Vauxhall Meriva (03-10) - Review

Review by Ben Wall on
Last Updated: 12 August 2008
The Meriva is a small people carrier that's a cheaper alternative to the likes of the Nissan Note with a practical interior and plenty of cabin space. Its compact size makes it easy to manoeuvre around town but while the tall shape means there's good headroom, the boxy profile is quite ungainly and the Meriva isn't particularly stylish. It's comfortable to drive though (albeit dull) but unfortunately the interior looks and feels dated and there are too many scratchy plastics on show - plus the button layout on the central console is haphazard. The range was given a light facelift in 2006 (look for the newly added chrome strip across the rear tailgate to identify a facelifted car) but this can't prevent the Meriva from feeling old hat.
3 out of 5

Other Vauxhall reviews

3 out of 5

Running costs

If you're buying new then a relatively high list price and low equipment levels on basic models won't be particularly attractive. Residuals aren't particularly strong either - hence why it's essential to get a good discount. Economy is good overall, especially the 1.3 CDTi models while servicing, insurance and parts are all generally reasonable.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,364 - £1,753 *

Diesel

£1,145 - £1,233 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

20,000 miles.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£120.00 - £250.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

3.5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
    134
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
    190
  • K
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The Meriva scores fairly well on the eco front, with an average of 151g/km CO2 across the model line-up. The best model for the environmentally minded is the 1.3-litre CDTi which emits 134g/km of CO2 and can average 57mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2