All generations and engines together · 745,043 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 51k
One of the worst superminis to buy at this age, and worse than most per mile driven. Watch steering and emissions/leaks. A risky used buy. Check the MOT history for repeating steering advisories before you go.
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
On the Corsa D (2006-2014) especially, the electric power steering can cut out intermittently, sometimes coming back after the ignition is cycled, with owners and independent techs pointing at a failing relay or a poor earth connection. Vauxhall separately recalled around 3,300 UK Corsas built between October 2014 and January 2015 over steering racks that could fracture under load at low speed. The measured MOT data for this model flags steering as the standout fault category, and while most of that will be worn track rod ends and arms rather than EPS failures, the volume of owner complaints about steering lines up with it being a genuine weak spot on this car.
A metallic rattle on cold start from the 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 petrol engines, caused by tensioner or guide wear letting the chain slap, turns up repeatedly across the C, D and E generations. It tends to show from around 60,000-100,000 miles, worse in cars that have done a lot of short trips or gone long between oil changes. A full chain kit with labour runs to roughly £300-500, more if plastic guide debris has gone through the oil pump or sump and needs cleaning out.
Vauxhall recalled around 2,700 Corsa D units fitted with the 1.4 turbo petrol engine after nine reports of engine bay smoke or fire, two of which were confirmed fires. It only affects that specific engine and build window, not the naturally aspirated 1.4 or other Corsa generations. Check the V5C for the engine code and ask Vauxhall to confirm recall work was carried out against the VIN before buying.
The single-clutch automated manual fitted to some Corsa D, E and F models can judder or hop when creeping in traffic or manoeuvring slowly with the brake partly applied, usually down to a worn clutch actuator or degraded hydraulic fluid. It is a different system to a conventional torque-converter automatic and does not affect manual cars at all. A clutch actuator replacement or full service can run into four figures if the unit has to come out of the car.
Water gets into the ECU through a blocked bulkhead vent well or a blocked windscreen drain channel, and once it does the ECU can fail outright, leaving the car with erratic warning lights or a no-start. Owners report it on Corsa D cars from a few years old onwards, with a replacement ECU costing roughly £950-1,200 fitted. It is not the subject of a published recall or TSB, and dealers have been inconsistent about covering it under goodwill once out of warranty.
On the 1.3 CDTi, EGR valves can stick or clog and the DPF struggles to regenerate on cars used mostly for short runs, throwing fault codes like P0404/P0402 and putting the engine into limp mode with the management light on. A new EGR valve plus a forced regeneration typically costs £230-750 depending on how far it has progressed. It only applies to the diesel, and owners report a regular 20-30 minute motorway run helps keep it at bay.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 245,007 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Same segment (Superminis), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.
Head to head with the other popular cars in its class on reliability and common faults.