Vauxhall Astra Electric review

While most if its model name dates back to 1980, the Vauxhall Astra Electric is far from old-fashioned. It’s sharply styled and fully electric.

The Astra Electric sits alongside the rest of the eighth-generation Vauxhall Astra range (which offers petrol and plug-in hybrid options), and is available with one battery and motor combination.

This review covers the family car model, and also the estate car version, the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric, which could be for you if you want more boot space but don't fancy an electric SUV.

Vauxhall Astra Electric reveal video

So is the Vauxhall Astra Electric as fun to drive as a Cupra Born, as strong on value as the MG4 or a better choice than the closely related Peugeot e-308 (or the e-308 SW estate)? In other words, how does it rank among the best electric cars? Let's find out...

The Vauxhall Astra Electric and Sports Tourer Electric both come with a 50.8kWh usable capacity battery with a 153bhp electric motor driving the front wheels. There's no long range or four-wheel-drive version, as there is with some electric cars.

That's enough power for a 0-62mph time of 9.2 seconds, which is slightly quicker than a Peugeot e-308 (9.8 seconds) but slower than entry-level versions of the MG4 (8.0 seconds) and VW ID 3 (8.2 seconds). Vauxhall gives the same official sprint time for the estate car version.

You need to select Sport drive mode to experience full power, and even then the Astra Electric is more spritely than sporty.

Likewise, body lean is kept in check but there’s little in the way of precision or driver engagement. That’s largely due to the numb steering, which gives you only a vague idea of what the front end is up to. The Cupra Born is sharper and more enjoyable to drive on a winding road.

It’s best to enjoy the Astra Electric in a more laidback manner. The low-speed ride is on the firmer side and you sometimes experience a small amount of head toss, but it’s otherwise calm over most road surfaces, soaking up bumps and imperfections well.

The firmness means it doesn’t pitch and roll over undulations, and has better body control than softer-riding electric cars including the BYD Dolphin.

There’s no electric motor whine to disturb the peace, while wind and road noise are relatively well contained. The Astra Electric is more hushed inside than an MG4, although the ID 3 and Born are even quieter.

According to official figures, the Astra Electric can travel up to 259 miles on a full charge, or 255 for the Sports Tourer Electric. That's about the same as a Peugeot e-308, but slightly less than a Born 59kWh (264 miles).

While that’s further than an entry-level MG4 (218 miles), you can still opt for the MG4 Long Range (281 miles) for less. Indeed, the Tesla Model 3 is in a different class – the entry-level version can officially travel up to 318 miles without costing much more than pricier versions of the Astra.

“I fear the Astra Electric’s range is beginning to feel behind the times, seeing as some rivals are pushing beyond the 300-mile mark.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

As with the exterior, the interior of the Astra Electric (and Sports Tourer Electric) is very similar to what you find in a petrol Vauxhall Astra.

That’s not particularly a bad thing, because it means you get comfortable and supportive front seats that offer plenty of adjustment. With a steering wheel that has plenty of movement up, down, in and out, you shouldn’t struggle to find your perfect seating position.

Visibility out of the front is generally good, but it’s slightly annoying that the slim front pillars are angled in such a way that they can sometimes get in the way of your view at junctions.

Rear visibility and the view over your shoulder, meanwhile, is hampered by wide rear pillars. Luckily, parking should be easy enough, thanks to the standard front and rear parking sensors.

The Astra Electric has two 10in screens – the digital driver's display behind the steering wheel and an infotainment touchscreen to the left of it.

The driver's display is larger than the 5.3in display in a Cupra Born or VW ID 3 and – unlike in the Peugeot e-308 – you look through the steering wheel at the driver's display not over the top. The buttons on the Astra's steering wheel are more precise to use than the touch-sensitive pads in the Born and ID 3.

The touchscreen's responsiveness could be quicker, and while its home screen has a simple grid lay-out to help you find the function you want quickly, the text in the sub-menus is tiny.

All Astra Electrics have wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring so you can use your choice of sat-nav app through the touchscreen – although if you use the built-in sat-nav you get directions on the driver display.

You control the majority of the infotainment functions through touch or using the hit-and-miss voice-control system. We’d prefer that there was a physical control (like the rotary controller in the Mazda MX-30 R-EV) because that would be much less distracting when you're driving.

More positively, the Astra has physical buttons for the climate-control system that are in close reach. That makes it much more straightforward to use than the e-308’s climate controls, which are in the touchscreen.

In the Astra Electric, it doesn’t take long before you notice how dark everything is and the materials used are a step down from rivals. There are soft plastics on the dashboard, but the hard, cheap-feeling plastics (especially on the doors) would be more acceptable on a smaller, more affordable car.

