Used Vauxhall Vivaro Life for sale: everything you need to know

Squint a little and you’ll notice the Vauxhall Vivaro Life looks not unlike the Peugeot Traveller and Citroen Spacetourer. That’s because it’s essentially the same van-with-windows, just as the panel van version shares much with the Peugeot Expert and Citroen Dispatch.

It’s built in the UK, and offers up to nine seats depending on configuration, with two body lengths, two trim levels, and a wide range of diesel engines, plus more recently a fully electric version. If regular MPVs don’t quite cut it for your people-carrying needs, the Vivaro Life could be worth a look.

The Traveller and Spacetourer, being so similar, should also be on your shopping list if you’re considering a Vivaro Life, while other van-based MPVs in this segment include the Volkswagen Caravelle and Multivan, Mercedes-Benz V-Class, and the Ford Tourneo Custom.

Should you buy a Vauxhall Vivaro Life?

The Vauxhall Vivaro Life gained a new lease of… well, life, when the latest Vivaro was spun off the equivalent Peugeot and Citroen vans in 2019, rather than the Renault platform it had been on since 2001. Built at Vauxhall’s Luton plant here in the UK, it’s taken a step up in quality and depending on the model you’re looking at, could have up to nine seats.

That immediately makes it more practical than most car-based MPVs on the market - there’s nothing quite like a van-based MPV if you really need to maximise space. The downside is that in its basic form the Vivaro Life doesn’t feel very car-like, but an Elite trim level adds plenty of equipment that makes life a lot more comfortable.

Medium and Long versions are available and depending on the seating configuration, you can either cram in several passengers, or a handful of people plus an enormous amount of luggage. Seating is comfortable, and equipment levels in the Elite cover all the basics.

The Vivaro Life is refined too, feeling at home on the motorway (at least in its more powerful variants), and while the ride is firm when empty, it really settles down with a few more people on board. Again, the Elite makes life a little easier when parking too, as it has parking sensors at both ends, and a reversing camera.

If you like the van but not the badge then consider the Peugeot Traveller and Citroen Spacetourer, the glazed and passenger-carrying versions of both brands’ vans, but several other manufacturers offer similar models, including the Ford Tourneo Custom, Volkswagen Caravelle and Multivan, and the Mercedes-Benz V-Class.

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What’s the best used Vauxhall Vivaro Life model to buy?

If you simply need a means of carrying people and things then basic Edition spec may do the job, but if you want more comfort and modern convenience features then the Elite is the only way to go - you can see from our trim level details below that everything from air conditioning to parking sensors is standard only on the Elite, though you may find the original buyer of the Edition has added one or two of these items individually.

The lower-powered engines are frugal but you may quickly find the limitations of their performance if you regularly fill a van with people, so we’d look to the 150PS manual and 180PS automatic 2-litre models if you want to get along at a decent rate without too much of an economy penalty.

Used Vauxhall Vivaro Life fuel economy and performance

• Vauxhall Vivaro Life 1.5 Turbo D 100PS: With a manual gearbox and a 100PS 1.5-litre turbodiesel, the Vivaro Life gets from 0-62mph in 17.1 seconds, and has combined economy of up to 46.2mpg.
• Vauxhall Vivaro Life 1.5 Turbo D 120PS: An extra 20PS is enough to bring the 0-62mph time down to 14.3 seconds, while economy climbs slightly to 47.1mpg.
• Vauxhall Vivaro Life 2.0 Turbo D 120PS: While it makes the same power as the 1.5 Turbo D, the 120PS 2-litre model is automatic-only. 0-62mph takes 14.6 seconds, and combined economy is quoted at up to 41.4mpg.
• Vauxhall Vivaro Life 2.0 Turbo D 150PS: The 150PS variant of the 2-litre turbocharged diesel uses a manual gearbox and records a 12-second 0-62mph time. Combined economy is 41.9mpg.
• Vauxhall Vivaro Life 2.0 Turbo D 180PS: The most powerful Vivaro Life makes 180PS from a 2-litre diesel, and uses an automatic gearbox. It’s quickest of the bunch with a 10.4-second 0-62mph time, and combined economy is up to 40.5mpg.

What used Vauxhall Vivaro Life trim levels are available?

There’s a pretty clear difference between the two trim levels on the Vivaro Life, with the entry-level Edition sticking rigidly to the kind of specification you’d expect from a basic van, and the Elite being much more car-like in its kit list. The Elite is the clear choice if you need anything more than simply a way of ferrying around up to eight other people as cheaply as possible.

• The Vauxhall Vivaro Life Edition gets 16-inch steel wheels, cruise control with a speed limiter, sliding doors on both sides, electric front windows, and electric and heated door mirrors.
• The Vauxhall Vivaro Life Elite upgrades to 17-inch alloys, electric sliding side doors, a 7-inch touchscreen with navigation, a heat-up display, leather seat trim, heating and electric adjustment for the front seats, dual-zone climate control, seat back tables, body-colour bumpers, xenon headlights, privacy glass, a panoramic glass roof, front and rear parking sensors, a parking camera, a separate opening window in the tailgate, and keyless open and start.

Used Vauxhall Vivaro Life dimensions and boot size

The Vauxhall Vivaro Life’s dimensions are:

• Length: 4956mm (Medium), 5306mm (Long)
• Width: 1920mm (without mirrors), 2204mm (with mirrors)
• Height: 1925mm (automatic 1935mm)

The Vauxhall Vivaro Life’s boot size is:

• 3.0 cubic metres (Medium, to seat backs)
• 3.9 cubic metres (Medium, to roof)
• 3.5 cubic metres (Long, to seat backs)
• 4.5 cubic metres (Long, to roof)

Used Vauxhall Vivaro Life road tax

As a passenger vehicle rather than a commercial vehicle, Vivaro Life VED or ‘road tax’ is similar to that of cars. That means a flat rate of £180 per year (at the time of writing) for models that cost less than £40,000 brand new, and a jump to £570 per year in the second to sixth years on the road for models over this threshold.

How much is it to insure a Vauxhall Vivaro Life?

Depending on engine, trim level, and body size, you’ll find the Vivaro Life in insurance groups 19-27 - a basic Edition with the 100PS diesel is right at the bottom of this scale, and an Elite with the Long body and 180PS engine at the top. The cheapest one is more than an entry-level Peugeot Traveller (which starts in group 11), but it also tops out with a lower group (the Traveller going up to group 30).

Read our full Vauxhall Vivaro Life review