Vauxhall Astra review (2022 - 2025)

What is the Vauxhall Astra?

The Vauxhall Astra doesn’t need much introduction. It’s a stalwart of the family hatchback class and has been a household name in the UK for many decades. This is the eighth generation of the Vauxhall Astra, and notable also as it’s the first to arrive under new Vauxhall/Opel owner, Stellantis, which also owns Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Fiat and various other brands.

This new mk8 Astra, then, sits on the same platform as the Peugeot 308 and is offered with the same engines – a 1.2-litre petrol engine, a 1.5-litre diesel and a couple of plug-in hybrid models with a maximum pure electric range of around 40 miles in official tests, and 25-30 miles in real world driving. The Astra is, however, differentiated by the availability of a six-speed manual gearbox on the non-PHEV models (which isn’t available on the automatic-only Peugeot 308).

As with previous generations, the Astra is available as a five-door hatchback or a Sports Tourer estate model. There aren’t any four-wheel drive options, nor any word or confirmation of a fast, VXR hot hatch any time soon.

The GSe (Grand Sport electric) is the sportiest model currently, and that’s little more than a pokier version of the plug-in hybrid 222bhp rather than 178bhp) with a tweaked suspension. You can read about that version in much more detail in our Vauxhall Astra GSe First Drive article.

There is also a pure electric Vauxhall Astra-e that rivals the likes of the VW ID.3 and Renault Megane E-Tech.

The Vauxhall Astra has certainly come a long way in the styling stakes with this new car, which has a bluff, chiselled look to it that’s enhanced by the trademark ‘Vauxhall Vizor’ – the glossy, black grille insert that dominates the Astra’s face – and slim LED lights at the front and back.

Family hatch rivals are too numerous for us to mention them all, but they include the Ford Focus, VW Golf, Kia Ceed, Mazda 3, Seat Leon, Honda Civic and many, many others.

How practical is it?

Practicality in the hatchback model is up to family car standards, but nothing exceptional. There’s enough room in the rear seats for two average-sized adults to sit very comfortably, but you’ll get more headroom and legroom in a Seat Leon or Skoda Octavia. The Astra also feels a little dark in the back seats due to the narrow rear windows.

The hatchback's boot is a good size, 422 litres, which is enough for a single buggy or medium-sized dog, and if you go for GS Line or up, there’s a variable floor that raises the floor up so that it’s flush with the load lip and folded seats, too.

Go for the Astra in Sports Tourer estate form and you'll get a very useful 597 litres of space in petrol models, or 516 litres in the plug-in hybrid. The Sports Tourer also has a slightly longer wheelbase than the hatchback, to the benefit of rear legroom.

As noted, the plug-in hybrids do lose a bit of boot space to their batteries (down to 352 litres in the Vauxhall Astra hatchback and 516 in the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer estate), and the big suitcase for your cables is a pain to have hanging around in the boot.

Up in the front seats, the Astra feels smart but very straightforward. The central touchscreen is neatly installed in a curved, glossy housing that also incorporates the digital driver’s dials. A row of logical shortcut buttons and (praise be) physical air-con controls are user-friendly, and the slim steering wheel is pleasant to hold.

Visibility out to the back of the Astra is a little restricted compared to boxier rivals like the VW Golf, but the view forward is good, and the driving position offers a good range of adjustment.

What's it like to drive?

The Astra delivers a confident and relaxed driving experience, regardless of which engine you go for. We’ve tried all the various powertrains, and actually the entry-level 128bhp 1.2-litre turbo petrol is the sweetest-handling version, with pleasantly linear, predictable steering, light turn-in for corners and a chirpy, eager three-cylinder engine. Sure, you have to let it rev quite high to get the best performance, but it’s happy to do that. It is available with an eight-speed automatic, but the six-speed manual that we tested suits the engine very well.

We tried the 1.5-litre diesel engine with the optional eight-speed automatic transmission; it’s a good high-mileage tourer and the engine isn’t too intrusive unless you work it hard.