You do get some coloured trim finishers on the doors and dash but they don't really lift the sombre mood. The e-308 is more pleasant inside while the Born’s interior feels more upmarket.

“I was happy to see physical shortcut buttons and proper buttons for the climate control in the Astra Electric because the Cupra Born’s touch-sensitive ones are rather annoying.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Astra Electric and Sports Tourer Electric have identical footprints to the petrol Vauxhall Astra and Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer and space inside is largely the same.

The hatchback offers a good amount of front-seat space. Its back seats have plenty of space for children but are rather tight on leg and head room for adults. If you often drive with adults in the back, we’d recommend taking a look at the more accommodating MG4 and Tesla Model 3.

Meanwhile, the estate car version has more head room in the back but is still tight on leg room. That’s about the same as what you get in a Peugeot e-308 and while the Ford Focus Estate and Seat Leon Estate are roomier, they're not available as electric cars.

Storage space in the back could be better: the backs of the front seats don’t have pockets and only top-spec Ultimate has a fold-down armrest with integrated cupholders.

The Astra Electric hatchback's boot offers more than 350 litres of space so it should easily swallow your weekly shopping, a buggy or luggage for a modest family holiday. The boot in the Cupra Born is slightly larger, but the square shape of the Astra’s is more useful. 

The Astra Sports Tourer Electric, meanwhile, gets 516 litres of boot space. That’s a good increase over the regular Astra Electric’s amount, but you will find a bigger boot inside the rival Peugeot e-308 SW (548 litres), as well as the Seat Leon Estate in plug-in hybrid form (470 litres).

When you need to carry more luggage, you can drop the Astra Electric's rear seats. They split in a 60/40 configuration and you get a useful ski hatch between the rear seats, meaning you can carry two rear passengers and longer loads like, well, skis.

“While there are better load-luggers than the Astra Sports Tourer Electric, I never found its boot small. Far from it.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

To buy outright, the Vauxhall Astra Electric and its estate car counterpart can look a bit expensive next to the rival MG4 and VW ID 3. It's slightly cheaper than a Cupra Born or Peugeot e-308 though.

When it comes to depreciation, the Astra Electric is predicted to lose its value a fair bit more quickly over three years than any of those rivals. That can make it more expensive to buy using PCP finance than a model with the same list price. However, Vauxhall often has competitive offers, so make sure you check for the best prices using our New Car Deals pages.

No matter which trim you go for, you get plenty of standard equipment, with entry-level Design getting 18in alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, automatic LED headlights with high-beam assist, keyless start and electrically adjusted and heated door mirrors.

There’s also Griffin trim, which is marketed as a special edition with more luxuries for similar money to Design. Griffin gains heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, and it's our recommended trim – although you can only have it on the hatchback. If you're ordering a Sports Tourer estate, we'd suggest sticking with Design.

Upgrading to GS trim adds darker 18in wheels, black Vauxhall badging, sports seats and a 360-degree camera. Range-topping Ultimate trim gets a panoramic sunroof, alloy sports pedals and a frameless anti-dazzle rear-view mirror, but it’s too pricey to recommend.

Regardless of which version you go for, the maximum charging speed is 100kW, meaning that a rapid public EV charger will take the Astra Electric from 20-80% in around 26 minutes. An 11kW charger will get it from 0-100% in five hours, 45 minutes and a 7kW home EV charger will need eight hours. The Cupra Born and VW ID 3 charge more quickly.

The Astra Electric was absent from our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey. However, Vauxhall was present, only to rank 29th out of 31 manufacturers in the survey. It finished above Alfa Romeo and MG but every other brand featured proved more reliable. 

Like all Vauxhall car models, the Astra Electric comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. That's in keeping with cover from most other manufacturers, but can’t beat Hyundai's five-year warranty, Kia's seven-year cover or Toyota’s up to 10 years of cover.

Safety wise, the model was awarded a slightly disappointing four out of five stars when it was tested in 2022 by the experts at Euro NCAP. The Born and MG4 both got five stars, while the Tesla Model 3 also scored five stars but in 2019, when the tests were less stringent.

At least the Astra Electric has plenty of safety equipment fitted as standard, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assist and speed-limit sign recognition. You’ll need Ultimate trim or above if you want lane-change assistance and rear cross-traffic alert.

“I think it's great news that you don’t have to upgrade your Astra Electric to a ludicrously expensive trim level to get heated seats and a heated steering wheel. You can just go for Griffin trim.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

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