► Driving Vauxhall’s electric supermini
► 134bhp, 222-mile WLTP range
► EV alternative to petrol and diesel versions
The latest Vauxhall Corsa may not have the sex appeal of its Peugeot 208 sister car but it has been well received by press and public alike since its launch in 2020. Particularly the latter, as this sensible supermini has finally been the one to knock Ford off the top of the bestselling cars chart – having hit the number one spot in 2021, the Corsa is still currently clinging on in 2022 despite closing opposition from the Nissan Qashqai. And playing no small part in its well-rounded appeal is this variant, the Vauxhall Corsa Electric.
Until October 2022, the Corsa Electric was known as the Corsa-e – the name change is intended to make it clearer to buyers that this is a full electric car, apparently. Which seems daft until you remember how the eco-waters are muddied by various formats of hybrid these days.
Based on the same Stellantis / Groupe PSA CMP small car platform as its petrol and diesel siblings – as well as the Peugeot 208 among others – the Corsa Electric is driven exclusively by a 50kWh battery pack and a 134bhp electric motor. Given there’s still no sign of an electric Fiesta, it makes Vauxhall look quite forward thinking, even if there is still a wide range of rivals from the e-208 through to the impressive new MG 4 EV (which is technically a larger car but available at a lower price).
Corsa Electric technical specs
All Corsas are built on the same production line in Zaragoza, Spain, but the Corsa Electric is quite a different car. To get the 345kg battery pack in under the floor, they’ve altered the subframes and made up a whole new suspension system for the rear. Still a MacPherson strut front and rear twist-beam system, but the rear is remodelled with a Panhard rod to beef up the lateral stability. Springs, dampers, steering and anti-roll bar have been tweaked to cope with the higher 1.5 tonne kerbweight.
‘We’ve increased the bump damping but not the rebound,’ Opel/Vauxhall’s chief engineer Thomas Wanke told us, ‘but with the extra mass [weight], there’s always inertia.’
The AC synchronous electric motor gives a power output of 134bhp and 191lb ft of torque. That’s in Sport mode and there are two other driving programs which restrict that power and torque: Normal, 105bhp/162lb ft; and Eco, 79bhp/132lb ft. There’s also an enhanced regeneration braking mode, which increases the amount of electricity flowing back into the battery on over run.
In 7.4kW and 11kW forms the Corsa Electric will fully recharge in 7.5 hours. On a 22kW quick charger the 7.4kW car will recharge in five hours, the 11kW car takes 3hrs 20mins. A high current DC 50kW charger takes 45mins to charge both models to 80 per cent capacity and a 100kW charger takes 30mins.
How’s the performance?
Top speed is quoted at 93mph, 0-62mph is covered in 7.6sec and the latest WLTP driving range claim is 222 miles (up from 8.1sec and 209 miles at launch in 2020); hills, temperature extremes and high speeds can more than halve that estimate in real life. Given the usable battery capacity of 46kWh, the Corsa Electric has an efficiency rating of 4.54 miles per kWh and at launch claimed a well-to-wheels CO2 output of 37.7g/km.
While it’s not Tesla fast, the little Corsa is brisk, borderline quick. Like all single-speed electric cars it punches hard from a standstill but tends to run out of steam at high speed. So medium speed overtaking feels fast and confidence inspiring, but above 50mph you need to think carefully before a marginal pass.
There’s a lot torque, but the drivetrain handles it better than most and the Corsa Electric feels nippy and fun. Even on slippery roads the traction control is gentle and wheel spin takes a lot of provocation. That said, if you floor the accelerator with a lot of lock on, it does fly off rather too fast for comfort.
Has that extra weight affected the ride and handling?
The ride isn’t bad, despite that weight and extra damping stiffness. There’s refinement and decent body control, which contrasts with the initial softness (verging on galumphing) Peugeot e-208. On broken UK roads, the little Vauxhall might feel a bit too firmly sprung, but not painfully so. With eco Michelin 17-inch tyres, a series of regular small bumps sets up a corresponding rhythmic clatter at the rear end, but that’s the worst of it.
Body roll is well controlled and the steering is direct and well weighted if not over endowed with feedback. In fact the Corsa Electric’s weight distribution is closer to an ideal 50/50 than its petrol counterpart and the centre of gravity is 10 per cent lower, which is a good start.
But that extra weight means like most battery electric cars, it corners flat with a slightly uncanny feeling of grip which tells you nothing about just where the limits of that grip are. So you end up driving on trust rather than knowledge.
What’s the Corsa Electric like inside?
Unlike the space-age, three-dimensional binnacle of the Peugeot, the Vauxhall is resolutely conventional. You might find it a bit dull, but the facia is clear, concise and is well built out of decent materials. Even the heater controls which are under the centre console are like Audi’s with the digital display of the temperature inside the centre of the switch.
The cabin displays consist of a black and somewhat cluttered driver’s instrument binnacle and a colour centre touch screen with good graphics and an easy to read sat-nav which repeats its instructions in the drivers’ display. The seats are comfortable, though the cushions under your bottom feel a bit thin.
In the back you’ll fit a couple of six foot adults but the headroom is restricted so they’ll be complaining after not too long on the road. Vauxhall says there’s been no loss of luggage space which isn’t entirely true as the spare wheel space is lost even though the 267 litre space above the boot carpet is the same as the conventional or ‘thermic’ engined cars.
Corsa Electric comes with most of the standard safety and comfort features you’d expect, but there’s not a lot of froth in there.
How’s the value for money?
There are two regular trim levels at the moment: GS Line and Ultimate – though a limited run Corsa-e Anniversary Edition is also recently available, celebrating 40 years of Corsa.
As of October 2022, Corsa Electric prices start at £29,305. For that you do get most of the latest must-have thrills, such as sat-nav, LED headlights, rear parking sensors, Apple Carplay and Android Auto.
The Anniversary Edition mostly adds styling elements (including tartan seats – don’t tell Volkswagen), while the Ultimate upgrades the infotainment screen from 7.0 to 10.0 inches, adds a digital instrument cluster, active matrix LED headlights, adaptive cruise and electronic climate control, among other items.
This looks fine until you realise you can get an MG 4 EV for £28,495 with more room inside, a 281-mile WLTP driving range claim and a 201bhp electric motor. It’s not a direct comparison, but it might make you think.
Vauxhall Corsa Electric: verdict
While it doesn’t have the instant appeal of its Peugeot e-208 sister, the Vauxhall Corsa Electric grows on you with its maturity and ease of use. It’s comfy, nippy and a deal more practical than some of the supermini-sized rivals.
Range is always going to be an issue with the current lithium-ion technology and while the UK charging system lumbers on in the same parlous state. But the Corsa Electric takes a step nearer to being a car which you could (just) conceive of being your only transport.
And when Vauxhall’s main rival Ford still hasn’t got an EV alternative, it’s certainly helping to keep the Corsa at the top of the sales charts.