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Vauxhall Adam variants
Total price
Monthly payment

Finance representative example (PCP)

Total cash price £15,999. Borrowing £14,399 with a £1,600 deposit at a representative APR of 10.9%.

48 monthly payments
£285.35
Fixed interest rate
10.9%
Total amount payable
£20,226.94
Cost of credit
£4,227.94
Optional final payment
£4,930.00
Purchase fee
£10.00
Annual mileage limit
6000 miles

There are a handful of trim and engine choices across the Vauxhall Adam range. This guide will explain each so you can choose the best one for you.

Vauxhall Adam buying guide

What Vauxhall Adam trim levels are there?

If you're shopping fairly recent Vauxhall Adams at Motorpoint, you'll encounter Jam, Energised and Griffin trim levels. Before 2019, these were known as Jam, Glam and Slam trim.

Across all Adams, Jam is the entry-level trim. It includes 16-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, cruise control, a leather-covered steering wheel, and a stereo with Bluetooth connectivity.

Energised adds 17-inch alloys, sports suspension, a contrast-coloured black roof, part-faux-leather upholstery and a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

At the top of the range sits Griffin trim. This is essentially the same as Energised save for some unique paint colour options, Griffin-branded floor mats and the addition of built-in sat nav to the infotainment system.

Vauxhall Adam interior and technology

It's clear Vauxhall put in the effort to make the Adam's cabin feel a cut above many similarly sized city cars. Mid-range trims and up especially with their part-faux-leather upholstery and bright styling details that mirror the exterior paint colour are a pleasant place to spend time. The dashboard layout is easy to get your head around and you still get straightforward physical buttons and knobs for the A/C and heater.

The seven-inch infotainment system fitted to mid-range cars is far from the class best in terms of responsiveness and graphical quality. It does, however, include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on all Adams in Energised trim and up – this lets you mirror your smartphone's navigation and music apps, making it much easier to use than any built-in system. A baked-in sat nav is included on top-spec trims, but we still prefer to use our phone's version.

It's hard to achieve a small footprint like the Adam's without sacrificing some interior space. As a result, while there's enough room for two adults up front, you'll only want to use the pair of rear seats for very short hops – even small children will find it cramped back there. The boot is also tight – it can handle several shopping bags but squeezing a suitcase in will need you to fold the rear seats down.

What’s the best engine for the Vauxhall Adam?

Older Adams are available with several engine options including a 1.4-litre petrol and either a 1.0-litre or 1.4-litre turbo petrol. These are rare, however, and never proved as popular as the affordable entry-level 1.2-litre petrol, which became the sole engine option in 2019.

Vauxhall Adam engine range explained

Vauxhall Adam 1.2 70 petrol

This is the most common engine available in recent Vauxhall Adam models. With just 70hp from its 1.2-litre capacity, it's powerful enough for day-to-day driving and will keep pace with traffic on the motorway, only feeling underpowered when you ask for a burst of overtaking speed. Average fuel economy of more than 50mpg should be achievable if you drive gently.

Vauxhall Adam FAQs

The Vauxhall Adam comes in just one form only, as a tiny, three-door hatchback. You'll spot the occasional special edition such as the Adam Rocks with mini-SUV styling or the Adam S with a hot-hatch aping look, but the fundamental recipe remains the same across all these cars.

If you fancy a city car around the same size as an Adam but with a greater focus on practicality, its sibling the Vauxhall Viva offers a little more space for the money. Alternatively, cars like the Fiat 500 aim to scratch a similar itch as the dinky Adam.

The Adam is small, very small. In fact, it's one of the smallest cars on sale that still – just about – has four seats.

It measures just less than 3.7 metres long and just under two metres wide including the door mirrors. That puts it within a few millimetres of the Fiat 500, Toyota Aygo and Kia Picanto.

Inevitably, being small outside means the Adam is small inside. Adults can sit happily in the front but the two back seats are really small and best saved for very short trips. The boot can handle handbags or shopping bags, but anything larger will see you folding the rear seats down.