Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric long-term test

The car Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric Ultimate | Run by Claire Evans, consumer editor

Why it's here To see if Vauxhall’s family-sized estate is a good alternative to the similar Peugeot e-308 and German estate rivals. 

Needs to Enable me to rack up the miles in comfort, and be as practical and easy to live with as a petrol alternative

Mileage 2746 List price £45,460 Target Price £45,460 Price as tested £46,160 Official range 256 miles Test range 155 miles Options Crimson Red metallic paint £700

5 December 2024 – (Not) a dedicated follower of fashion

Many people like to keep up with all the latest trends in clothing and automotive fashion. If all your neighbours are driving MG4s or Tesla Model Ys, you may feel like you should follow suit. However, if you don’t want a futuristic looking EV on your driveway, Vauxhall has a potential solution: the Astra Electric. 

Yes, it’s a pure electric model with a 115kW electric motor and a 54kWh battery, but on the outside it’s hard to tell the difference between it and a regular petrol or plug-in hybrid powered Astra. The only distinguishing feature is a small ‘e’ badge on the bootlid. So, if you want to go electric, but not shout about it to the world, the Astra could be the car for you. 

Rather than the hatchback, though, I’ve opted for the Sports Tourer estate because it’s a more practical proposition, with more headroom for rear passengers and a square-shaped 516-litre boot, which is almost twice as large as that of the hatch. 

I only have a small dog, who is happy to sit on the back seat bench, but the boot will be handy for transporting my road cycle and taking provisions to the small flock of urban sheep I check up on once a week. 

As well as lashing eyes and storage nets on each side of the boot, there’s a handy hook attached to the floor panel that can be attached to the top of the rear hatch, so you don’t have to hold it up while accessing the compartments underneath it. 

My car’s Ultimate trim also provides 40/20/40 folding rear seat backs so I can stow long items more easily, and it has an electric function that allows me to open the tailgate by waving a foot under the rear bumper. 

Another significant advantage of my car’s spec is that its front seats have been approved by the independent German association Aktion Gesunder Rücken, which translates to Campaign for Healthier Backs. It tests products for back-friendliness and approves those that meet its standards. And as a long-time sufferer of back discomfort, I'm happy about that.

The driver’s seat has eight-way adjustment for height, rake and lumbar support, which is hugely important to stop me from getting back ache on longer drives. It also has extendable thigh support, so the seat base can be elongated to keep my far taller partner comfortable when he’s driving. 

The Astra Electric’s interior is identical to that of a petrol Astra, and that’s a good thing because it’s practical and feels like it’s been designed to cater for long-distance drivers.  There are two good-sized cupholders and plenty of useful storage compartments in the centre console, including two lidded sections where you can hide valuables if you want to leave them in the car. 

Above this there are two rows of physical buttons to control the air-con, heated seats, screen demisting and heated seats and steering wheel. It actually has more buttons than the Skoda Octavia Estate and the Peugeot e-308, with which it shares its underpinnings. 

While these are a boon because I hardly have to delve into the touchscreen while on the move, they aren’t always as responsive as I’d like them to be, and it can take two or three prods to do things like alter the heat level on the driver’s seat. It’s a similar story when you need to use the touchscreen, which can be fairly slow to respond. 

The only big disappointment with the Astra so far is its range. Most of my work miles are done on motorways and I’m regularly getting just over half of the mileage I should. My 90-mile daily commute uses up 164 miles of range, and one recent 140-mile round trip used up 242 miles, leaving me rather anxious with just 14 miles left when I got home.  

These trips were done with the car in Normal driving mode because I value having additional power on tap for occasional overtaking and other manoeuvres. In the coming weeks I’m going to experiment with Eco mode, though, because this is said to increase the car’s range by reducing the power of its electric motor. It’ll be interesting to see if this dents the acceleration too much or if it’s a sensible way of covering more miles between charges. 

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