The 178bhp plug-in hybrid Vauxhall Astra offers plenty of performance, so is quite a quick car if you want it to be, but you can feel the extra weight from its 12.4kWh battery in the slightly stodgier handling, and the 1.6-litre turbo petrol sounds coarse if you let it rev to even moderate heights. Still, in electric running it has excellent refinement and smooth performance right up to motorway speeds. When the engine is chuntering away, the automatic gearbox generally does what you want it to without any fuss and everything remains calm and relaxing. It's a shame that the feel of the brake pedal isn't more consistent, however.

Ride comfort is a real highlight with the Astra, as it sponges up big bumps and scruffy road surfaces with ease.

At the top of the range sits the GSe version, which uses the same plug-in hybrid drivetrain as the regular PHEV version, but with the wick turned up to develop 222bhp. Almost all of what we said about the regular PHEV still applies, but there are a couple of fundamental differences. Predictably, the GSe is a fraction quicker against the stopwatch, although in day-to-day use you might well struggle to detect the extra pace, and since the GSe badge signifies Vauxhall’s new ‘electrified performance’ sub-brand, you might well expect more. More positively, though, the GSe has a suspension that’s lower and has more sophisticated dampers, and the steering has been recalibrated for greater responsiveness. It does feel a bit sharper than other Astras, so there is fun to be had, but again, you might expect more fun from a car that Vauxhall is making out to be sporty choice in the range.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

Mainstream Astras are offered in three different trims in the UK, and they’re all well equipped. Even the entry-level Design car gets 16-inch alloys, front and rear parking sensors, LED front and rear lights, climate control, cruise control, auto lights and wipers, and heated side mirrors.

GS Line is mostly about upping the style ante, and brings 17-inch alloy wheels, the black ‘Vizor’ grille with black Griffin logo, black contrast roof, adaptive cruise control and keyless entry.

Ultimate is stuffed with equipment, including a head-up display, full matrix ‘Intellilux’ LED lights that give you main beam illumination without dazzling oncoming traffic, wireless phone charging, part-alcantara seats, heated windscreen and a sunroof.

At the top of the range sits the standalone GSe model, which is only available with the most powerful PHEV drivetrain and its fettled suspension. As you’d expect, also comes stuffed with luxury equipment and driver assistance features.

All Astra models get a digital driver’s display and a 10-inch colour touchscreen that features satnav, digital radio, bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s actually an easier system to use than that of the Peugeot 308 or VW Golf, not least thanks to the simple, physical shortcut buttons that let you hop from feature to feature very easily. The graphics aren’t as good as you get in the VW Golf, nor in premium rivals such as the Mercedes A-Class, Audi A3 and BMW 1-Series, but they are still easy to see.

Vauxhall Astra running costs

List price is comparable with the many rivals that the Vauxhall Astra has, but the fact that the Astra is so well equipped makes it feel like even better value. Few rivals offer features like keyless entry on mid-spec trim lines, so you are getting a lot for your money. Vauxhall is typically very good at offering low-interest finance and therefore tempting monthly finance costs, too.

As for efficiency, the fuel economy across the range is very good, and many buyers will be pleased that an efficient diesel is available since some rivals don’t even offer diesel anymore. If you do go for the 1.5-litre diesel, you’re getting official WLTP combined fuel economy of between 62 and 64mpg depending what wheels and gearbox you go for, but we’d expect to see around 50mpg in everyday use.

The 1.2-litre petrol manages between 49 and 51mpg officially, but 40mpg is more like it in varied real-world use. As for the PHEVs, expect to see around 25 to 30 miles of zero-emission running (cold weather and higher speeds will always reduce the range of an electric powertrain), and when your battery charge is used up, then the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol will return around 40mpg.

Insurance and servicing costs will be much the same as they are for comparable family hatchbacks, and Vauxhall does offer a fixed-price servicing scheme.

Vauxhall Astra reliability

Vauxhall's reputation for reliability is patchy, and it came a disappointing 29th out of 31 brands included in the 2024 What Car? used car reliability survey. The latest Mk8 Astra was too new to get a mention, but its predecessor came 21st out of 31 models in the family cars category of the same survey.

A three-year, 60,000-mile warranty is standard, and can be extended up to five years for an extra cost. That’s on a par with Volkswagen and Ford, but looks unimpressive next to longer standard warranties that you get with Toyota, Kia and Hyundai.