Vauxhall Frontera (2026) Review

Introduction

The Frontera name is certainly a blast from the past. Vauxhall launched the chunky-looking SUV, which was based on an Isuzu, back in 1991 – it was produced here in the UK, had a great reputation for being an off-road workhorse and it was sold until 2004.

Fast forward to the 2020s and the ‘Frontera’ name has been resurrected, but in all honesty that’s where the resemblance ends. While the original SUV appealed to builders and farmers, the new generation model is far softer. It sits between the Mokka and Grandland in the Vauxhall SUV line-up and is a car you can expect to see outside the school gates.

New Frontera replaces the outgoing Vauxhall Crossland and is currently the cheapest SUV in the company’s extensive line-up with prices starting from £23,995, and customers are offered the choice between fully electrified or petrol-driven versions.

The Frontera EV is sold with two battery options - 44kWh or 54kWh – both of which deliver 113PS. The petrol variant has a 1.2-litre petrol engine with power outputs ranging from 110PS to 145PS.

While the majority of sales will be standard five seaters, some versions can also be specified with the option of seven seats. Customers can also select from trim levels called Design, GS or Ultimate across both powertrains. We opted for the mid-grade Frontera GS with the 1.2-litre petrol hybrid engine for our week-long test drive covering a mix of driving routes and traffic conditions.

What are the Pros and Cons of the Vauxhall Frontera?

Pros:

• Easy on the eye
• Simple to drive
• Comfortable, spacious, economical
• Competitively priced

Cons:

• Lots of hard plastic lowers cabin quality
• Wind and engine noise at higher speeds
• Not particularly engaging to drive

What are first impressions of the Vauxhall Frontera?

The Vauxhall Frontera is a stylish, modern, five-door compact SUV that has plenty of kerb appeal. It features the brand’s latest signature Vizor look which sees the grille and lights seemingly merge together for a clean, smooth and distinctive finish completed by the black Griffin logo. There is wheel arch cladding to help convey an air of ruggedness although, unlike its ancestors, it’s a road-based car rather than an off-road adventurer.

The entry-level Design car rides on 16-inch steel wheels, but move up to GS and Ultimate and they are upgraded to snazzier 17-inch alloys. Our GS model featured a black roof that contrasted neatly with the Effect Blue paintwork, body-coloured front and rear bumpers with grained cladding, high gloss black door mirrors, dark tinted rear windows, split rear lights and the Frontera name spelt out across the tailgate.

What are the Vauxhall Frontera’s key features?

The Vauxhall Frontera line-up is split into three trim levels called Design, GS, as tested, and Ultimate. The entry-level Design car is generously-equipped for a base model so will certainly appeal to anyone on a stricter budget.

It includes a 10-inch colour touchscreen with a 10-inch digital instrument cluster. There is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a DAB radio, sat nav, Bluetooth and voice recognition. The seats are upholstered in a grey cloth material and the car has air conditioning, rain-sensitive wipers, electrically-adjustable windows and door mirrors, plus 16-inch alloys.

Step up to GS specification and it adds powered seats with upgraded upholstery, a leather-effect steering wheel, electronic climate control, LED reading lights (front and rear), a flexible boot floor, along with electrically folding and heated door mirrors. This model features a number of additional safety features too, including blind spot alert and parking sensors, and it also gains larger 17-inch alloy wheels.

Range-topping Frontera Ultimate offers the added luxury of heated seats and a heated steering wheel, plus some sportier exterior design cues such as high gloss black roof rails and LED front fog lamps.

How does the Vauxhall Frontera perform and handle when put to the test?

Powering our petrol hybrid Frontera GS was a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine and a 21kW (28hp) e-motor. With 145PS and 230Nm of torque, the car can complete the 0-62mph dash in a respectable 9.0 seconds and tops out at 118mph. While these are not exactly edge-of-the-seat performance figures, the Frontera is not designed to be a hot hatch rival, but is more family orientated.

