VAUXHALL CORSA

Our time with this mild hybrid is up - and we learned a way to save £2k

- JACK HARRISON

The Corsa name turns 43 years old in 2025, having first graced the mainland European version of the boxy hatch that we Brits are more likely to know as the Nova in 1982.

The first UK Corsa - the round, cuddly hatch that pretty much defines the 'blobject' school of design that became so prevalent throughout the 1990s-hit our potholed roads in 1993 and few other nameplates are now quite so ingrained in our mental image of the British road scene.

That said, in practice most people simply look straight through the Corsa. Much like a first-generation Nissan Qashqai or, perhaps more appropriately, a Ford Fiesta, it's just... there, simply a part of the traffic jam making your Monday morning worse or occupying the last parking space on your street, worthy of no further thought.

The aforementioned Ford was always the yin to the Corsa's yang, and a year and a half into the postFiesta world, the Vauxhall silently soldiers on, unappreciated by most. It popped up on the top 10 bestseller's list a couple of times during last year but failed to take even a step towards the heights it hit in 2023, when the Corsa was the thirdmost-sold new car in the country.

So are buyers missing out on something special by discounting the Corsa? Based on my experience, I'll admit that the Corsa hasn't done a huge amount to enamour me over the past few months, but it's done little to make me actively dislike it either.