A second successive Fleet News Awards win for the Vauxhall Astra shows there’s great depth to its ability. There are versions that suit job-need drivers as well as those with strong user-chooser appeal, while prices and running costs remain competitive.

A long-time sparring partner of the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf, the Astra is assured enough to hold its own in an intensely competitive sector.

The Astra’s resale value forecasts are also proving resilient to the typically high volumes sold in the lower-medium sector, although Vauxhall has also been careful to maximise more profitable fleet business with the latest version.

It has a strong line-up of petrol and diesel engines, with some fleet-focused motors twinned with appealing equipment grades delivering low benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax bills, but Vauxhall has also offered less sophisticated engines with slightly higher emissions, for more price-sensitive channels where BIK tax is less important.

Picture caption: James Taylor, fleet sales director, Vauxhall (left), collects the award from Elliot Scott, fleet director, Thrifty Car & Van Rental

Finalists

• Ford Focus
• Honda Civic
• Renault Megane
• Škoda Octavia
• Vauxhall Astra
• Volkswagen Golf

Highly commended

• Ford Focus
• Škoda Octavia

Judges’ comments

The Astra has a wide range of engines that balance performance with good real-world economy. It is a great all-rounder for fleets, with good looks, strong driver appeal and the latest technology combining with robust residual values and low running costs in a job-need dominated category.

Awards video