A petrol Vauxhall Insignia automatic is the lesser risk, dodging the manual flywheel and clutch failures; skip the 2.0 CDTi, whose oil pickup seal can starve the engine of oil.
10 known faults, 8 rated high severity in our database; owners report 43.4 mpg, 78% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Vauxhall Insignia advert (free) →A petrol Insignia with an automatic gearbox is the lesser risk, because the known flywheel, clutch and gearbox bearing faults all name manual cars and no known engine fault names a petrol. That's not a clean bill, though. On 2010 and 2011 cars, owners have linked water getting into the boot or the wiring connectors to electrics that switch themselves on and off, and one owner's 2011 automatic had its gearbox wrecked when the transmission cooler inside the radiator cracked and let coolant in.
Within the Insignia A (2008 to 2017), a car from the 2013 facelift onwards gets the better cabin, without the older cars' cluttered centre stack. Don't treat it as mechanically fixed: the known faults for the 2.0 CDTi and the manual clutch and flywheel run right through to 2017, so a later car needs exactly the same checks as an early one.
Skip the 2.0 CDTi diesel. It carries three High known faults: the seal on its oil pickup pipe goes hard and lets the pump draw air until the engine's starved of oil, its DPF can fail to regenerate over and over on short-journey cars, and on 2009 to 2010 cars a cracked power steering pipe can drip fluid onto the hot exhaust and start a fire. The 1.6 CDTi Whisper isn't the answer either: it carries a High timing chain fault on Insignias from mid-2015 to 2019.
The Insignia B, sold from 2017, has few reports to go on. A petrol is the lesser risk, since the 1.6 CDTi timing chain fault's years run to 2019, but the 1.6 petrol isn't quick. Two recalls matter: on 2017 and 2018 cars a fuel line clip could rub through the pump hose and leak fuel, and on some cars built up to October 2020 the brake vacuum pump can fail to switch on, cutting brake assistance. Ask for proof both were done.
The petrol engines are the lesser risk, since none of the Insignia's known engine faults names one, but that's partly because so little's on record about them. The manual 1.8i still falls under the High gearbox bearing fault on 2009 to 2014 cars, turning noisy between 30,000 and 60,000 miles. One owner's 2010 1.8i estate had its gearbox, clutch, power steering pump and water pump replaced by 55,000 miles, and the gearbox was playing up again after that.
Avoid the 2.0 CDTi. Its oil pickup seal hardens and starves the engine of oil between 70,000 and 120,000 miles, showing as an oil pressure warning from cold or a knock; one owner's 2010 2.0 CDTi seized straight after that warning despite a full dealer service. Its DPF can fail to regenerate on short-journey cars; three owners have reported it, and one car threw an overheating warning and couldn't be driven. It's got a cambelt, due every 100,000 miles or 72 months, and the belt drives the water pump.
The 1.6 CDTi Whisper diesel, fitted from mid-2015 on the Insignia A and up to 2019 on the Insignia B, isn't safer. Its timing chain tensioner was fitted without a gasket, so oil drains away while the car's parked and the chain rattles dry for a few seconds on every cold start, wearing it out between 40,000 and 90,000 miles. It's also got a Medium known fault where short trips block the DPF, diesel gets into the oil and that contaminated oil then kills the turbo.
Pick the automatic over a manual. Every manual Insignia A, petrol or diesel, is covered by a High fault where the flywheel and clutch fail between 18,000 and 66,000 miles, some from as early as 13,000, and 2009 to 2014 manuals also carry the noisy gearbox bearing fault. The automatic isn't spotless: one owner's 2011 car had coolant leak into the gearbox from the radiator, and one owner's 2011 2.0 CDTi automatic juddered when warming up and hung onto gears, and a software update made it worse.
Insist on starting the engine from cold yourself. On a 1.6 CDTi, a metallic rattle lasting a few seconds is the timing chain running dry, and on a 2.0 CDTi an oil pressure warning, a knock or a rattle points to the pickup seal. Pull the dipstick on a 1.6 diesel too: a level that's above where it should be means diesel's getting into the oil, which is how the turbo fails.
On the drive, feel for judder as you pull away or change gear, a clutch that slips, and a knock or rattle from the gearbox at idle, all signs of the flywheel and clutch going. Listen for whine or grinding in first and second, and crunchy changes; one 42,000-mile 2010 2.0 CDTi had a gearbox whine in those gears flagged at an inspection. On a 2009 or 2010 2.0 CDTi, a burning smell or smoke from under the bonnet is the power steering leak.
Go through the electrics properly. Heater fan controls switching themselves on and off, a dash that powers up and down, or warnings for the tyre monitor, alarm and airbag are what owners of 2010 and 2011 cars have linked to water getting in, so pull back the carpet on the left side of the boot and feel for damp. Check the electric handbrake releases cleanly, as one owner's 2010 1.8i needed 3 sets of rear pads in 40,000 miles.
