Vauxhall Mokka
New from £20,760
About the Vauxhall Mokka
- Good looks
- Affordable
- Reliability
Vauxhall has played its style card well here, with a small, chunky, town car that is seriously good looking. Bold colours on sale and a simple choice of 1.2-litre petrol or 1.5-litre diesel engines. We say go for the pure electric Mokka-e instead, with its decent range. Plenty of space for adults and teenagers inside. A genuinely desirable Vauxhall.
Is the Vauxhall Mokka SUV a good car?
Read our expert review
Words by: Dan Trent
"Compact SUVs and crossovers are a hugely popular section of the market, sharing the so-called ‘B-segment’ with regular superminis. It’s so important for Vauxhall it actually has two models in this sector, the Crossland intended to be the more functional one while the Mokka plays the style card and uses more up-to-date foundations shared with the Peugeot 2008. That’s good news for Vauxhall because the Peugeot is one of our favourite cars in this class and the new Mokka is stylish enough to compare well with other popular models like the Nissan Juke, Renault Captur and VW T-Cross. For our standalone review of the full electric Mokka-e click here."
Read the review by category
Running costs for a Vauxhall Mokka
4/5
Regular versions of the Vauxhall Mokka are available with a choice of petrol or diesel engines, the former more affordable and better for those doing shorter journeys while the latter is only really worthwhile if you rack up a lot of motorway miles. Fuel consumption and CO2 (and therefore VED and suchlike) are pretty standard for this type of car and there’s no on-paper penalty going for the more powerful petrol engine, though the automatic does add to the CO2. Compliance with the latest ‘RDE2’ emissions regulations means company drivers can choose the diesel without incurring the usual Benefit In Kind penalty, which is good news. While few people pay for their cars upfront these days the ‘on the road’ price does at least allow comparison with rivals and here it seems you pay a bit of a fashion tax for the Mokka’s trendier looks compared with the Crossland. Popular rivals like the Skoda Kamiq and Renault Captur also have cheaper entry prices but the Mokka is a little more reasonable than the closely related Peugeot 2008. While it’s more expensive to buy the electric Mokka-e looks very attractive on running costs – click here for our dedicated review.
Reliability of a Vauxhall Mokka
5/5
Vauxhall’s partnership with Peugeot and fact it shares engines and other hardware is great news, given the French brand has an excellent reliability ranking. Both manufacturers sit above the likes of Volkswagen, Toyota, Mazda, Honda and others generally considered as reliable brands so if there’s an issue here it’s that Vauxhall needs to shift perception about the quality of its products.
Safety for a Vauxhall Mokka
4/5
Given it’s based on up-to-date foundations the Mokka comes with plenty of safety kit and the all-important driver aids people expect these days. These include automatic emergency braking at city speeds if you don’t respond to the warnings of an impending collision, cruise control and speed limiter, alerts if it thinks you’re nodding off or not paying full attention to the road and lane keeping assistance that nudges the steering if it thinks you’re drifting wide. More expensive models get more gear, including blind-spot alerts, a panoramic parking camera and fancy ‘Intellilux’ LED headlights that automatically dip themselves to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic but can still illuminate the rest of the road as if on full beam.
How comfortable is the Vauxhall Mokka
3/5
People love the upright stance of cars like the Mokka and feeling of security you get from riding up high. Style often comes before function in this sector, though, and many cars of this type have huge blindspots around the front windscreen pillars. It’s particularly bad in the Crossland so credit to Vauxhall for addressing this in the Mokka, the improved forward visibility taking some stress out of town driving. The fashionably big wheels on fancier models don’t do the ride comfort any favours, though, and the Mokka’s refinement at town speeds suffers somewhat here. Style also comes before usability in terms of space in the back, the new Mokka quite a bit shorter than its predecessor at the expense of interior space. With a six-foot driver there’s not a great deal of legroom behind in the back row and, if you need space, the more versatile Crossland might be a better choice. For kids and smaller passengers it will be fine, though.
