Used Vauxhall Mokka X for sale: everything you need to know

The Vauxhall Mokka debuted in 2012, before being renamed Mokka X in 2016, a name it kept until going off sale in 2019. While the car didn’t change significantly underneath, it did get a sharper front end design and more significantly, an all-new dashboard, helping to keep it competitive with ever improving rivals.

The Mokka X isn’t the kind of car to turn your world upside-down but Vauxhall got most of the basics right, and the car’s popularity makes it easy to find on the used market at prices well below that of the £22,000-£26,000 the car sold for when new. With petrol and diesel options, and four-wheel drive in some models, it certainly covers the basics.

The later Vauxhall Mokka is also worth a look if you’re shopping at the higher end of Mokka X prices, while the market is awash with similarly-sized models from other brands, including the stylish Peugeot 2008, the agile Ford Puma, and the handsome and practical SEAT Arona.

Should you buy a Vauxhall Mokka X?

The Vauxhall Mokka X is arguably a more attractive used buy than it was when new. With a few years of depreciation under its belt, it represents good value for a well-built small SUV that makes up for its slightly plain and gawky styling with a seating position that’s higher than a lot of rivals - one of the reasons many buyers gravitate to a car like this to begin with.

That plain styling is most evident when you see a Mokka X alongside the newer Vauxhall Mokka, or one of the other boldly-styled models in this class like the Nissan Juke and Peugeot 2008. It didn’t put off buyers though, so it’s easy to find examples of the Mokka X today, many with quite low mileage, owing to their typical use as a second family car used mainly for shorter trips.

Adults might find the rear seats a bit of a squeeze but, provided you’re fine with the narrow door apertures (that can make fitting child seats and loading kids more difficult than it should be), there’s more than enough room for smaller humans. The boot isn’t class leading but there’s enough capacity for the weekly shop, too.

The Mokka X does fall down slightly on the way it drives. We could overlook less than sporty handling if the ride quality was up with the best, but it can feel quite bouncy too. The engines are good, particularly the smooth 1.4-litre turbo, but the manual gearbox doesn’t have the crispest shifts - the auto is easier and smoother to drive. The option of four-wheel drive is welcome though, and rare in this class - it’s not essential, but at least it was available.

Like the exterior styling, the interior of the Mokka X is plain, but that’s not such a bad thing - it’s well equipped, well laid out, doesn’t bury you under excessive technology, and it feels well-made, if a little dark thanks to the widespread black plastic. 

The Mokka should do the job then, but if you’re looking for a little more flair in your compact SUV, then used examples of the newer Mokka overlap with later, more expensive Mokka X versions. The Peugeot 2008 is also much more stylish while the Ford Puma is better to drive. The Volkswagen T-Cross, Skoda Kamiq and SEAT Arona are all excellent all-rounders too.

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What’s the best used Vauxhall Mokka X model to buy?

Given the healthy level of equipment available from the entry-level Active trim, we’d be perfectly happy to recommend starting your used car search there. Late versions in particular already had a set of 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, and a touchscreen incorporating Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 1.4-litre petrol engine is also a good choice, being brisk and smooth, and both the manual and automatic gearboxes are more than up to the job. It’s smoother than the diesel, and unless you do regular long trips, you probably won’t notice a huge difference in your fuel bills.

Used Vauxhall Mokka X fuel economy and performance

• Vauxhall Mokka X 1.4 Turbo: The only petrol engine sold towards the end of production. It made 140PS, and offered both manual and automatic gearbox options, as well as a 4x4 variant in manual only. The 4x4 was quickest, with a 9.3 second 0-62mph time (9.6 seconds for the front-wheel drive manual, 10.1 for the automatic), but also used the most fuel, at 36.7mpg. The front-drive manual is rated at 39.2mpg, the automatic at 37.2mpg.
• Vauxhall Mokka X 1.6 CDTi: The 1.6-litre diesel Mokka X made 136PS and was both front-wheel drive and manual-transmission only. 0-62mph matched the petrol 4x4 at 9.3 seconds, and Vauxhall claimed up to 50.4mpg combined.

What used Vauxhall Mokka X trim levels are available?

The trim levels detailed below represent the Mokka X range shortly before it ended production, though Vauxhall has used this general hierarchy for a while, so it should be broadly representative of the used cars you’ll find for sale. These late Mokka X were pretty well-specified even from the basic Active trim, though earlier cars may lack features like Apple CarPlay integration.

• The Vauxhall Mokka X Active included 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
• The Vauxhall Mokka X Design Nav upgraded to a larger 8-inch touchscreen with similar features to that of the unit in the Active, but also including built-in navigation.
• The Vauxhall Mokka X Elite featured similar equipment to the Active, including its 7-inch screen, but added leather trim for the heated, sports front seats, a heated steering wheel, and was also the only model to offer variants with four-wheel drive. An Elite Nav model added the 8-inch screen and satnav from the Design Nav.
• The Vauxhall Mokka X Griffin was a special edition offered towards the end of the Mokka X’s run. It too got the 8-inch navigation screen, leather-effect and fabric trim, heated front seats and steering wheel, auto wipers, and either 18-inch or 19-inch alloy wheels.

Used Vauxhall Mokka X dimensions and boot size

The Vauxhall Mokka X’s dimensions are:

• Length: 4275mm
• Width: 1780mm (without mirrors), 2038mm (with mirrors)
• Height: 1658mm

The Vauxhall Mokka X’s boot size is:

• 356 litres
• 1305 litres with the rear seats folded (to roof)

Used Vauxhall Mokka X road tax

Most Vauxhall Mokka Xs will be subject to a flat rate of VED or ‘road tax’, if they were registered after April 2017. Both the petrol and diesel models, regardless of their gearbox or whether they have four-wheel drive, currently cost £180 per year to tax. Versions sold before this date will have a CO2-based tax rate, so diesel models with their lower CO2 ratings will set you back less each year.

How much is it to insure a Vauxhall Mokka X?

There’s only a small range of insurance groups for the Vauxhall Mokka X, starting at group 13 for a petrol Design Nav or Griffin, and rising to group 16 for a diesel Griffin Plus. Interestingly the base-model Active is one group higher, model for model, than the Design Nav above it. These insurance groups though are similar to a Nissan Juke, which spans groups 12 to 15.

Read our full Vauxhall Mokka X review