Vauxhall Mokka review

Vauxhall’s smallest crossover. Three words and you’re already bored, huh? But hold your horses. Because the Mokka, launched back in 2021, was the first car from the brand to wear the ‘vizor’ front end and sharply creased flanks that we now see all over Vauxhall’s range of Peugeot-ified cars.

After several supremely handsome concepts, chief crayon Mark Adams and his underlings were given permission to put a cracker on the road, and one now resting on French foundations, following Peugeot-Citroen’s acquisition of the brand in 2019. Quite the revolution for the cars wearing the griffin badge.

Quite the looker, huh?

At launch it was one of the freshest and modern looking small crossovers on the roads, but it’s arguably not quite as eye-catching now as it was when it arrived. These days every car in Vauxhall’s range gets the same front end concept... which makes the Mokka much more forgettable. Oh.

But compared to most rivals – including the Ford Puma, Hyundai Kona, Peugeot 2008 and VW T-Roc – it’s still one of the smarter looking cars on sale, and it at least proves to the likes of BMW, Audi and even Ford that you don’t need to lazily plonk a huge, largely fake grille onto the front of a car to make it look assertive.

Plus, it’s a big improvement on the underwhelming car it replaced, compared to which it shed 124mm in length but gained 10mm in width. It’s got a planted stance, like a bulldog wearing a crash helmet, but it’ll seat a young family and won’t feel bloated in a narrow parking space.

Is it as glitzy inside?

Vauxhalls have long been plagued by their dull as dishwater cabins, but if you can’t get on with Peugeot’s diddy steering wheel, compromised seating position and unconventional design then you might get on better here.

Which is a backhanded way of saying it’s all very conventional. Round steering wheel, dual digital displays for the dials and infotainment, knobs and buttons for the climate controls. All fine, but it undoubtedly doesn’t have the wow factor of Peugeot (or indeed the latest efforts from Korea), if that matters to you.

And as mentioned, it’s slightly pinched for kneeroom in the rear. Not a problem if you’ve got two young’uns, but it’s a bit of a squeeze for anyone above five feet. Bootspace is on par with most rivals.

You haven’t mentioned what’s underneath yet…

You haven’t asked. In the combustion corner, choose between a 136bhp 1.2-litre turbocharged pure petrol engine, or the same engine with added mild hybrid power, courtesy of a 28bhp electric motor and teeny tiny battery.

Alternatively, you can have a fully electric model. It now gets a 154bhp electric motor mated to a 54kWh battery for up to 250 miles of range. That’s up on the 126bhp/50kWh/201-mile setup available at launch.

And the cost?

Mokkas with piston engines straddle the £25,000-£31,000 bracket, and Mokkas with electric power £32,500-£37,500.

Whatever powertrain you go for you’ve got an identical four trims to choose between, wisely down on the seven available at launch. Seven! Whole day job working that lot out.

The compact crossover sector is a hugely congested car sales goldmine right now. To rise above the chaff, you’ve got to be properly good-looking and hit all the equipment bases without costing the Earth. The Mokka smashed that bullseye at launch, but isn't as standout as it once was now.

Brave styling, a refreshingly easy-to-operate cabin that doesn’t overwhelm with tech, and multiple powertrain options are all mega ticks in the Mokka’s favour. We’ve reservations about some of the mishmash cabin trim pieces, and the brittle ride on the larger alloys, but these are niggles you’ll get used to rather than flaws that should propel away from the dealership. 

Top Gear’s favourite car of this size remains the best-selling Ford Puma which successfully upsizes the Fiesta (RIP) into a bonsai SUV, and the latest version of it will have the Mokka glancing nervously in its direction. But what the Mokka does is make a Corsa-sized crossover more interesting than it has any right to be.