifted in 2010 with a revised front end and headlamps
In 2006 came a big leap forward; the Corsa D was the best Corsa yet. Swooping styling made it stand out from the crowd, while inside there was a new interior that not only looked stylish, but felt much higher-quality than before.
This Corsa also had the benefit of a selection of petrol engines that had been heavily revised to further boost their power and efficiency. It was great to drive, too, with a well-resolved ride and sharp handling, and there was plenty of room in both three-door and five-door versions. Among the clever options you could specify was an integrated bike rack.
There was even, for the first time, a properly potent hot hatch version of the Corsa; the VXR, with its 189bhp 1.6-litre turbo, could storm to 62mph in just 7.2 seconds.
So good was this generation of the Corsa, in fact, that it won What Car?’s Car Of The Year award, and just missed out on the European Car Of The Year title, too. A very mild facelift in 2010 brought refreshed styling and a new, optional touchscreen entertainment system.
Read our expert review of the Vauxhall Corsa D or search for a used Vauxhall Corsa on CarGurus
Vauxhall Corsa C (2000-2006)
Bodystyles:
- Five-door hatchback
- Three-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Vauxhall Corsa C:
- Underpinnings overhauled for new model
- More space inside and new 1.4-litre petrol engine
- Facelifted in 2003 with new styling and engine tech
The third-generation Corsa might have taken a certain amount of inspiration from its predecessor in styling terms, but beneath the skin it was almost entirely new.
Improvements to the chassis made it much more pleasant to drive, inside there was more space, and under the bonnet there was a new 1.4-litre engine, though the 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre were carried over from the previous-generation model.
You could also specify your Corsa with a clutchless manual gearbox, though it wasn’t particularly nice to use. This Corsa also suffered from rather cheap-feeling interior plastics: compared to the previous model, it actually felt slightly more tinny.
The usual mid-life facelift came along in 2003, bringing with it tweaked styling and ‘Twinport’ technology for the engines, which meant small gains in power and fuel efficiency. However, the slow-selling GSi version – now with a fairly lukewarm 123bhp 1.8-litre engine – was phased out.
Vauxhall Corsa B (1993-2000)
Bodystyles:
- Five-door hatchback
- Three-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Vauxhall Corsa B:
- First Vauxhall-branded Corsa after the renaming of the first car to Nova
- Curvy looks contrasted with boxy styling of its predecessor
- New fuel-injected engines boost appeal
- Facelifted in 1997 with new looks and revised suspension by Lotus
For this second generation, Vauxhall aligned with Opel in calling the car the Corsa. The new model was a huge leap forward over its by-now rather dated predecessor, featuring curvy styling and much higher-quality materials inside.
Under the bonnet sat a new range of fuel-injected engines which included 1.2-litre, 1.4-litre and 1.4-litre 16-valve options, as well as the same 1.5-litre diesels that had been available in the Nova. The 108bhp 1.6-litre GSi sat at the top of the range.
Although this generation of Corsa looked appealing, both inside and out, and was praised for its value for money and practicality, road testers at the time of its launch bemoaned its woolly handling and unremarkable ride quality.
This was improved in 1997, with the arrival of the facelifted model. Not only did this gain updated styling and an efficient 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, but its chassis was given a good going-over by the suspension tuning gurus at Lotus.
As a result, while the Corsa was still not the most entertaining car of its type to drive, these later cars were more communicative, more predictable and had more responsive steering.
Vauxhall Nova (Opel Corsa) A (1983-1993)
Bodystyles:
- Five-door hatchback
- Three-door hatchback
- Two-door saloon
- Four-door saloon
Notable features and facelifts of the Vauxhall Corsa A:
- Called the Opel Corsa in Germany, but named the Nova in the UK
- Strong rival for cars like the Ford Fiesta and Austin Metro
- Britain's seventh best-selling car in 1989
- Facelifted in 1990
OK, we’re cheating a bit here. The first-generation Corsa was actually called the Nova in Britain, due to the way Vauxhall and Opel, Vauxhall’s German sister company, named their cars differently in the UK and Europe.
Nevertheless, the Nova was a crucial car for Vauxhall, giving it a proper contender in the burgeoning supermini market, which it desperately needed to counter the runaway success of the Ford Fiesta, Austin Metro and Renault 5. It replaced the Vauxhall Chevette.
While the Nova wasn’t exactly brimming with character drive like the Peugeot 205, it had a range of strong engines, plenty of space, and was relatively quiet on the move. There was a hot GTE model, too, which had a 99bhp 1.6-litre fuel-injected engine, plus a slightly less powerful SRi model.
1990 saw the car facelifted, with a sleeker nose, a smarter interior, and the introduction of a turbo-diesel option, quite a rarity in the class. At the same time, the GTE was rebadged GSI.