Vauxhall Corsa Electric Hatchback (2023 - ) review

There’s no escaping the bottom-line price for a Corsa Electric looks steep compared to its petrol powered predecessors, but Vauxhall has been working hard to improve affordability. Where the previous Corsa-e was only offered on the top two trims you can get this new one in entry-level Design to bring the cost down a bit, while five-year finance terms help spread the cost over a longer period to bring the monthly bills down. This is important when considering how and when to go electric, as the potential savings in daily running costs can offset the intimidating looking starting price. It helps if you can charge at home, of course, but the extra range of this new version means, realistically, for most daily chores and commutes you could probably get away with one public charging session a week if you don’t have the off-street parking required to install a home charger.

Vauxhall is now part of a big group of brands including Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, Jeep and more, the combined engineering resources this brings meaning all have benefitted from improved reliability through shared parts and tech. We’d take some comfort from that, likewise the fact an electric Corsa has far fewer moving parts than a combustion-engined one, meaning less to go wrong.

While many new entrants into the electric car market make a big song and dance about gimmicky driving assistance systems they too often prove a distracting nuisance in real-world driving situations. Credit to Vauxhall for its more pragmatic approach, which includes the kind of things you need like automatic emergency braking if you don’t respond in time to hazards in your path, a higher-resolution reversing camera and good all-round visibility so you can rely on your own senses rather than live on bleepers or sensors. There are lane-keeping tweaks to the steering if needed, but we also appreciated the fact you can turn them off with the press of a single physical button if you don’t.

A modern Corsa feels a lot bigger than the ones a lot of us grew up with, learned to drive in or ran as first cars, the new-look ‘Vizor’ grille increasing road presence as well. A pity, then, it’s so cramped in the back and grown-up passengers of even average height will feel their heads pressing against the headlining. Whether it’s the sloping roof or the seat cushion is raised to make room for the batteries beneath is unclear but if your kids are growing up and need more space you may be better off with a Mokka-e. Boot space is also slightly reduced on the electric version, though it remains a useful shape. Life is much better for the driver and front-seat passenger, with comfy seats, good visibility and a decent driving position. Though setting the latter can be a literal pain, given the cramped position of the seat adjustor. On the road the Corsa Electric is incredibly refined and relaxing to drive, the smooth and silent power delivery of the motor helping the sense of inner calm while the sensibly soft suspension puts greater emphasis on comfort than it does cornering speeds. Ditto the relatively relaxed steering. All of which is fine for the car’s stated purpose.

The option to now have an electric Corsa in the base Design trim helps affordability, though this version comes with a smaller central screen with less functionality than the bigger one on GS and Ultimate versions. If you need to navigate you’ll be living on your phone apps through CarPlay or Android Auto, which will be fine for most people. You’ll still need to plug in to do this on the base model, higher trim levels offering wireless connection and charging. GS models and above stand out for the contrasting black roof and trim, bigger wheels and fancier seat cloth also featuring as you work your way up. The bigger, 10-inch version of the central touch-screen gets more features as you work your way up to Ultimate trim, the crisp graphics and relatively straightforward menus all aligning with the Corsa’s general sense of no-fuss accessibility. It’s all very functional, but if you want a bit more panache we’d steer you into the closely related Peugeot e-208.

Don’t buy a Corsa Electric expecting the supercar blitzing acceleration times claimed by many other electric cars. Instead, there’s enough performance to be getting on with, and a real difference as you progress through efficiency-optimised Eco mode, through Normal and into Sport. Behind the numbers it’s worth noting there are now two different versions of the Corsa Electric, the base 136 horsepower model based on updated versions of the existing battery and motor as the previous one while the new 156 horsepower one moves the game on with fresher tech under the skin. This was the car we drove, and we were genuinely impressed with the improved efficiency – measured by the number of miles you get for each kWh of battery charge as you would miles per gallon in a petrol car – even with a few miles pinned against the 93mph limiter on the limit-free German autobahn. In theory this should have murdered our range but a few town miles helped claw some back and Vauxhall’s claim of just over 250 miles between charges looks commendably realistic. And plenty for the kind of driving most Corsa owners will be doing.