Vauxhall Astra Electric Hatchback (2021 - ) review

It’s a strange state of affairs where you choose a Vauxhall Astra to stand out from the hordes of Tesla Model 3s and fashion-conscious electric crossovers filling the roads, but such is the pace of change in the automotive world that a defiantly ordinary hatchback seems an extraordinary choice. Whether it adds up financially is another matter, the starting price for this electric Astra looking somewhat chunky against that of a Tesla or other electric hatches like the VW ID.3 and the related Cupra Born. Obviously, there are the usual electric car savings like cheaper ‘fuel’ and various tax incentives but these only apply if you can charge at home and/or are running it as a company vehicle. At the time of writing, however, Vauxhall is doing some stellar deals on monthly finance rates to undercut the rivals mentioned above by a healthy margin. How that evens out once the offers expire will be the real killer, but if you get in there quickly the Astra Electric looks a better deal than the bottom-line price suggests.

We’ll up the Astra’s mark by a point here, on the basis Vauxhall is now part of the wider Stellantis family and the battery and motor technology is shared with others in the group like Peugeot, which has a strong record on this score. That and the fact electric cars are inherently simpler than their internal combustion and hybrid equivalents should be a cause for hope.

Vauxhall has gone to great lengths to simplify the model range with this latest Astra, and for the electric version there are just two grades to choose from. The upper of these gets all the kit as well, ranging from the super fancy LED headlights to the full package of driver assistance systems under Vauxhall’s Intelli-Drive 2.0 branding. This includes what are described as ‘semi-autonomous lane change’ features, alerts for traffic passing behind you when reversing out of a parking space with limited visibility and automatic changes in speed according to the posted limit. Whether you consider this necessary is your call, but even the standard model gets automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control and parking sensors all round.

This latest Astra is way more stylish than its predecessors but remains resolutely unfancy, which is in itself rather appealing for those who just want to get on with their lives rather than drive some sort of four-wheeled fashion statement. Advantages of being based on a hatchback rather than an SUV or crossover include better handling from being closer to the road, compact dimensions for nipping through traffic and a much more efficient use of interior space. Vauxhall’s long-standing partnership with a German ‘healthy backs’ organisation gets their seal of approval for the way the driver’s seat supports your spine on a long journey (same for the passenger seat on the higher trim level) with this and the refinement of the electric drive meaning it’s a very relaxing place to rack up big miles. It’s not as good in the back, the short base for the rear bench making it look like there’s more legroom than there is but leaving the legs of grown-up passengers unsupported. That will probably make it better for smaller kids but if you’re buying as a family car there may be better options. Credit to Vauxhall for keeping the boot space the same as the hybrid version as well – it’s still on the small side but the battery doesn’t intrude on the space as badly as it does on other electric cars converted from petrol equivalents.

All electric Astras get Vauxhall’s paired all-digital instruments and central screen, these combined into a single curving glass display. In keeping with the no-nonsense vibe there are also physical controls for volume, heating and other essentials underneath, which we appreciate in an age where most rivals put everything through the screen. You’ll be spotting the theme by now but what it lacks in bells and whistles the system makes up for in no-nonsense functionality, though it does look a bit ‘ordinary’ compared with the more futuristic interiors in the likes of the ID.3 or Tesla Model 3. Going up a trim grade gets you some small but welcome improvements in the general ambience thanks to faux suede upholstery on the seats, wireless charging for your phone and a head-up display for essential information projected onto the windscreen directly into your line of sight. Just leave the polarising sunglasses at home if you want to see it.

The 156 horsepower delivered by the electric motor sounds modest in comparison to most rivals, but the Astra is relatively light by the standards of electric cars and the instant response is there, especially in the sportier of the three driver modes. These are more than mere novelty as well, given the power is actually reduced in Eco and Normal. You won’t be chasing Teslas even in the Sport mode, but for most real-world driving situations it gives you more than enough acceleration to nip into gaps and pull smartly into fast-moving motorway traffic without any issues. While the battery is relatively small we found the efficiency really impressive, albeit driven in favourable ambient temperatures. Vauxhall claims 258 miles of range, and efficiency of 4.2 miles for every kWh in the battery, which is considerably better than anything we’ve ever seen from an ID.3 or Cupra Born. On one steady motorway run we even beat that figure by some margin, suggesting that on a good day the Astra could go even further on a full charge than Vauxhall claims.