• Older turbocharged engines are efficient and sprightly
• Ecoflex fuel-saving measures improve economy further
• Best in the range’s official claim is 85.6mpg

The Vauxhall Astra should be an affordable car to keep on the road. You can have it with a range of efficient 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engines or a choice of frugal diesels. Naturally, the diesels offer the best fuel economy on long motorway jaunts but, if you’re only using the car to potter around town, we strongly suggest you opt for a petrol.

Diesels offer lowest running costs

Crowning the range for efficiency is the 105hp 1.5-litre diesel and manual gearbox, which promises 62.8–65.7mpg. Select the more powerful 122hp version with the automatic gearbox and this drops to 56.5–53.3mpg.

CO2 emissions follow suit with 115–120g/km on the manual 105hp and 131–138g/km for the 122hp automatic Astra. None of the diesel-powered Astras are expensive to run. Just bear in mind that diesels need to get up to temperature to work at their best. If you’re only using the car around town, you’ll quickly clog the car’s diesel particulate filter – and then you’ll need to spend a load of money on maintenance to have it cleaned or replaced.

Petrol fuel economy not far behind

The good news is that the Astra’s petrol engines can almost rival the diesels for fuel economy. Stick to the 1.2-litre petrol manual model. It doesn’t matter whether you opt for the 110hp, 130hp or 145hp engine – they all promise 51.4–54.3mpg, which is the same as the worst performing diesel. These also put out between 119–126g/km of CO2. In the real world, the Mk7 Astra petrol is exceptionally economical when driven gently.

The one to avoid? Unsurprisingly the 1.4-litre turbo with its CVT automatic is the thirstiest with a claimed 47.1-50.4mpg and 129-136g/km of CO2.

Is it reliable?

• Average build quality
• Some engine reliability issues
• Four official recalls

The Astra felt high quality when it was new, but time has worn off its shine. Lots of owners are now complaining about rattles in the cabin and quality issues with the car’s mechanicals, trims and bodywork. There seems to be a wide discrepancy between a good Vauxhall Astra and a Friday model, so make sure you give your car a thorough check before handing over the cash.

There have been four recalls for the car, too, relating to a range of components. The most serious issues included faults with the car’s brake hoses, brake pedal and clutch, as well as sub-standard welding on the front seat frames. Vauxhall also issued a recall for 2020 cars to correctly tighten the rear-wheel hub bolts.