Ask for the cambelt invoice on any 2.0 CDTi past 100,000 miles or 72 months, and receipts for flywheel and clutch work. On a 2009 to 2010 diesel, get proof the power steering pipe was replaced. Recalls to see paperwork for: the 2016 recall for track rod end threads that weren't to specification, a passenger airbag that could deploy wrongly on some 2016-built cars, and on an Insignia B, the fuel line clip on 2017 and 2018 cars and the brake vacuum pump on affected cars up to October 2020.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
Buy an Insignia A from the 2013 facelift onwards with a petrol engine and an automatic gearbox. The facelift's what gives it a better interior, replacing the early cars' fussy dashboard layout. Don't assume a later car has escaped the diesel or clutch faults, though: their years run right through to 2017, and the 1.6 CDTi Whisper fitted from mid-2015 has a serious timing chain fault of its own, wearing the chain between 40,000 and 90,000 miles.
Manual cars are where the bills pile up. The flywheel and clutch can fail from as little as 13,000 miles; one diesel owner paid £1,600 at 34,000 miles. Manuals from 2009 to 2014 can also turn noisy as their gearbox bearings fail between 30,000 and 60,000 miles. Vauxhall swapped one 66,000-mile 2011 diesel's gearbox under goodwill, but the owner paid £1,360 for the flywheel and clutch. A 42,000-mile 2009 diesel needed a flywheel and a gearbox bearing, and its owner still paid £750 for each after Vauxhall chipped in.
The 2.0 CDTi is the engine that decides against a car. The oil starvation fault shows between 70,000 and 120,000 miles, the DPF can overheat on short-trip cars (a 2010 bulletin had engine software reprogrammed to stop it cooking the filter), and a 2011 bulletin covered 6,900 diesels from 2009 and 2010 whose power steering pipe could crack and leak onto the exhaust. One owner's 2010 2.0 CDTi also had its steering rack and an engine mount fail.
On 2010 and 2011 cars, owners have tied water leaks to electrics that switch themselves on and off, and one found water in the left side of the boot. Rear brake pads binding on the discs have been reported, and one owner's 1.8i had a badly corroded exhaust after 5 years. On a VXR, look for alloys losing their lacquer in patches, and there's a report of Vauxhall renewing all four discs and pads on VXRs under 20,000 miles.
Real-world economy on this generation: Vauxhall Insignia 43.6 mpg, Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer 44.9 mpg, Vauxhall Insignia 39.1 mpg, Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer 40.8 mpg.
A petrol Insignia B is the one to go for, because the 1.6 CDTi Whisper diesel on 2017 to 2019 cars carries a High known fault: its chain tensioner lets the oil drain away while it's parked, so the timing chain wears between 40,000 and 90,000 miles. Short trips also clog that engine's DPF and thin its oil with diesel, which can take out the turbo. There isn't much on record about the petrols, and the 1.6 petrol isn't quick.
Two safety recalls cover this generation. On 2017 and 2018 cars, a clip on the fuel line bundle could chafe through the fuel pump hose, leaking fuel and at worst causing a fire. On about 34,000 cars built from December 2016 to October 2020, the brake vacuum pump can fail to switch on when it's needed, so the pedal goes hard and stopping takes longer. Both fixes were free, so ask for proof they've been done.
The cabin has some cheap-feeling details and the infotainment system isn't the easiest to use. One hired automatic estate slowed down and stopped on its own on a straight road, and the car behind ran into it, so take an automatic for a proper drive and see how it behaves before you commit.
Real-world economy on this generation: Vauxhall Insignia 39.1 mpg, Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer 40.8 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Vauxhall Insignia advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 43.4 mpg across the Vauxhall Insignia engines with data, about 78% of the official figure, from 2,539 submissions.
Vauxhall Insignia Real MPG by engine →The Sports Tourer estate is a properly useful load carrier. The rear seats fold down without a struggle, and there's a dedicated spot to stow the load cover when you don't need it. The estate sold from 2017 goes further, with a low boot floor that's wide and long, so it's easy to slide heavy or awkward things straight in.
The newer Insignia from 2017 rides comfortably, stays quiet and feels relaxed at the wheel, and there's plenty of room for whoever's sitting in the back. The older Insignia A handles reasonably well, and the newer car's not a bad-looking thing either, which counts when it's sitting on your drive every day.
A petrol Vauxhall Insignia automatic is the lesser risk, dodging the manual flywheel and clutch failures; skip the 2.0 CDTi, whose oil pickup seal can starve the engine of oil. Our database holds 10 known Vauxhall Insignia faults, 8 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
A petrol Insignia with an automatic gearbox is the lesser risk, because the known flywheel, clutch and gearbox bearing faults all name manual cars and no known engine fault names a petrol. On the fault record the Insignia B (2017 to 2022) carries 2 known faults against 8 on the Insignia A (2008 to 2017). Each generation's section above gives the detail. Vauxhall Insignia faults by generation.
Insist on starting the engine from cold yourself. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Vauxhall Insignia fault before you travel.
Owners report 43.4 mpg on average, about 78% of the official figure, from 2,539 submissions. Belt (2.0 CDTI, A20DTH, B20DTH): 100,000 miles or 6 years, whichever comes first, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Vauxhall Insignia Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Vauxhall Insignia buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 61 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
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The Vauxhall Insignia is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
Looking at a Vauxhall Insignia right now? Check the advert before you go and see it.