Vauxhall Astra Electric Review 2023

If you're in the market for a no-nonsense electric car, the Vauxhall Astra Electric is a great choice. It’s not the quickest, sexiest or even the cheapest electric car on sale, but it’s a very competent all-rounder.

Unlike you can get an enviable deal on a nearly-new Vauxhall Astra Electric, we’d go for the entry-level GS. It’s got everything most buyers would want without a £40,000-plus price tag.

Competition comes in the form of the Volkswagen ID.3, Cupra Born and MG4, as well as the new Peugeot e-308 and Citroen e-C4. The Vauxhall Astra Electric's bold price tag puts it in the same market as the Tesla Model 3, too. If you’re looking for an electric family car, we’d also point you towards electric SUV alternatives such as the Renault Megane E-Tech, Kia Niro EV and Skoda Enyaq iV.

Not sure if an electric car is right for you? You may also want to consider the regular Vauxhall Astra, which is available with petrol or plug-in hybrid power. Otherwise, we’d recommend a Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Golf or Skoda Octavia.

We get the sense that the latest Vauxhall Astra has been built to a price - maybe to differentiate it from the slightly upmarket Peugeot 308 (with which it shares a platform). The interior is a wide mixture of materials - from hard plastics that'll no doubt stand the test of time to slightly nicer, plusher finishes.

Poke some of the plastics around the dashboard and they'll noticeably flex, but that's soon avoided by simply not poking the dashboard. All Vauxhall Astra Electric models come with a perforated leather steering wheel, which looks and feels pretty swish, while the top-spec Vauxhall Astra Electric Ultimate adds Alcantara to the seats.

The Vauxhall Astra Electric comes with a 10-inch digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, alongside a conventional 10-inch infotainment display.

It’s more user-friendly than many similar systems - thanks in part to the shortcut buttons below the screen, as well as a handy ledge to rest your fingers on. It is occasionally a bit laggy but generally it works well and looks pretty slick in the process.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto allow you to mirror apps from your phone, although you’ll need the top-spec Vauxhall Astra Electric Ultimate for wireless phone charging.

The external dimensions of the Vauxhall Astra Electric are exactly the same as the regular car: it measures 4374mm long, 1860mm wide (2062mm including door mirrors) and 1470mm high.

Its boot space is slightly down on the petrol model but it matches the plug-in hybrid for overall capacity. It can carry up to 352 litres of luggage, which is slightly less than a Volkswagen ID.3 and Citroen e-C4, and quite a bit less than the Renault Megane E-Tech. On the plus side, the boot is usefully square in shape, and you can always drop the rear seats if you need more room.

There's enough room for passengers, although adults in the rear might prefer to be in an SUV - the low roofline means it feels a bit claustrophobic for anyone more than six-feet tall. There's a Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric estate car on its way - it could well be worth waiting for this if you're looking for a practical electric family car.

The Vauxhall Astra Electric comes with a 54kWh battery which powers a single electric motor (driving the front wheels). It produces a total of 156PS and 270Nm of torque - enough for 0-62mph acceleration in 9.2 seconds and a top-speed of 106mph.

It's not the fastest electric car on the market, but it feels swift enough. Switching through the drive modes to 'sport' improves throttle response, but it's never going to shove you back in your seat like a Tesla Model 3. The way it picks up speed without any lag means overtakes are pretty stress-free, although a Renault Megane E-Tech feels more urgent.

The Vauxhall Astra Electric has a WLTP range of up to 258 miles. This'll drop slightly in the real world, although our test drive showed an expected range of around 220 miles. That's a very useable figure, but long-distance drivers might want to consider alternative electric cars. The longest range Volkswagen ID.3 has a range of up to 340 miles (others are good for up to 264 miles), while a Kia Niro EV can cover up to 285 miles.

An obvious perk of an electric car such as the Astra Electric is the lack of a grumble from the engine compartment, while Vauxhall's added acoustic glass and additional door seals to improve interior noise levels. It's not entirely silent, though - there is an occasional whine from the electric motor, while we noticed more road noise than usual from the 18-inch alloy wheels which are standard on the Vauxhall Astra Electric.

The Vauxhall Astra was awarded four stars for safety when it was crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2022. It missed out on a five-star safety rating for a number of factors, including a lack of centre air bag to prevent occupants from colliding with each other in a crash. The independent organisation also criticised the Astra's autonomous emergency braking system which it says performed only marginally in response to other vehicles.

There is an extensive list of driver-assistance tech fitted as standard to the Vauxhall Astra Electric.  This includes the aforementioned automatic emergency braking system (with pedestrian detection), a lane departure warning system (with lane keep assist) and a 360-degree parking camera. For the full gamut, you'll need the Vauxhall Astra Electric Ultimate. The top-spec Astra adds Vauxhall's Intelli-Drive 2.0, which features semi-autonomous lane changing, advanced intelligent speed adaption, lane change assist with blind spot alert, lane positioning assist and rear cross traffic alert.

With fewer mechanical parts than a petrol or diesel car, the Vauxhall Astra Electric ought to be a very reliable used car. All new Vauxhalls come with a standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty, while the Astra Electric's battery is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles.

Both the Vauxhall Astra Electric GS and Ultimate sit in insurance group 26, which means they'll cost roughly the same to insure as a Volkswagen ID.3 or Renault Megane E-Tech. It should be slightly cheaper to insure than the Kia Niro EV, which tops out in insurance group 29.

You might find that the electric Vauxhall Astra is slightly more expensive to insure than petrol models. That's due to its extra value, as well as the extra complexity - it could cost more to fix if it's involved in a crash. We'd recommend searching for insurance quotes before leaving a deposit on an Astra Electric, particularly if you're a new driver.

Electric cars are currently exempt from road tax, which means you'll make a hefty saving each month (especially on cars with a list price of more than £40,000 - these are ordinarily hit with an extra premium car tax for five years).

That's set to change in 2025, though, when EVs are set to be taxed alongside petrol and diesel cars.

The Vauxhall Astra Electric is available in two trim levels - the sporty GS and top-of-the-range Ultimate.

The Vauxhall Astra Electric GS comes with 18-inch bi-colour black alloy wheels, black Vizor frame and detailing as well as a black roof and door mirrors. LED headlights with high beam assist are standard on GS models too.

Inside, all models come with Pure Panel Pro infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and voice activated navigation. Safety on board is improved via Intelli-Drive 2.0 featuring automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane change assist with blind side spot alert, forward collision alert and rear cross traffic alert.

The Vauxhall Astra Electric Ultimate adds IntelliLux Pixel Matrix LED headlights with 168 individual LED lights. Ultimate models also come with Intelli-Air climate control, Intelli-HUD head-up display and bi-colour alloy wheels. A panoramic roof brightens up the interior, while a heated steering wheel and Alcantara-covered heated seats improve comfort. Wireless smartphone charging is included, as is Intelli-Drive 2.0, featuring lane change and positioning assist with blind side spot alert, and rear cross traffic alert.