• Average rear space
• Compromised boot
• Estate available

How much space is there?

Space in the Astra Electric is the same as the regular hatch; adequate but not outstanding. Up front tall drivers will find the front seats go a long way back and there’s sufficient headroom, too.

Things are tighter in the back. A six-footer sitting behind a similarly lofty driver isn’t presented with a great deal of knee room, and headroom is sufficient but not outstanding. Many regular hatchbacks like the Ford Focus are better, while EV buyers should consider the Cupra Born.

Boot space and storage

Although regular petrol and diesel Astra hatchbacks have 422 litres of boot space with the rear seats, plug-in and electric models get a smaller cargo area. Due to the placement of the batteries and other components, electrified Astra hatches get 352 litres of boot space.

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This is down on the Cupra Born and a number of other dedicated electric hatchbacks, although the Astra is available as a Sports Tourer (read Estate) that bumps boot space up to 516 litres. That’s still down a significant amount on the petrol Sports Tourer (but the same as the plug-in hybrid), with both this and the hatch losing underfloor storage space. You do get plenty of useful cubbies, pockets and trays to empty your pockets into, though.

is it easy to park?

The Astra’s not a particularly big car and forward visibility is good. The rear view is hampered by a small back screen and thick pillars, but even entry-level GS gets front and rear parking sensors plus a rear-view camera.

Upgrade to Ultimate and you’ll get a surround-view camera plus a rear cross-traffic alert, too. Neither are essentials while the camera’s resolution could do with being higher.

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Safety

• Lots of safety kit, but not on every model
• Euro NCAP gave regular Astra four stars
• Semi-autonomous driving tech works well

The experts at Euro NCAP put the regular Vauxhall Astra through its paces in May 2022, but hasn’t tested the Electric. The regular hatch scored four stars on account of the safety assist systems that certain trims don’t get. A lot of the more advanced equipment, such as rear cross-traffic alert, lane positioning assist and traffic sign recognition, is optional or only fitted to top-spec models.

While four stars could be considered a slight disappointment, the Astra actually scores well for crash protection. It achieved a respectable 80% score for adult occupants and 82% for child occupants. The testers were particularly impressed by how well the Astra’s front seats protected their passengers from whiplash.

Other handy safety features include Vauxhall’s IntelliLux matrix LED headlights, which can cut approaching traffic out of the beam pattern to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers. You can also have a driver assistance system called IntelliDrive on the flagship Ultimate variant, which combines adaptive cruise control with active lane centring. We’ve tested these systems in their latest form, and they work very well. It doesn’t quite offer Tesla levels of driver assistance, but they help make long journeys less tiring.

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