Used Vauxhall Adam for sale: everything you need to know

The Vauxhall Adam was Vauxhall’s smallest new car in years when it was launched in 2012. It sat below the best-selling Vauxhall Corsa as a funky and super-stylish three-door model created to take on the Fiat 500. 

Vauxhall offered a similarly broad array of customisation options to the Fiat 500, while even today the Vauxhall Adam has a high-quality feel that’s more premium than many small cars. It’s also very cheap to insure if you pick the least powerful engine. 

Rivals to the Vauxhall Adam include the similarly style led DS 3, the MINI hatchback as well as perhaps even the Volkswagen Beetle.

As there was such an endless range of personalisation available to those buying a new Vauxhall Adam, take a look at a Vauxhall Adam for sale on heycar to discover just what’s on offer.

Should you buy a Vauxhall Adam? 

Customisation is the name of the game when it comes to the Vauxhall Adam. With lots of different paint hues, three roof colour combinations and myriad interior trim variations, Vauxhall calculated there were more than 61,000 different possibilities for the exterior, plus well over 80,000 for the interior. 

You can’t buy or lease a new Vauxhall Adam any longer, but this does mean you’ll enjoy looking at endless different combinations in the used car classifieds. It also means someone else will have spent hours poring over the configurator, so you don’t have to.

The Vauxhall Adam remained on sale until 2019. It did win fans in the UK, but perhaps never sold in the numbers Vauxhall hoped. Also, it never quite had the image of a MINI. 

A compact car measuring just 3.7 metres long, the Vauxhall Adam is best seen as a two-seater. The rear seats are cramped, while the 170-litre boot is alarmingly small. It’s best to lower one or both of the split-fold rear seats to boost the capacity and make it a more useful all-rounder. 

The Vauxhall Adam does drive nicely, with a grown-up feel and stable handling. Refinement is good (although the low-power 1.2-litre engine can be noisy under acceleration) and the car feels built to last. A four-star Euro NCAP crash-safety rating will reassure parents buying a used Vauxhall Adam as a cheap-to-run first car for their children. 

Oh, and a quick note on trim and colour names. Vauxhall is anything but conventional here. You have Jam, Glam and Slam model variants, plus paint colours such as Mint my Mind, Saturday White Fever, Red ‘n’ Roll and Let it Blue. Yes, really. Choosing a Vauxhall Adam will be nothing if not intriguing.

But the core Vauxhall advantages of low running costs, decent reliability and easy servicing remain, too. And if you really scour the classifieds, you might find a used Vauxhall Adam with a seriously plush standard spec, priced at a level little different to less luxurious models. Enjoy the search!

A Vauxhall Adam not for you? We've got 1000s of used cars for sale to suit all budgets and need.

What's the best used Vauxhall Adam model to buy?

In terms of the trim you want, you’re probably best off sticking with the Vauxhall Adam in Jam trim. It comes with most of what you need, and while the loftier trims provide plenty more in the way of extra styling goodies, they don’t actually give you much more in the way of extra kit. Even the poshest versions are missing some kit you’d expect in this class of car. 

For example, no versions got rear parking sensors, heated front seats sat-nav or automatic lights and wipers when they were new. So, you either keep it simple or hunt for a car with the kit you want.

On the engine front, the best choice is the perky and quiet 1.0-litre turbo. However, this is only available in the loftier trims, so it’s more costly. Worth it if you can afford it, but we reckon most people will probably be better settling for one of the 1.4-litre engines and a lower trim level to balance their outlay.

Used Vauxhall Adam fuel economy and performance

By the end of its life, the only Vauxhall Adam engine that remained on sale was the 1.2-litre 70PS unit. This was paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. We’ve also taken a look at some of the other engines you can get in a Vauxhall Adam. 

Nearly every Vauxhall Adam on the used-car market has a manual transmission. You may also stumble across the rare automated manual gearbox, called Easytronic. 

Here are the engine options available in the Vauxhall Adam. 

