Opel and Vauxhall parts: is the car GM or PSA underneath?
The calendar year will mislead you
GM and PSA formed an alliance in 2012, and two Opels came out of it in 2017, while General Motors still owned the brand. The Crossland X uses PSA’s PF1 platform, shared with the Peugeot 2008, and GM built it in Zaragoza. The Grandland X uses PSA’s EMP2 platform and came from PSA’s factory in Sochaux.
A 2017 Grandland X is a PSA car underneath, and a 2017 Insignia is a General Motors car. Sort Opels by generation and platform, and leave the model year out of the decision.
Which side each model sits on
These are the generations you meet most at the counter:
- General Motors engineering: Corsa E, Mokka X, Astra K (built until 2021) and Insignia B (built until 2022).
- PSA engineering: Crossland X and Grandland X (2017), Corsa F (2019), Mokka B (2020), Astra L (2021), and the Combo E and Vivaro C vans.
- Fiat engineering from the Stellantis side: the Movano C van from 2021, a Fiat Ducato underneath.
The Stellantis generation
Opel’s newest cars sit on Stellantis platforms. The Grandland launched in 2024 as the first Opel on STLA Medium, built in Eisenach, and the 2024 Frontera shares the Smart Car platform with the Citroën C3 Aircross.
That makes a third era to account for on top of the GM and PSA generations. A Grandland from 2024 and a Grandland X from 2017 share a name and sit on different platforms, so decode the VIN to pick the right parts list.
What the first three VIN characters suggest
Older Opels and Vauxhalls start their VINs with W0L. W0V and VXK belong to Opel Automobile GmbH, the company name Opel has used since 2017, and they appear on later cars.
Use the manufacturer code as a hint. It records the company that built the car, and the parts belong to the platform. Decode the VIN in the catalog and you get the generation and the build in one step.
Opel and Vauxhall share one parts list
Vauxhall sells the same cars with a British badge. The part numbers match apart from components that follow the driving side, such as the steering, the pedal box and the dashboard, and the VIN records the market along with the rest of the build.
Borrowing across the PSA family
On the PSA-platform generations, PSA engineered many parts once for the whole platform, so an Opel number often turns up on a Peugeot, a Citroën or a DS as well. If stock runs short, you can find the part through a Peugeot or Citroën lookup, as long as you check the number against both VINs.
On VINsearch, the Opel catalog covers Opel and Vauxhall and Service Box covers Peugeot, Citroën and DS, so you can check both sides behind one login.
Frequently asked questions
Is my Opel a GM car or a PSA car?
Go by generation. The Crossland X, Grandland X, Corsa F, Mokka B and Astra L use PSA platforms, and the Corsa E, Mokka X, Astra K and Insignia B use General Motors platforms. A VIN decode in the catalog settles it for a specific car.
Do Vauxhall and Opel use the same part numbers?
Yes, apart from parts that depend on the driving side, such as steering components, the pedal box and the dashboard.
What do W0L and W0V mean at the start of a VIN?
Both are Opel manufacturer codes. W0L appears on older Opels and Vauxhalls, and W0V and VXK on cars from Opel Automobile GmbH, the company name Opel has used since 2017. Treat them as a hint and confirm the generation by VIN.
Can a Citroën part fit a Corsa F?
Often, where both cars share PSA’s CMP platform and the catalog gives the same number for both VINs. Check each car by VIN before you fit anything.