Vauxhall Insignia VXR (2009-2017) running costs and reliability

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Running costs rating: 2.5 out of 52.5

Written by David Ross Published: 6 June 2019

Miles per pound (mpp)

Reliable fuel consumption data for comparison purposes is not available for this model.

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Fuel economy

A more stringent standard for fuel economy (WLTP) was introduced from September 2017, and this model was not required to undergo that test. Its fuel economy measured under the previous test system was 25 - 26 mpg. However these figures are less likely to be achievable in real world driving and so should never be compared to another car's mpg which was measured under the newer, more realistic WLTP system.

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This is an expensive car to run with average fuel economy of 25mpg – but you’ll be fortunate to see this in everyday driving. The VXR also sits in the highest band for car tax, although somewhat surprisingly it’s rated as group 18 for insurance (36 in the newer rating system) rather than the top group 20 rating you’d expect given the performance it offers.

Vauxhall servicing is reasonably priced too, although the dealers don’t have the greatest reputation for customer satisfaction.

Performance cars are rarely green as the Insignia VXR proves. The large V6 engine emits 268g/km of CO2 while averaging just 25mpg (274g/km and 24mpg in the Sports Tourer). This is quite poor, even when compared with similarly powerful four-wheel drive cars such as the Audi S4.

Vauxhall has a patchy record for reliability and reviews from parkers.co.uk users for the standard Insignia models have been mixed with some owners experiencing a string of problems and others having nothing but trouble-free motoring. Our test car had an intermittent fault with the fuel gauge, despite only being less than six months old.