Vauxhall Corsa Electric Review 2023

If you're ready to make the switch to electric but don't want to make a bold statement about doing so, the Vauxhall Corsa Electric is a decent enough choice. It's easy to drive, has a very useable range and won't be a huge shock to the system. There are bigger, more practical alternatives for the money, though, and a petrol Vauxhall Corsa will still make more sense financially for a lot of buyers. 

We usually say "buy the best and newest model you can afford" but, well, this approach doesn't make quite so much sense in the Vauxhall Corsa Electric.

Recent updates are so minor and a new Vauxhall Corsa Electric is so expensive, we'd suggest saving your money and searching for a used Vauxhall Corsa Electric for sale. An early Vauxhall Corsa Electric can be picked up for less than £15,000 - it makes a lot more sense at this price than a brand new car with a price tag closing in at £40,000.

Ford's reluctance to bring an electric Fiesta to market means the Vauxhall Corsa Electric doesn't come up against a huge amount of competition. The Peugeot e-208 is the most obvious rival - it shares its platform with the Corsa Electric, while also managing to look a little more stylish (although not everyone will get on with its tiny steering wheel).

Other than that, there's the trendy MINI Electric and slow-selling Honda e. You'll probably notice the Renault Zoe in the classifieds, too, although that's showing its age a bit now. The newer Fiat 500e is a much better choice, while you could also look at Chinese alternatives like the BYD Dolphin. The MG4 should be on your radar, too - it's bigger than the Corsa but cheaper to buy.

The Vauxhall Corsa Electric has the same initial feel of being a well-finished small car thanks to the padded materials used on the upper dash and door surfaces. It all gives a veneer of premium quality and solidity that’s easy on the eye.

However, the Corsa is quickly let down when your eyes and hands explore more of the plastics and other materials inside the cabin. A lot of the plastics are cheap, low-grade and hard, so they are prone to scratching which quickly makes them look old and scruffy.

The biggest change made to the Vauxhall Corsa Electric in 2023 is the new 10.0-inch infotainment system. This looks smart and is easy to use, while you now get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (along with, usefully, wireless phone charging). Earlier models were offered with a smaller seven-inch display which, while easy to operate, looks a bit pathetic in a modern, high-tech car such as the Corsa Electric.

Other tech highlights in the latest Vauxhall Corsa Electric include a revised seven-inch digital instrument display, while 'Hey Vauxhall' voice-recognition software lets you control various functions of the car without taking your hands off the steering wheel. A bit gimmicky, perhaps, but no more so than Amazon's Alexa.

Fitting a battery pack under the front and rear seats of the Vauxhall Corsa Electric could have robbed this version of the hatch of vital space for passengers. It’s to Vauxhall’s credit the EV version of the Corsa does not make this sacrifice. However, it’s no more generous for rear-seat occupants than other versions in the line-up.

That’s a shame as it means adults will find it hard to squeeze into the back of the Corsa without their knees jutting into the rear of the front seats – not comfortable for anyone. Headroom is also dismal and forces even average-sized adults to sit with their heads at an angle to fit in here.

Put children in the back of the Corsa Electric and it’s a better story. A flat bench cushion means you can seat three kids across the Corsa Electric with enough room for their elbows and shoulders. All three get a triple-point belt and headrest, while Isofix mounts are supplied with the two outer seats.

Getting in and out of the rear seats is simple as the Corsa Electric is only available as a five-door, like all of the latest Corsa range. The rear doors open wide and make it easy for parents to lift in a child's seat, though the Isofix mounts are tucked behind slits in the upholstery rather than easier-to-use plastic covers.

Head round to the back of the Corsa Electric and you find a tailgate that opens up high but reveals a load sill that is also high off the ground. It forces a big drop to the boot floor, though the cargo bay itself is well shaped and unhindered by the rear wheel arches or suspension. It’s a pity there are not any storage cubbies on either side of the boot, but at least the Vauxhall Corsa Electric boot space sits at 309 litres – one of the biggest in the class.

The Vauxhall Corsa Electric has dimensions of 4060mm long, 1765mm wide and 1433mm tall. 

Vauxhall initially offered the Corsa Electric with just one 'engine' option: a 100kW electric motor that generates the equivalent of 136PS. It also pushes out 260Nm of shove from the second you touch the accelerator, so you have the same sort of instant push that is more normally associated with a 2.0-litre turbodiesel motor. As a result, the Vauxhall Corsa Electric feels surprisingly brisk, covering 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds.

When the Vauxhall Corsa Electric was updated in 2023, a new more powerful motor (and slightly bigger battery) was added to the range. Badged the Vauxhall Corsa Electric Long Range (and available in GS or Ultimate trim), this adds an extra 20PS to the power figure, and shaves 0.7 seconds off the 0-62mph acceleration time. It's not exactly an electric hot hatch, but it certainly feels eager enough both in and out of town.