Features of the Vauxhall Mokka
4/5
From its new ‘Vizor’ grille back the Mokka is a good-looking car, which is an important consideration in this style-conscious sector. If that’s your priority the contrasting black roof and red highlights on the wheels for sporty SRi versions will be top of the list. Elite models meanwhile offer an alternative path for similar money with a more premium look and more kit. Ultimate sits atop them both but the parallel pricing structure up to that point is a little confusing. Tech is also an important consideration and here the Mokka uses Vauxhall’s first all digital cockpit, with a screen for the instruments and a second in the middle of the dash for infotainment. On cheaper models these are on the small side so for the full benefit you need to consider the Premium versions. Whichever one you go for rest assured you’ll be able to link your phone via CarPlay or Android Auto, Bluetooth or USB and you get DAB as standard too. Some convenience features like a rear-view camera, heated seats and privacy glass are only on the more expensive trims so you may want to upgrade from the base spec if this is important for you. In style terms while the interior looks and feels a generation on from the Crossland it’s not quite as fun to be in as the Captur or 2008 and there are cars like the VW T-Cross and Audi Q2 that offer a more premium vibe, at a price.
Power for a Vauxhall Mokka
2/5
The engine range for the Mokka is pretty simple to get your head around, with a single 1.2-litre petrol in two power outputs and a 1.5-litre diesel. For all the off-roader looks all versions are two-wheel drive and all come with a six-speed manual as standard, though there is also the option of an eight-speed automatic on the more powerful of the two petrols. This was the one we drove, the 130 horsepower of the turbocharged motor plenty to get the Mokka rolling and responsive at higher speeds too. It’s likely helped in that by the fast, smooth shifts of the automatic gearbox and this is clearly a good combination, albeit the most expensive in all trims in which it is offered. The 100 horsepower of the base engine is enough in regular superminis but may have to work a bit harder in something like the Mokka – we’ll report back when we’ve driven it. Given the perkiness of the higher-powered petrol version we’d question the need to go for the diesel, unless you really rack up the miles. The electric version compares well with the petrols and diesel in terms of performance – click here for our dedicated review.
Standard equipment
Expect the following equipment on your Vauxhall Mokka SUV. This may vary between trim levels.
Other vehicles in the Mokka family
Related articles and reviews
Erin Baker Award 2022 - Vauxhall Mokka-E
Find out why the Vauxhall Mokka-E is the 2022 winner of the Erin Baker Award
Living with a Vauxhall Mokka-e (Months 5 & 6)
Nothing nails the current motoring zeitgeist like an all-electric compact SUV so we’re trying Vauxhall’s Mokka-e for six months to see how it lives up to the promise
Electric Car Giveaway: Winner of the Vauxhall Mokka-e announced
Find out who won the Vauxhall Mokka-e and how to enter Auto Trader’s electric car giveaway.
Electric Car Giveaway: Win a Vauxhall Mokka-e
February’s Electric Car Giveaway prize is a brand-new Vauxhall Mokka-e worth over £29,000!
Your questions answered
Monthly rentals ('payments') are not an offer of credit. Payments are based on offers available today which may be withdrawn or varied at any time in the future without notice.
Contract Hire ('Leasing') is subject to status and approval and is only available to UK residents aged 18 and over. Vehicle must be returned with no more than fair wear and tear to avoid further charges. You will not own the vehicle. Excess mileage charges and return conditions apply.
Auto Trader Limited (Firm Reference Number: 735711) is a credit broker and not a lender. Auto Trader Limited introduces you to Autorama UK Ltd (Trading as Auto Trader leasing), which acts as a credit broker in its own right. Autorama UK Ltd, Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 7DE (Firm Reference Number: 630748) may go on to introduce you to one of a limited number of funders. Autorama UK Ltd will typically receive a commission or other benefits from the funder as a result of this introduction.
Autorama UK Ltd is an Auto Trader Group Plc company.
Vehicles are subject to availability and may vary from images shown.