Vauxhall Corsa Electric Review & Prices

As part of the electric hatchback boom a little while back, Vauxhall took its venerable Corsa, the most popular hatchback on sale in the UK, and swapped its oily engine for a battery and motors to create the Corsa Electric. It’s now cheaper than ever, looks great and it’s rather nice to drive, but it’s quite bland inside and not very spacious.

It’s not alone though, because there are lots of highly capable electric hatchbacks on sale such as the chic Peugeot E-208, the achingly cool Renault 5, the sporty MG4 and the fantastic value for money BYD Dolphin.

Think of the Corsa as the Eastpak bag of the small hatchback game. Sure there are some more interesting, more practical and cheaper alternatives, but the Corsa is the right size for most and looks good. There’s a reason it’s so popular, after all.

And on the subject, this is by far and away the best looking Corsa there’s ever been. Vauxhall has given it the ‘visor’ at the front - designer jargon for that sleek gloss black strip across its headlights - as well as some cool two-tone colour schemes and a taut rear end.

Vauxhall Corsa Electric: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 222 - 246 miles
Efficiency: 4.2mi/kWh
Battery size: 50kWh - 51kWh
Max charge speed: 100kW
Charge time AC: 7hr 48min (0-100%, 7kW)
Charge time DC: 30mins (10-80%, 128kW)
Charge port location: Left side rear
Power outputs: 136hp, 156hp

Okay so it’s not quite as striking as a Renault Clio or cutesy as a Fiat 500e, but it’s a handsome little car nonetheless, and there’s a clear link to its larger Astra and Mokka stablemates.

The interior isn’t as interesting to look at as the exterior, but it’s clearly laid out and the controls are easy to use. There’s a standard fit 10.0-inch infotainment display in all trim levels, though it’s a bit sluggish to use when compared to the quick systems in the Peugeot 208 and the Volkswagen Polo.

Vauxhall has retained physical controls for the heating and air-con which is great, because they’re much more intuitive to use than touchscreen controls.

There’s plenty of room in the front of the Corsa, with a highly adjustable driver’s seat. There’s a bit of storage up front, but neither the cupholders nor the door bins will take a one-litre water bottle.

Rear seat passengers won’t have a great time in the Corsa Electric, because there is very little legroom available, and the boot is also rather small at 267 litres, placing it well behind the Renault Clio, Peugeot E-208 and MG4. There’s a huge boot lip to lift items over too, which is a pain when loading and unloading heavy items.

But it’s efficiency where the Corsa shines the brightest, as we managed to achieve a stellar 4.4mi/kWh in our testing of the car. You get two motor and battery combinations to choose from; a 136hp model with up to 222 miles of range and a 156hp version that claims 246 miles.

You’ll go around 200 miles from the bigger battery car in the real world, and 140 in the smaller battery version, so if you do regular road trips it’s worth paying the extra.

Both versions feel peppy on the go, especially around town, where they’re comfortable and do a good job of deflecting potholes and speed bumps. The Corsa feels just as refined on the motorway, and country lanes are surprisingly fun, though it feels far from sporty.

As a pleasant to drive, easy to live with small car the Vauxhall Corsa Electric is worth checking out, and you can find Vauxhall Corsa Electric deals here on Carwow, or Vauxhall Corsa Electric lease deals instead. There are used Vauxhall Corsa Electrics available through our network of trusted dealers, as well as other used Vauxhalls. Carwow can even help you sell your car when the time comes to make the switch.

The entry-level Corsa YES starts at just under £27,000 when fitted with the lower-range battery option, rising a couple of thousand pounds per trim level through the Design and GS trim levels up to the Corsa Ultimate range-topper.

The larger battery is over £2,000 more on every model, so it might not be worth it if you only ever drive in town or have short commutes, and the top-of-the line Ultimate with the 156hp motor and battery combo costs over £34,000. Ouch.

It’s hard to justify that spend when you can get a BYD Dolphin, which is much better equipped, for just over £31,000. It’s more spacious inside too, and even the top-spec Renault 5 comes in at under £30,000 before options, with a comparable 252-mile range, and even better looks.

Motorway refinement is decent and low-speed bumps are little fuss, but it’s not great fun on a twisty road

In town

Because of its fairly compact dimensions, the Corsa is well-suited to city life. With the smooth electric motors and light steering, navigating traffic and tight streets takes little effort. 

