Overview

The Corsa Electric is Vauxhall’s answer to the small electric car. The manufacturer was already on to a winning formula when the Corsa Electric was conceived, as it’s almost entirely based on the regular Corsa, Vauxhall’s best-selling car and one of the nation’s favourites.

But strong credentials aside, the Corsa Electric has been up against it since birth with two fronts of strong competition. On one hand, you have natural electric rivals like the Renault Zoe or Peugeot e-208, while on the other there are plenty of non-electric superminis like the Volkswagen Polo that can’t be ignored. Under the skin, it’s very similar to the aforementioned Peugeot as the two share a parent manufacturing group in Stellantis.

Vauxhall was very keen to show customers that the Corsa-e was simply an electrified version of the Corsa. This of course means that if you’ve stumbled on this in search of a petrol or diesel Corsa, you’re on the wrong page, and you should head to the regular Vauxhall Corsa review.

The most important statistic to retain is range. The Corsa-Electric’s powertrain will propel the car for 248 miles between charging stops. Recharge times vary depending on how you’re charging, but 0-100% at the fastest public charging point takes around 50 minutes, or around 7 hours 30 minutes from a home wallbox. Yes – that is 100%, the oft-quoted 0-80% preferred by rivals is just 30 minutes.

Interestingly, Vauxhall claimed that in Eco mode, the Corsa Electric’s range could be boosted by around 40% – which takes theoretical range to 293 miles. There’s also a smartphone app that allows drivers to monitor the charging status and pre-condition their vehicle prior to driving. Drivers can also schedule a charging time for a later time after plugging it in – this is good for charging overnight if you’re on a variable tariff and your electricity rates are lower.

Click through the next few pages to read everything you need to know about the Vauxhall Corsa-e. We’ll review every aspect of the car, considering its practicality, how much it costs to run, what it’s like to drive – and whether we recommend buying one as a good value used electric car.