Vauxhall Mokka-e SUV (2020 - ) Electric review

Regular versions of the Vauxhall Mokka are available with a choice of petrol or diesel engines and are cheaper to buy but this all-electric version merits closer attention for the potentially huge advantages in running costs. This does assume a few things, namely that the 201-mile official range is adequate for your needs and you have a driveway or off-street parking where you can install a home charge point to keep the battery topped up overnight and take advantage of off-peak electricity rates. If that’s the case and you can afford the premium over the petrol or diesel versions you stand to make big savings on your running costs, especially if you’re buying as a company driver and can take advantage of the significant tax breaks for electric cars. Pricing for the Mokka-e is a chunk more than the Corsa-e but more or less in line with that of the Peugeot e-2008 with which it shares its foundations, the Kona Electric similar money with the smaller of its two battery options. If you need more range and performance the Kia Soul could be an option, though it’s a little more expensive.

Vauxhall’s partnership with Peugeot and fact it shares engines and other hardware is great news, given the French brand has an excellent reliability ranking. Both manufacturers sit above the likes of Volkswagen, Toyota, Mazda, Honda and others generally considered as reliable brands so if there’s an issue here it’s that Vauxhall needs to shift perception about the quality of its products. Electric cars are mechanically a lot simpler than regular ones, too.

Given it’s based on up-to-date foundations the Mokka comes with plenty of safety kit and the all-important driver aids people expect these days. These include automatic emergency braking at city speeds if you don’t respond to the warnings of an impending collision, cruise control and speed limiter, alerts if it thinks you’re nodding off or not paying full attention to the road and lane keeping assistance that nudges the steering if it thinks you’re drifting wide. More expensive models get more gear, including blind-spot alerts and fancy ‘Intellilux’ LED headlights that automatically dip themselves to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic but can still illuminate the rest of the road as if on full beam.

People love the upright stance of cars like the Mokka and feeling of security you get from riding up high. Style often comes before function in this sector, though, and many cars of this type have huge blindspots around the front windscreen pillars. It’s particularly bad in the Crossland so credit to Vauxhall for addressing this in the Mokka, the improved forward visibility taking some stress out of town driving. The extra weight of the battery pack in the electric version helps make the Mokka-e feel more planted on the road than the petrol or diesel ones and it rides the bumps with a lot more authority and composure, the silent propulsion paired with excellent suppression of wind and road noise for impressive refinement. The Mokka-e might look good but it’s not as big inside as the blocky appearance might suggest. With a six-foot driver there’s not a great deal of legroom behind in the back row and if you need space the more versatile Crossland might be a better choice. For kids and smaller passengers it will be fine, though. The shorter overall length than the older Mokka also means the boot is on the small side and you might struggle with pushchairs and the like but at least there’s no intrusion on space from the battery, as there is in some electric cars.

From its new ‘Vizor’ grille back the Mokka is a good-looking car, which is an important consideration in this style-conscious sector. If that’s your priority the contrasting black roof and red highlights on the wheels for sporty SRi versions will be top of the list. Elite models meanwhile offer an alternative path for similar money with a more premium look and more kit. Ultimate sits atop them both but the parallel pricing structure to that point is a little confusing. Tech is also an important consideration and here the Mokka-e uses Vauxhall’s first all-digital cockpit, with a screen for the instruments and a second for infotainment. All models feature built-in navigation but the cheapest one has smaller screens, which look rather lost in the slab-like dashboard. If you want to do the new system justice you really need to go up a grade to get the bigger ones, which makes for a much more attractive driving environment and greater functionality. You can also pair your phone via CarPlay or Android Auto if you prefer your apps to the factory navigation system, all Mokke-e models coming as standard with a rear-view camera, keyless start and power-operated mirrors. In his review of the closely related Peugeot e-2008 Rory Reid wasn’t totally sold on some of the more eccentric design in its cabin – in that context the more conventional layout in the Mokka-e might be easier to live with and a point in its favour.

If you’ve been sold on the EV dream with the promise of ludicrous acceleration and the rest then, reality check, the Mokka-e is no Tesla in terms of its performance. The 136 horsepower available from the electric motor is, however, perfectly adequate for this kind of vehicle and response is sprightly compared with the petrol and diesel motors, with a marked difference according to which of the driving modes you’re in. The official range is 201 miles and, driving it on a cold winter’s day, we used over 60 miles of that in just 30 miles of mixed driving, suggesting you may want to think twice before committing to longer journeys without a charging option along the way. Given the Mokka-e’s size and intended purpose that probably won’t be a problem, though if you do need more range the Hyundai Kona Electric with the bigger of the two battery options or the Kia Soul EV might be a better choice. For our take on the regular petrol and diesel versions of the Mokka click here for our dedicated review.