Both models come with the usual selectable drive modes: eco, normal and sport. Each has its own characteristics, allowing you to prioritise rapid acceleration or battery-saving efficiency. We'd leave it in 'normal' most of the time. There's also an extra 'B' button, which ramps up the regenerative braking. With this selected, the Vauxhall Corsa Electric will use the electric motor to slow down when you lift off the accelerator. It's not quite one-pedal driving but, with a bit of practice, this will allow you to use the brakes less than you otherwise would.

The regular Vauxhall Corsa Electric, with its 50kWh battery, can officially travel up to 222 miles between charging (according to WLTP tests). The new Vauxhall Corsa Electric Long Range, with its ever-so-slightly larger 51kWh battery pack, manages up to 246 miles.

We suspect the difference in real-world range will be minimal. For most buyers, either Vauxhall Corsa Electric will have a more-than-adequate range. A heat pump is standard on all models, helping improve the efficiency of the battery in winter - although you might struggle to see close to 200 miles between charges in winter.

With no petrol or diesel engine to quell the noise from outside, the Vauxhall Corsa Electric is already off to a head-start over its sister models. You will hear a faint whirr from the electric motor, especially as the car pulls away from a standing start, but it’s always content to remain a very distant sound and leaves the Vauxhall’s cabin impressively hushed around town.

On faster roads, the main sources of noise are wind and road roar, but here the Vauxhall Corsa Electric continues to keep these dins at arm’s length. There’s very little disturbance kicked up from the tyres that can be heard inside the car, even at motorway speeds. As for wind noise, it’s also happily absent from the interior, which all adds up to a small hatchback that makes light work of higher speed journeys.

What you might notice when passing over larger potholes or speed humps is a little sound of the suspension doing its job. It’s far from intrusive, though, and is only really audible because the Corsa Electric doesn’t have an internal combustion engine to mask the noise.

The Vauxhall Corsa Electric comes with twin front, side and curtain airbags as standard in all models. It also has three-point belts for all occupants and two Isofix child seat mounts on the outer rear seats.

All Corsa Electric models have ESP stability and traction control, ABS anti-lock brakes, though Hill Hold Assist is not included as the Corsa Electric doesn’t need it due to its standard automatic transmission. There’s also traffic speed sign recognition to flash up the appropriate maximum in the dash display as a reminder to the driver.

On top of all that, every Vauxhall Corsa Electric also comes with Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detections to warn the driver of hazards on the road ahead. Should the driver fail to notice, the system will apply the brakes to avoid a collision or lessen the impact of the ensuing crash. 

Vauxhall also fits a lane departure warning and assistance to guide the car back into lane if it strays too close to a white line. A driver fatigue system is another standard feature to let the driver know when to take a break.

Despite all of this equipment, the Vauxhall Corsa only achieved a four-star rating in Euro NCAP crash tests when many of its rivals have recorded five-star scores.

We've heard of very few common issues with the Vauxhall Corsa Electric. It's a very simple car, with much fewer parts to go wrong compared to a petrol or diesel car. Vauxhall provides a warranty of three years for the Corsa Electric, while the battery is covered for eight years (or 100,000 miles). Most electric car owners find that their battery still has as much as 80 or 90% of its original capacity after 10 years.

This is one area in which you might be stung financially compared to a petrol Vauxhall Corsa. The Vauxhall Corsa Electric has been placed in insurance groups 24 and 25 - that's about the same as other electric hatchbacks, but higher than similar petrol cars.

This isn't unusual - electric vehicles are both quicker and pricier to repair than 'normal' cars, so insurance premiums are often higher. This could create for an unpleasant shock, though, especially for young or inexperienced drivers. We'd recommend searching for insurance quotes before buying a Vauxhall Corsa Electric.

Electric cars are currently exempt from road tax, meaning you could save £180/year compared to a petrol or diesel car. That's set to change from 2025, however, meaning you'll pay the same VED as the driver of a petrol hatch.

The current Vauxhall Corsa Electric range is made up of three trim levels: Design, GS and Ultimate.

Standard equipment on the Vauxhall Corsa Electric Design includes LED headlights, high-beam assist, an electronic parking brake, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, speed sign recognition, driver drowsiness alert, forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, cruise control with intelligent speed limiter, six airbags, rear parking distance sensors, seven-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, seven-inch digital colour instrument cluster, electronic climate control, flat-bottomed leather-effect, 60/40 split-folding rear seats, rain-sensitive windscreen wipers, automatic lighting control, electric front and rear windows, emergency tyre inflation kit (in lieu of spare wheel), grey dashboard with high-gloss black insert, black fabric seats, six-way adjustable driver's seat, 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels.

The Vauxhall Corsa Electric GS adds LED front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, side blind spot alert, a 10-inch touchscreen display with navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a wireless phone charger, electronic climate control, front centre armrest with storage, keyless start, black and white sports seats, sports exterior styling, tinted rear windows, 17-inch alloy wheels.

The Vauxhall Corsa Electric Ultimate adds IntelliLux adaptive LED® Matrix headlights, enhanced automatic emergency braking, lane positioning assistant, adaptive cruise control, extended traffic sign recognition, a heated steering wheel, keyless entry and start, driver's seat with massage function and lumbar support, Alcantara seat inserts, heated front seats, 17-inch black alloy wheels with grey inserts.