Should you buy one?

If you want a spacious, well-priced crossover, the Vauxhall Frontera deserves a look. It’s a big step forward compared to the old Crossland it replaces, and has comfort and spaciousness as its key selling points. 

The Frontera is a lot of car for not a lot of money, though it lacks finesse next to other small crossover rivals, even those that cost less – such as the impressive new MG ZS Hybrid and Dacia Duster. That said, neither of those offer the roominess or optional seven-seat functionality of the Frontera. 

So, yes, the Frontera should be on your budget SUV shopping list, but we would personally choose the electric model over this hybrid as it’s better to drive and represents greater value for money.

What we like

The Frontera is a functional, fuss-free family SUV and we rate that. It’s one of the most spacious cars in its class, and is very comfortable, especially around town. Standard equipment levels are comprehensive for the price and it undercuts many competitors in this respect.

What we don’t like

The mild-hybrid system in the Frontera isn’t great. It’s not very smooth, is quite noisy and not especially efficient when the full-hybrid MG ZS is available for the same money. The Frontera’s interior does also feel cheap and we prefer the electric version as an overall package.