The front-wheel drive Frontera’s lightly-weighted steering makes city driving more enjoyable as it effortlessly weaves and manoeuvres through the crowds. And the added bonus of front and rear parking sensors is beneficial when squeezing into a tight space.

Then, when unleashed on a motorway, it’s a car that will sit happily mile after mile at 70mph, but you will need to crank up the sound system to combat the more noticeable levels of engine, wind and tyre noise at those higher speeds.

Twisting country lanes pose no real issues either provided you don’t expect to be pinned to the back of your seat. The road holding is good and body sway is minimal, although the really tight curves need to be given a certain degree of respect.

But generally, the acceleration through the six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission is both smooth and responsive with ample power on tap. I did find the light steering a bit of a concern at higher speeds as there seemed to be quite a lot of play before anything happened. As I say, great in towns and villages but less appreciated on a motorway.

There are no steering wheel paddles or drive modes to alter the driving characteristics of the car, but an L setting on the gear selector will increase the strength of the regenerative braking if activated.

The seats are certainly comfortable enough and, even after a four-hour journey without breaks, I was still feeling quite refreshed. But you do need to avoid even the smaller potholes or expect to feel the full force shudder through the car.

What are the day-to-day running costs with the Vauxhall Frontera?

Vauxhall has ensured its Frontera line-up is temptingly priced as it will be competing against strong opposition in the bustling compact crossover/SUV sector. Prices for the fully electric line-up starts from £22,495 for the entry-level Design version with the smaller 44kWh battery. The most expensive EV is the Ultimate grade with the Extended Range 54kWh battery and this costs £29,195. These prices include the government’s £1,500 Electric Car Grant.

Moving to the petrol hybrid powered Frontera, the Design grade with the 110PS output is priced at £24,855, while the Ultimate with 145PS costs £29,565. Go back a couple of years and electrified cars in a model line-up were generally far more expensive, but that’s certainly not the case with the Frontera with the EV undercutting the hybrid version by well over £2k for the base trims.

Our Frontera Hybrid GS test car was priced at £28,765, but the optional Effect Blue paint added a further £650 to the cost, but that was the only extra on our car, which was well-equipped as standard.

Day-to-day running costs are kind on the pocket too with a WLTP-tested combined fuel efficiency figure of 53.3-54.3mpg and carbon emissions of 118-119g/km. We were seeing an average of 47.4mpg which is fairly close to the official numbers. The CO2 figure would result in a first-year road tax charge of £440, dropping to the standard fee of £195 after 12 months.

For anyone looking at the Frontera as a business car, it has a Benefit in Kind tax rating of 29 per cent. And, as all versions fall well below the government’s £40k threshold for the Expensive Car Supplement, there will be no further costs to factor in. For added peace of mind, the Vauxhall Frontera comes with a standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty package and the vehicle, as tested, sits in insurance group 20.

Is the Vauxhall Frontera interior high-end and is the car tech-rich?

Unfortunately, the Frontera’s interior is a little bit of a disappointment with hard, scratchy surfaces at every turn and even some quite sharp edgings if you go searching. The main nerve centre and access point to the on-board tech is a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen and this merges into another 10-inch driver display behind a single curved panel.

It takes seconds to set up Apple CarPlay or Android Auto via the wireless connection and elsewhere there is a built-in sat nav, DAB radio, Bluetooth and lots more besides. The touchscreen itself does tend to lag a little and it’s not the most user-friendly, but the majority of drivers these days prefer to link to their own smartphones.

A separate panel offers simple access to the climate control functions and special mention to the all-round driver visibility that impresses despite the fairly narrow rear window. The seats and steering wheel offer ample manual adjustment to easily find a comfortable driving position, although I do miss the added comfort of adjustable lumbar support offered on some rivals.

Is the Vauxhall Frontera practical and how big is the boot?

With competition rife in the compact crossover/SUV sector, covering the basic essentials is vital and one of those is practicality. With generous interior space and lots of family-focused kit, the Frontera can adequately cope with the needs of any active family.

