Vauxhall Adam (2013-2019) Review

• March 2013 Vauxhall Adam goes on sale in the UK
• September 2014 Recall of 70,000 Feb-Sep ‘14 Adams & Corsas for steering issue
• October 2014 Vauxhall Adam Rocks and open-top Rocks Air join range
• January 2015 Sporty Vauxhall Adam S launched with 1.4 turbo engine
• March 2015 Recall of 37 Adams for potential cracks in 18-inch alloy wheels
• December 2015 Updated media system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto arrives, along with Vauxhall's OnStar connected services
• April 2016 New trim level 'Unlimited' announced for Adam and Adam Rocks, with further personalisation options, styling upgrades and wireless mobile phone charging

1.2i, 1.4i, 1.0i Turbo, 1.4i Turbo

The three-cylinder 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol is the most sophisticated engine on offer in the Adam range, and it was only available in the Adam Slam – the most expensive of the three regular trim levels. It’s worth going for if you can afford it, though, as it combines lively performance with fuel economy that’s as good as it gets in the Adam range.

The 1.2-litre petrol is the cheapest engine option in all three of the regular trims, but we wouldn't recommend it, mainly due to its painfully slow 0-62mph time of almost 15 seconds. This lack of power means it’ll struggle when it comes to overtaking a truck or tackling a steep hill.

Of the two versions of the 1.4-litre engine, the less powerful 86hp model is available across the Jam, Glam and Slam trims, while the more powerful 100hp unit is only offered in the Slam. Both offer reasonable but not particularly good performance and fuel economy.

The Adam Rocks is available with the 1.2-litre or 1.0-litre turbo, while the Adam Rocks Air also adds the 86hp 1.4-litre to the mix. The Adam S gets its own more powerful 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Neither diesel nor hybrid power is available in any Adam.

Jam, Glam, Slam, Rocks, Rocks Air, S

The Vauxhall Adam has some unusual names for its different trim levels – or versions – reflecting its youthful target audience. The basic range is made up of the Jam, Glam and Slam (although from time to time Vauxhall will add to these with special editions).

Jam was your cheapest route into Adam ownership as a new buyer, but fortunately it had a good deal of standard kit: 16-inch alloys, Bluetooth music streaming, air-conditioning, a leather steering wheel and cruise control are all thrown in.

Moving up to Glam gets you climate control, a glass roof panel to brighten up the interior, digital radio and some chrome-effect trim on the outside.

The Slam has contrasting black door mirrors and roof, tinted rear windows, 17-inch alloys, sports suspension and Vauxhall’s ‘OnStar’ system. This is a service that allows you to call up an operator for help with things like driving directions or booking your car in for a service. It can also be used to summon help quickly in the event of a crash or breakdown, as it tracks the exact location of your car.

The most obvious difference with the Adam Rocks is its raised-up suspension and rugged body cladding, but it’s not a true off-roader and the changes are only for aesthetic reasons. It also gets OnStar, 17-inch alloys, tinted rear windows, air-con, digital radio, Bluetooth, a leather steering wheel and cruise control. The Rocks Air has all that plus a roll-back fabric convertible roof.

In addition to its 1.4-litre turbo engine, the Adam S gets all the features of the Slam, plus a distinctive bodykit and alloy wheels to suit its sporty nature and more powerful brakes.

The Vauxhall Adam snuck into the top half of Auto Express magazine’s 2015 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, placing it 90th out of 200 cars ranked. It didn’t do quite as well in the reliability sub-category, where it came 110th, but its build quality score of 68th was better. It probably should have done better for reliability given that it uses many proven components and engines from the Vauxhall Corsa, while its warranty cover wasn't brilliant, either; certainly not as good as Hyundai or Kia's offerings.

The Vauxhall Adam is a decent competitor for the Mini Hatch and Fiat 500, but it didn't build enough street cred to tackle these and the Adam soon got dropped from production. While the desirable Mini and 500 both hold values very well on the second-hand market, the Adam sheds quite a lot of its value fairly quickly.

In general, the more expensive, high-spec Adams come down in price quicker, so savvy used buyers should keep an eye out for a keenly priced Adam Slam, or maybe even an Adam S, to get lots of standard kit for their money.

Another thing to be aware of when shopping for a used Vauxhall Adam is the potential for a previous owner to have selected a particularly odd or unusual exterior or interior colour combination.

Currently, the cheapest Adam on BuyaCar is  £5,140, which makes it an attractive proposition for younger, first-time car buyers. Monthly costs start around  £149.58. Expect to pay at least  £5,795 for the most desirable Slam trim level,  £7,990 for the sportier S,   for the rugged Rocks version, or   for the soft-top Rocks Air.