There are three drive modes that alter power delivery in the Corsa Electric, with Normal and Eco relevant to town driving. You don’t get the full power available in either, but this helps maximise range, particularly in Eco which reduces power quite a bit and also turns down the climate control and in-car displays to further save energy. Normal feels a bit perkier though, so you should only use Eco if you really want to save energy or you’re stuck in heavy traffic.

Your view out of the back isn’t great because of the thick rear pillars, but large wing mirrors do make things a bit easier. Parking is particularly easy if you have an Ultimate model because the new high-definition reversing camera works really well.

Comfort is pretty good, too – it’s a little firm and can jiggle about a bit on particularly rough roads, but it’s generally composed and you don’t get any harsh crashing sounds if you hit a pothole.

On the motorway

Despite its small stature, the Corsa is a comfortable and refined companion for motorway driving. The electric motors are near silent and you barely notice any wind or road noise either. It’s impressive for a car that’s predominantly built for city life.

The 156hp electric motor has the gusto to get you up to speed without much hesitation, and has enough in reserve to pull off overtakes as required. Although Normal and Eco modes limit performance in typical driving situations, they will give you full power if you put your foot down hard on the move, so you don’t have to keep switching to Sport mode to get past slow-moving traffic.

Standard safety kit is useful for motorway driving, with cruise control and a lane-keeping assistant that isn’t annoyingly intrusive. 

On a twisty road

Comfort and refinement are hallmarks of the Corsa driving experience, and while they make for a fairly relaxing drive in most conditions, they do mean it’s not the most exciting car in the bends.

The light steering means it’s tricky to be smooth and precise at speed and you don’t get a great sense of how much grip the tyres have. There’s not much body lean though, so it feels safe and secure – fine, just not the sort of words to get your pulse racing.

Nudge the drive mode switch to Sport and you get full power from the electric motors. It’s not exactly hot hatch quick, and doesn’t have the instant punch we’ve come to expect from EVs, but there’s enough get up and go to enjoy the occasional countryside blast.

Front seat passengers will be comfortable, but there’s very little space in the back and the boot’s on the small side

Front seat space is pretty good, so even taller passengers will be able to get comfortable. The infotainment display makes the dashboard jut out into the passenger footwell just enough to be a bit annoying, but it’s only the long legged who will find their knee space compromised.

Practicality is more average, with door bins and cupholders that will comfortably take a 500ml bottle, but larger containers will be a struggle. There’s a cutout that gives you a useful place to put your keys, and a wireless charging pad ahead of the new gear selector in GS and Ultimate models.

The centre armrest is standard on Ultimate, but it’s a £500 option on the GS as part of the Winter Pack that adds heated seats and steering wheel. All are useful additions, but the armrest’s storage space is small.

Space in the back seats

While those in the front will be comfy, those in the back will be more likely to complain. Kneeroom is the main issue, because even kids will probably find it a bit cramped. In the six-footer-behind-six-footer test, the person in the back will have to spread their knees either side of the seat in front, which is uncomfortable and makes it impossible to put someone in the middle seat. 

Three abreast is tricky at the best of times, because the person in the middle seat has nowhere to put their knees and there’s little space for everyone’s feet. At least the cushion is really comfortable.

Headroom is better, though, and if you opt for the £500 glass roof on Ultimate models, it’s not reduced by enough to be a problem. Having this roof helps make the cabin feel much lighter and less claustrophobic.

Because of this limited space, the Corsa Electric isn’t the best small car to fit a child seat. The ISOFIX points are easily accessed behind zips, but the small gap to the seat in front makes fitting bulkier seats tough.

The door bins are almost too small to be useful, but you do get two USB-C slots between the front seats.

Boot space

Practicality isn’t the Corsa’s strong point, and the Electric actually has a bit less space than the petrol-powered models. With the rear seats up you get 287 litres, which is smaller than the 338 litres in the Renault Zoe and 311 litres in the Peugeot e-208. It’s more than the 185 litres in the Fiat 500 Electric, though.

If you’re looking at the top end of the Corsa Electric range, there are bigger, more spacious cars available for the cash. The Renault Megane E-Tech has the most capacity at 440 litres, but it’s not the most practical shape. The Peugeot e-2008 isn’t far behind with 435 litres and the Cupra Born gets 385 litres. 