The car stretches 4,385mm in length, is 1,795mm across (excluding mirrors), 1,655mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,670. Our car featured seating for five occupants, although two extra seats can be specified for the GS and Ultimate trim levels with the hybrid powertrain, turning it into a 7-seater. These add £550 to the overall cost, but do offer that added flexibility if needed.

The cabin is deceptively spacious with bundles of room up front for a couple of six footers to sit comfortably. But surprisingly for a vehicle competing in this class, there is enough room for two more adults in the back without too many complaints. Alternatively three youngsters will fit with ease, making it ideal for weekend getaways with all the family. The slightly elevated seating, along with wide opening doors make accessing a child seat easy enough and there are Isofix anchors to the outer rear seats.

The boot has a manual tailgate and can accommodate 460 litres of kit with all seats in an upright position, a capacity that increases to 1,600 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats lowered. The height of the boot floor is adjustable which makes loading and carrying awkwardly-shaped items easier and there are side bins, along with bag hooks to stop items rolling around.

These days, keeping devices charged and connected is vital for any teenager, and they will be delighted to learn the Frontera is sold with four USB-C ports, two front and two rear, plus a wireless charging pad.

Elsewhere, there are numerous handy storage compartments throughout the cabin, including a compact glovebox with a dashboard tray for the front passenger, seat back pockets, a central cubby with a really awkwardly positioned button to open it, and two front cup holders – these have an elasticated strap to secure cups, but I certainly wouldn’t risk transporting a hot drink in this vehicle.

Is the Vauxhall Frontera a safe car?

To date, the Vauxhall Frontera has not been tested for its Euro NCAP safety rating. But the vehicle is well equipped with safety features and driver assistance aids to help protect occupants as well as other road users.

All cars include automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, lane keep assist, speed sign recognition, hill assist, cruise control and a driver drowsiness alert. The GS and Ultimate trims gain blind spot alert and they also come with front and rear parking distance sensors, while the Design specification has only rear sensors.

Can I choose optional extras with the Vauxhall Frontera?

Possibly the biggest option available to Frontera customers is the flexibility to increase the seating from five to seven. This is offered on the GS and Ultimate Hybrid cars and costs £550. A Design Styling pack is available for £400 on Design grade and this adds a white roof, 16-inch white steel alloys and roof rails. A black roof is available as a no-cost option on the GS and Ultimate trims.

Carbon Black Metallic is the standard paintwork colour, but customers can splash out an extra £650 and choose from shades called Crystal Silver, Arctic White, Canyon Orange, Khaki Green or Effect Blue, which our test car featured and it did look rather snazzy. Additionally, 17-inch alloy wheel upgrades can be matched to the Design model at a cost of £250.

What are the rival cars to the Vauxhall Frontera?

The Vauxhall Frontera will need to work hard to get itself noticed in a fiercely competitive sector that continues to strengthen with the influx of new Chinese models. It will be vying for sales against the likes of the Jeep Avenger, BYD Atto 2, Ford Puma and Citroen C3 Aircross, amongst others.

What’s the final verdict on the Vauxhall Frontera?

Manufacturers, especially Ford, seem to be on a run of dredging up historical nameplates and matching them to something completely different. The Explorer, for example, is anything but the rugged truck-like model sold in the US. As for the Capri, I don’t think Bodie and Doyle would be too chuffed racing through the streets of London in today’s incarnation. And don’t get me started on the Mustang Mach-E.

Now Vauxhall has joined in with the Frontera, a competitively priced, family-focused crossover car that also bears little resemblance to its historical namesake. But it’s certainly stylish enough with that Vizor front end that is ultra-modern. It drives well, there is a well-equipped and spacious interior, plus impressive comfort levels too. Yes, there are faster, more engaging rivals out there, but the Frontera offers a choice of powertrains and is competitively priced. And that counts for a lot these days.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Vauxhall Frontera.

**Correct as of 05/03/2026. Based on 12 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 24  month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 12 monthly payments, or £1,458.84 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.