Vauxhall Combo Cargo van review (2023)

• Only two diesel engines in trimmed back range
• Comfortable and easy to drive for long periods
• Electric option also available

The Vauxhall Combo provides a comfortable, easy-going driving experience, and comes with a choice of two diesel engines and an electric version.

Vauxhall Combo Cargo engine power output and torque

There have been a selection of engines offered in the Combo Cargo, including a petrol that was aimed at town-based users, but as of 2023 the number of options is down to just two. The entry-level diesel engine is a 100hp unit that has sufficient power for pretty much all uses - in absence of a lower-powered version it makes it fairly easy to say that buyers will be perfectly happy with whichever version they go for. It comes with a six-speed gearbox as standard, which is a strong upgrade on the five-speed 'box that featured in the Combo earlier in its life.

The 130 engine meanwhile provides 130hp and 300Nm of torque, and comes with a choice of six-speed manual or optional eight-speed automatic.

As you'd expect from those figures, this is by far the most vigorous version of this van, capable and comfortable right up to its maximum payload levels.

The latest 1.5-litre diesels are surprisingly refined. There are still some of the usual caveats involved - this is a van so there will be more noise than a car with its soft seats in the back - but it is impressive for a commercial vehicle. This all really adds up when you are tackling longer journeys.

Vauxhall Combo Cargo handling and ride comfort

The Vauxhall Combo Cargo has been set-up with comfort in mind and manages to isolate the cabin from road imperfections quite well.

Softly padded seats and plenty of suspension travel work together to soak up larger bumps, and the result is a small van that serves up long-distance comfort pretty well - even if some may find the seats a little flat.

The Vauxhall Combo’s handling will never be classed as sporty but it remains composed and car-like for a van, meaning it’s not too top-heavy in the corners until you really push on.

For those who spend the majority of their time in town and city environments, the turning circle on the L1 short wheelbase is 11.0 metres, creeping up to 11.8 metres on the L2 long wheelbase.

• Spacious cabin with plenty of storage areas
• Few Vauxhall touches to make it stand out though
• Five-seat crew cab available on long-wheelbase version

Climb into the driver’s seat in the Vauxhall Combo Cargo and you’ll find a spacious cabin, with a driver-focused dash angling the centre controls towards you.

It's a very conventional design inside, so if you can’t get along with Peugeot’s more unusual i-Cockpit layout in the Partner, this Combo Cargo will see you right.

However, other than the steering wheel, headlight controls and dials found in other Vauxhalls, there’s little distinction between this and the Citroen Berlingo. Which means you do have to put up with the tiny controls for the ventilation system, buried in the centre of the dashboard and not very well lit at night.

Plenty of space inside

The dash-mounted gearlever and optional electronic handbrake switch help free up floor space, while the Vauxhall is the only one out of the three PSA Group vans to offer a heated steering wheel as an option.

A two-seater bench can also be optioned to replace the front passenger seat, allowing the Combo van to accommodate three passengers. The middle passenger will need to be particularly small, though, if you plan on using this feature regularly, as the pod where the gearlever is mounted reduces their knee room significantly.

However, the dual passenger bench does come with a load-through bulkhead, allowing longer items to be loader through a flap right into the passenger footwell. A protective bag is intended to keep the driver safe when using this, but you won't be able to fit any other passengers inside at the same time.

If you do need more passenger space, a five-seater Crew van option is available on the long-wheelbase version of the Combo.

Lots of in-cab storage

There’s a good selection of storage areas dotted around the cabin, with space under the seats, in an over-head shelf and behind the instrument cluster.

A mid-level tray large enough for smartphones sandwiched between two gloveboxes in front of the passenger.

The dashtop-mounted glovebox also houses a USB connection and aux-in socket.

Vauxhall Combo infotainment system

The Vauxhall Combo uses the same touchscreen infotainment system as the Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo. This means you get an 8.0-inch touchscreen with six shortcut keys on either side - but only on top-spec LE Nav models.

Sadly, the shortcut keys are quite small and can be quite hard to press on the move, while the sat-nav system can be a little slow to load and respond to commands.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also limited to top-spec models, but it's good that they are at least available.

Standard models come with a small monochrome display instead of the touchscreen, surrounded by small buttons for the DAB radio, USB socket and Bluetooth.

