The Vectra was awarded a four star rating for crash safety by Euro NCAP but newer rivals all have five stars. All cars come with six airbags though plus three-point safety belts for all seats, seat belt pretensioners in front, belt-force limiters in the front and rear, as well as height-adjustable safety belt pivot points in front and rear. This is complemented by the Vauxhall safety system, which includes the patented automatic Pedal Release System (PRS) and active head restraints in the front with seat back support to further reduce the risk of whiplash injuries.

The Vectra saloon is up there with the best in class for practicality with a 500-litre boot capacity – which strangely is identical to the hatchback version. However even though the seats fold down it’s not as easy to carry large or bulky items compared to the five-door model. Up front there’s a lack of stowage too – the door pockets are narrow and the twin cupholders are pointlessly shallow.