Vauxhall Mokka Electric review

The Vauxhall Mokka Electric reminds us that, as electric cars become increasingly popular, we'll one day drop the word "electric" from conversations about them altogether – and simply call them "cars".

If Vauxhall has anything to do with it, that moment could come sooner than we all think. Instead of going down the route of designing a bespoke electric SUV (as Skoda and Volkswagen did with the Enyaq and ID 4), it's effectively offering the Mokka Electric as a variant of the petrol Vauxhall Mokka.

Indeed, save for a few "e" badges on its flanks and a charging port instead of a fuel filler, you’ll find it hard to tell the two versions apart. They both recently received the same facelift, getting updated styling and some new kit inside.

Under the surface, the Vauxhall Mokka Electric shares underpinnings with the DS 3 E-Tense and Peugeot e-2008. Other rivals include the Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia EV3 and Volkswagen ID 3 plus electric SUVs that cost a bit less, such as the great-value MG ZS EV. Read on to find out how we rate it against competitors...

If your main priority is performance, the Vauxhall Mokka Electric doesn't exactly stand out from the crowd. The electric motor's 154bhp officially results in a 0-62mph time of 9.0 seconds.

Even in Sport driving mode, you don’t get the instant shove many electric SUVs deliver. While that’s not a problem around town, it does mean that overtaking at speeds above 40mph requires more planning than it would in, say, a Kia EV3 or VW ID 3.

Acceleration is one thing, but how far an electric car can travel before it needs plugging in is more important to many buyers. Officially, the Mokka’s 50.8kWh (usable capacity) battery will take you up to 250 miles between charges – further than entry-level versions of the Hyundai Kona Electric, MG ZS EV and ID 3 but not as far as the EV3.

Bear in mind that you're unlikely to achieve the official range in real-world driving, and also that you can have those rivals with bigger batteries and longer ranges for only a little more money.

If you try to press on in the Mokka Electric, you’ll soon find that it’s not a car that’s happy to be hustled. The steering is more naturally weighted and linear in its responses than on the Peugeot e-2008 but you’ll feel bumps kicking back through the wheel’s rim if you’re cornering quickly.

There’s a lot more body lean than you’d find in the Kona Electric and the poised ID 3, and it doesn’t feel particularly keen to change direction in a hurry.

Grip levels are decent enough, if not as high as on those rivals, but its roly-poly nature and general lack of composure mean you’ll soon slow down to focus on conserving the battery. The softer springs translate to a comfortable motorway ride, with only the odd expansion joint sending a thud through the car.

The Mokka Electric doesn’t deal with potholes and broken surfaces at lower speeds as adroitly as the ID 3 but it’s certainly more comfortable than the overly firm Kona Electric. It doesn’t buck about on undulating roads like the bouncy DS 3 E-Tense.

The regenerative braking means the brake pedal is rather inconsistent – it can be difficult to judge how much pressure to apply to the pedal to slow down smoothly, and that can take a while to get used to.

Refinement elsewhere is pretty good, with little road or suspension noise but some wind noise from the windscreen at motorway speeds. It’s still much quieter than an ID 3 though.

"I found covering lots of miles in the Mokka Electric a comfortable experience and the range means you’ll be able to cover most journeys in one hit." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

While it's not much taller than a small hatchback, the Vauxhall Mokka Electric is technically an SUV. To give you a more commanding view of the road, the seats are mounted quite high up and the tall bonnet (which you can see from the driver’s seat) gives you the impression you’re driving a "proper" sports utility vehicle.

That slightly elevated driving position also gives you decent visibility to the front and sides, which is handy when negotiating junctions. Some of our taller road testers found that the pillar between the front and rear doors can get in the way with the seat set to their preferred position. If you're a six-footer, try before you buy.

Over-the-shoulder visibility is hampered somewhat by a rising window line and chunky pillars. That's less of a problem in the Kia EV3 with its taller windows and slimmer pillars. At least the Mokka Electric comes with rear parking sensors as standard, with a rear-view camera added if you step up to mid-spec GS trim and front sensors with top-spec Ultimate.

Even if you go for the entry-level Design trim, you get bright LED headlights to help with visibility at night. