Vauxhall’s Corsa-e looks to offer buyers a simple choice. You could pick a ‘normal’ petrol or diesel Vauxhall Corsa or, lined up alongside these models, you could pick an electric Corsa instead. Offering a good range, ultra-rapid charging speeds, and the sensible supermini package drivers will expect from a Corsa, Vauxhall is making the most of its parent group’s investment in EVs.
There is one configuration available:
On test is the Vauxhall Corsa-e, in top-of-the-range Elite Nav Premium trim, fitted with the 11 kW AC on-board charger. This sees drivers access a supermini with an official range of just over 200 miles on a charge – more than enough for most situations. Unlike most of its rival supermini offerings however – apart from those sharing a platform and powertrain.- the Corsa-e is able to be charged as fast as anything else in its sector. The 100 kW DC ultra-rapid charging capabilities mean that even when driving more than 200 miles in one go, the ability to top-up quickly can see a charge to 80% in as little as half an hour.
It’s not just DC charging that’s quick however, as the Corsa-e comes with a 7.4 kW on-board charger as standard, but is also available with an 11 kW on-board charger across the range. This can see a full recharge in around three and a half hours. Compared to the likes of the Mini Electric, Honda e, BMW i3, and Renault Zoe, the Corsa-e is streaks ahead in terms of charging speeds.
In real-world driving, I struggled to achieve both the official range (entirely normal) and the expected driving range. Based on experience, I tend to find EVs reach around 85-90% of their official range without much effort. This would put the Corsa-e’s predicted real range at around 180 miles. In fact, I was getting about 160 miles of range per charge, but have to say that the chilly January weather would have played a part in this. I’d expect this to be boosted to 170+ miles on a charge in better weather but, like the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense – which uses the same components but in a crossover body – the real-world range looks to be at the bottom end of what I’d want to see based not he official figures.