Surround Rear Vision camera system

Although it wasn't available at launch, in August 2019 Vauxhall added a Surround Rear Vision camera system to the Combo Cargo range as an option, identical to the system also available on the Partner and Berlingo.

This adds a permanent rear view camera and a permanent blindspot camera that shows a view down the passenger side; you switch between the two by pressing a button on the 5.0-inch viewing screen, located where a traditional rear-view mirror would go.

We haven't tried this system in a Combo yet, but we have sampled it in both other PSA vans.

We'd file the rear view under 'better than nothing', but the camera resolution is quite poor, which reduces its effectiveness, especially in low light. The side view is more confusing than useful, so we'd go for basic blindspot monitors instead. They're cheaper, too.

• Turbo D diesel engines should prove frugal
• Average warranty and servicing intervals
• Good value, with plenty of standard kit

The Vauxhall Combo Cargo is a good value small van, offering low running costs thanks to its frugal engines, competitive retail pricing and a decent range of trim levels.

Standard equipment doesn't exactly correspond to the Berlingo and Partner, so make sure you're getting exactly what you want, whichever you go for.

Vauxhall Combo running costs and mpg

Since the Vauxhall shares parts with its Citroen and Peugeot platform-mates, they should be easy to replace and source, which should help keep maintenance costs down.

Vauxhall says that compared with the old Combo, the new model is at least 16% more fuel efficient, which in turn means it's 8% more economical than ‘the closest relevant competitor’ (which is a cute way of saying the functionally identical Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo are likely to achieve similar mpg).

At launch, all diesel engines claimed to achieve over 60mpg. However, September 2019 saw a change in emissions regulations and the way fuel economy was measured, which means the on-paper figures have fallen somewhat  to 40-50mpg.

This doesn't mean the Combo is suddenly less efficient than it was, though. Especially as the original 75 and 100 1.6-litre engines have been replaced by newer 1.5-litre equivalents that should prove more efficient still.

The petrol version claims 36-44mpg, depending on spec, and is likely to be the least efficient choice by some margin, particularly if you mostly do longer journeys.

Diesel models come with a 50-litre fuel tank, making room for a 17-litre AdBlue tank as well. Petrol models come with a larger 61-litre fuel tank.

Vauxhall Combo service intervals

Service intervals extend to 25,000 miles on 1.5-litre Turbo D engines which means lower mileage drivers will only have to visit the dealership once every two years, in theory.

The early 1.6-litre Turbo D engines require a service every 15,000 miles or one year.

However, there are on-board diagnostic systems, so the van may decide you need to see the dealer sooner than those intervals suggest. Don't ignore it.

Vauxhall Combo Cargo warranty information

The Combo comes with a comprehensive three-year, 60,000-mile warranty as standard.

That isn't a huge amount of miles - the Peugeot and Citroen alternatives have 100,000-mile limits - but it is unlimited mileage in the first year.

Vauxhall Combo Cargo trim levels

The Vauxhall Combo van comes in a choice of three trim levels:

• Edition
• Sportive
• LE Nav

Here are the standard equipment highlights for each one.

Vauxhall Combo Edition standard equipment

At the time of writing, the entry-level Combo costs less than the previous version of the outgoing Combo. For that you get the following standard kit:

• Four-way adjustable driver’s seat
• Under-seat storage on the passenger side
• Full-width overhead storage shelf
• 15-inch steel wheels
• Fixed steel bulkhead
• Sliding side door on the passenger side
• Overhead storage
• DAB radio with Bluetooth and 3.5-inch display screen
• One-touch electric windows
• Electrically adjusted heated door mirrors

Vauxhall Combo Sportive standard equipment

The mid-range Combo Sportive also costs less than the old one. All of the following is included over the Edition – with air-conditioning and an improved driver’s seat the key items for us:

• Six-way adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support, armrest and storage
• Four-way adjustable passenger seat
• Reach and rake adjustment for the s
• 16-inch steel wheels
• Air-conditioning
• Metallic paint
• Body-coloured bumpers front and rear
• Rear parking sensors
• Cruise control with speed limiter
• Alarm

Vauxhall Combo LE Nav standard equipment

The LE Nav trim echoes similar models previously available on the Vivaro and Corsavan, and as the name suggests it includes satellite-navigation as standard.