• Vauxhall Adam 1.2 petrol: The entry-level 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine produces 70PS, for 0-62mph in a meek 14.9 seconds – this is probably why it’s so cheap to insure. It averages 44.8mpg in the latest WLTP fuel economy test, and emits 128g/km of CO2. 
• Vauxhall Adam 1.4 petrol: The larger 1.4-litre engine still lacks a turbo, but does boost power to 87PS. This serves up 62mph in a much more acceptable 12.5 seconds. 
• Vauxhall Adam 1.0 Turbo petrol: The smaller turbocharged engine is a 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit with standard stop-start to save fuel. It produces 115PS for 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds. It also has much more easy-access pulling power than even the 1.4-litre non-turbo engine.
• Vauxhall Adam 1.4 Turbo petrol: This is a fizzier Vauxhall Adam, with a potent 150PS giving 0-62mph in 8.5 seconds. It’s a fun ‘warm hatch’, although it’s also the least fuel-efficient Vauxhall Adam of all.

What used Vauxhall Adam trim levels are available?

Vauxhall offered the Vauxhall Adam in a broad array of fun-themed trim levels over the years. There are many different models and it’s not particularly easy to understand what you get at a glance. Here, we’ve given you an overview, but the sheer amount of customisation options really does mean no two Vauxhall Adams will be the same. 

• The Vauxhall Adam Jam is the original entry-level Vauxhall Adam trim level. Even this version features air conditioning and colour-coded interior trim elements. 
• The Vauxhall Adam Glam is a better-equipped version of the Jam, with climate control air-con, a panoramic glass roof and high-end chrome exterior detailing. 
• The Vauxhall Adam Slam is a sporty alternative, with 18-inch alloys, sports suspension and rear privacy glass. 
• The Vauxhall Adam Energised was a more recent high-spec grade with even more unique trim options. It come with a touchscreen infotainment system, too. 
• The Vauxhall Adam Griffin added even more equipment to the mix, bringing built-in sat-nav to Vauxhall Adam customers. 
• The Vauxhall Adam S is the ‘warm hatch’ version. It had the 1.4-litre turbo engine and lowered suspension, plus bigger brakes and larger alloy wheels. It was also available in Vauxhall Adam Rocks guise (see below).
• The Vauxhall Adam Rocks is a crossover-themed Vauxhall Adam, with a more rugged bodykit, a tougher stance and even more bespoke detailing. You may also find a Vauxhall Adam Rocks Air in the classifieds, with a folding canvas roof, plus the Rocks S, which is a strange combination of sports hatchback and crossover SUV. 

Used Vauxhall Adam dimensions and boot size

The Vauxhall Adam’s exterior dimensions are: 

• Length: 3698mm
• Width: 1720mm
• Height: 1484mm
• Ground clearance: 127mm (Vauxhall Adam Rocks: 150mm)

The Vauxhall Adam’s boot space is:

• 170 litres
• 663 litres with rear seats folded

Used Vauxhall Adam road tax

The good news for anyone looking at buying an older used Vauxhall Adam is they will likely save a few quid on road tax. Cars registered before 1 April 2017 are assessed on sliding scale and, as a result, an Adam 1.0 Turbo with emissions of 114g/km will pay just £35 per year. For cars registered from 1 April 2017, they all pay a flat rate of £180 per year.

If you go for the 1.2-litre that is insurance-friendly for new drivers, it also attracts a pre-April 2017 road tax cost of £35 per year. Or, if you want something a bit racier, the 150PS 1.4 Turbo emits 139g/km, so you'll pay £180 for 12 months road tax regardless of when the car registered.

How much is it to insure a Vauxhall Adam? 

The Vauxhall Adam is likely to prove a very cheap and affordable car to insure. It has a super-competitive group 3 (out of 50) insurance rating in 1.2-litre 70PS guise, no matter which trim level you choose. Combine this with a stylish appearance and it looks to be a great choice for young drivers. More powerful engines do have higher insurance group ratings, though. The sportiest models stretch to group 15. 

Read our full Vauxhall Adam review