Opel Adam

Opel Adam at a glance

During development the car was called "Junior". Opel named it after Adam Opel, the company's founder. Other models of the brand are in our Opel catalogue.

One generation and its versions

Launch (2012-2013). Opel showed the Adam at the Paris Motor Show in 2012 and began production in Eisenach in January 2013; sales started early that year. It won a Red Dot design award in April 2013.

1.0 turbo (2014). The 1.0 ECOTEC direct-injection turbo three-cylinder arrived in July 2014, in 66 kW (90 PS) and 85 kW (115 PS) versions, with 170 Nm of torque and a CO2 rating of 99 g/km.

End of production (2019). Opel announced the end of the Adam on 10 October 2018. The online configurator was replaced by a stock list on 29 April 2019, and the last car was built on 3 May 2019. Opel then focused on SUVs and did not launch a successor.

Adam Rocks and Adam S

The Adam Rocks was first shown as a crossover-styled concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2013. The production version sits 15 mm higher than the standard Adam and has a fabric Swing Top roof that opens electrically.

The Adam S of 2014 uses a 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo with 110 kW (150 PS) and 220 Nm, a six-speed manual gearbox, sports suspension and sports brakes. It reaches 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds and 210 km/h. In April 2015 Opel added the Adam Rocks S with the same engine; it sits 15 mm lower than the Rocks, back at the height of the normal Adam, and has the Swing Top roof as standard.

Opel also built the Adam R2 rally car with a 1.6-litre engine of 136 kW (182 hp) and 190 Nm; three cars took part in the 2015 European Rally Championship.

Engines, transmissions and performance

Gearboxes were a five-speed manual, a six-speed manual and the five-speed Easytronic automated manual, which ADAC lists with the 64 kW 1.4. The base 1.2 needs 14.9 seconds to reach 100 km/h and tops out at 165 km/h, so for regular motorway use the 1.0 turbo is the better match. To convert outputs, use our power converter.

Dimensions, space and boot

The Adam is 127 mm longer than a Fiat 500 and 123 mm shorter than a three-door Mini of 2014, according to ADAC data. The boot is the weak point: 170 litres is less than both rivals offer. It is homologated for four people.

Fuel economy and running costs

ADAC lists the 1.2 at 5.3 l/100 km and 124 g/km CO2 on the NEDC cycle. Wikipedia gives 115 g/km for the 1.2, 119 g/km for the 1.4 and 99 g/km for the 1.0 turbo. These are old NEDC values; real-world use is higher. Our fuel cost calculator estimates the yearly bill for your mileage.

Trims, personalisation and prices

The Adam had three trim levels, Jam, Glam and Slam, and three roof colours. Opel claimed more than 61,000 exterior and 82,000 interior combinations; ADAC puts the number of configuration options at around 30,000. Two-tone paint and a wide choice of interior designs were the main selling points.

Prices are ADAC list prices for the cheapest version of each engine.

Safety

Euro NCAP tested the Adam in August 2013 and gave it four stars out of five. Our safety ratings explain how Euro NCAP scores work.

Sales

More than 45,000 were sold in the first full year, in line with Opel's plan of 40,000-50,000 a year in Europe. Outside Europe the Adam was sold in only a few markets, among them Singapore and Chile.

Reliability and known issues

We have not found model-specific fault statistics for the Adam in the sources used for this article, so we do not list typical faults here. The Easytronic automated manual is a different gearbox from a conventional automatic, so a test drive in town traffic is worth it before buying one.

Rivals

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