Proven to be a popular trim level on the Vivaro, it also features a more premium exterior appearance, with all of the following items included in addition to the Sportive:

• Body-coloured door mirrors
• Body-coloured side mouldings
• Front bumper with skid plate
• 16-inch alloy wheels
• 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Navi sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Vauxhall Combo Crew van standard equipment

The LWB-only Combo Crew van is available in Edition and Sportive trim.

Its major feature is a second row of seats, but it also comes with a movable cage-style bulkhead that has two positions depending on whether the second row of seats is upright or stowed.

Vauxhall Combo Cargo optional equipment

There are a range of option packs available for the Vauxhall Combo van, including:

• Construction Pack: 30mm raised suspension, Mud/Snow tyres and engine sump guard
• Winter pack: heated front seats and steering wheel
• FlexCargo Pack: load-through bulkhead, electronic parking brake, third front passenger seat
• Safety pack: front camera, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, autonomous emergency braking
• Sight and Light pack: automatic windscreen wipers, automatic rear-view mirror (when fitted with rear glazed windows), high-beam assist for headlights
• Parking pack: front and rear parking sensors, rear-view camera, Flank guard system, electric folding door mirrors, front fog lights with cornering function.

Individual options include wireless mobile phone charging, head-up display, LED lighting for the load area, fixed windows for the side and rear doors and electronic climate control.

Then there's the Intelligrip traction control system. Rotate the dial beside the gearlever to choose between Normal, Snow, Mud, Sand or ESC Off, depending on the road conditions to maximise traction.

A spare wheel is a no cost option, but this will eat into your payload.

How does the Vauxhall Combo’s Overload Sensor work?

This was an absolutely brand new feature in the van sector, first coming to market on the Combo, Berlingo and Partner in 2019.

It was available as a cost option on all Combo models, the sensor is there to prevent you accidentally breaking the law by unknowingly overloading your van. Sadly it wasn't always available, due to parts supply issues among other reasons, and it was finally removed as an option totally in July 2022.

The system boots up automatically whenever you start the Combo’s ignition. If you’ve gone over 80% of the allowed payload, a white LED comes on to warn you that you’re approaching the limit.

If you exceed the payload limit altogether an orange warning light with an exclamation light comes on.

You can also press a button in the load area to activate the sensor, so you can check how close you are to the limit while loading, hopefully saving you from having to take things back out.

Note: such was its rarity, we never actually saw a test van with the feature fitted, so were unable to confirm whether it works effectively.

The Vauxhall Combo is currently too new for any common faults to have become apparent, but it uses tried-and-tested components found in other PSA products, so we're not expecting any major reliability headaches.

>> The top 10 most reliable vans and pickups

• Full set of airbags available as an option
• Lots of driver assistance tech available

How safe and secure is the Vauxhall Combo? Keep reading to find out.

Vauxhall Combo safety equipment

Starting with the all important airbags, only a driver's item is standard, with passenger, side and curtain airbags optional extras.

However, what really makes the Combo (alongside its Peugeot and Citroen cousins) stand out are the high-tech safety extras that are available.

Highlight features include the Rear Surround Vision system (which we've covered in the Interior section of this review) and head-up display.

In addition to this, a new Flank Guard system uses the front and rear parking sensors to detect and remember objects that might be lurking out of sight to the side of the van, helping you to avoid accidental damage. This is only available on models with the touchscreen infotainment system.

Other driver assistance features include:

• Forward Collision Alert with pedestrian detection and Automatic Emergency Braking
• Lane Keep Assist
• Hill Descent Control
• Intelligent Speed Adaptation
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Driver Drowsiness Alert
• Traffic Sign Recognition

Something else to consider is the Intelligrip system; the Vauxhall version of PSA’s Grip Control feature, this is an enhanced traction control system designed to deliver improved grip on slippery surfaces.

This is only available in conjunction with the Construction Pack.

Vauxhall Combo security equipment

All models come with remote central locking, locking wheel nuts and an engine immobiliser.

A remote control alarm system is fitted on Sportive models and above, as well as an indicator that displays in the cabin whether any attempt to enter or steal the vehicle has occurred in the driver’s absence.

The rear door hinges are now integrated within the to reduce access to thieves.