Then there’s the MG4, which actually costs less than the Vauxhall and has a 363-litre boot.

At least the Vauxhall’s load space is a useful square shape, and while there is a slightly annoying lip it’s not massive, so lifting heavy items in and out isn’t as tricky as it is in the Megane, for example.

Folding the rear seats is easy, because the boot is shallow so you can reach the levers in the back of the seats. Do this and you get 1,081 litres of space, which is a bit less than the 1,225 litres in the Renault Zoe.

The simple design will appeal to some, but the likes of the Peugeot e-208 certainly have more flair

Much like the safe and secure driving experience, the interior design follows a similar ethos, rather than being inspired by the cool exterior. It’s fairly simple with lots of dark shades that give it a quiet sophistication that will appeal to plenty of buyers.

However, again, price is a sticking point. It’s much easier to be complimentary about the entry-level Corsa Yes, which starts at less than £26,000. But the top-spec Electric we tested is a nearly-£40,000 car, and for that price the materials generally don’t feel fancy enough and the design could do with a bit more drama.

There are some nice touches, such as the Alcantara seat inserts that are replicated on the doors. But it doesn’t take much poking and prodding to find cheaper materials, and there were a few signs that the trim wouldn’t stand up to grabby kids in the long-term.

The infotainment system does claw back a few points for the Corsa’s interior. At 10.0 inches it’s the perfect size for a small car and the graphics are crystal clear. The downside is that it’s pretty laggy and can be quite sluggish, particularly when using the built-in sat nav, for example. But with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, that can largely be avoided.

Electric models also get a 7.0-inch driver’s display as standard, which shows all the relevant information in a fuss-free way. It’s easy to find the menus you need, too. However, it's not particularly visually appealing, and the screen is inset into a huge swathe of black plastic so it looks like an afterthought.

There are two battery and motor combinations available with the Vauxhall Corsa Electric.

The cheaper of the two has the same 136hp motor and 50kWh battery found in the old Corsa Electric. It can go from 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds and has a official range of 222 miles. It’s not available with the Ultimate trim, though. During our time with this car we've found real-world range to top out around a disappointing 140 miles or so, stretching to 160 if you're extremely lightfooted.

More appealing is the more powerful option. It’s a new motor and battery combination that makes 156hp and has a capacity of 51kWh, with a 0-62mph time of 8.2 seconds and a range of up to 246 miles.

What these official stats don’t tell you is that this new technology offers excellent efficiency. During our drive on a route that took in both city traffic and motorways, we achieved 4.4miles/kWh, which is actually a slight improvement on the official figure of 4.2m/kWh. It’s also a bit better than we’ve seen in even the Tesla Model 3, which usually leads the pack for low energy use and makes the Corsa one of the most efficient EVs we’ve tested. What this means is that you will use less electricity than in most other alternatives on any given trip, helping keep running costs low. It also means a real-world range in excess of 200 miles.

Charging speeds top out around 100kW, which isn't incredibly fast but is more than adequate considering the Corsa's smallish battery pack. A 10-80 per cent charge should take around half an hour.

Further helping to make the Corsa Electric cheap to own is the fact that you won’t have to pay road tax, and company car tax will be incredibly low, too.

The Vauxhall Corsa has been safety tested by Euro NCAP and scored four out of five. It was rated well for occupant protection, with 84% and 86% for adults and children respectively. It scored lower in vulnerable user protection and safety assistance.

Standard safety equipment isn’t too bad, though. You get cruise control, a lane-keeping assistance system and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. Entry-level cars only have rear parking sensors, but step up to GS and you also get front sensors. These models also get blind spot monitoring, and a new reversing camera that is much higher quality than before. Ultimate models get adaptive LED headlights that automatically avoid blinding other drivers, as well as adaptive cruise control and an enhanced automatic braking system.

The Vauxhall Corsa has a fairly average record for reliability – there are no major red flags, but it’s not perfect. Electric models should go wrong less often than petrol models because their motors are less complex, while Vauxhall parts and repairs are generally not too expensive if something goes wrong.

You get a three-year warranty, with unlimited mileage for the first year but a limit of 60,000 miles by the third year. That makes it one of the less appealing warranty offerings around, and less than you get with the MG4 (seven years/80,000 miles). The Peugeot e-208’s warranty is the same as the Corsa’s, though.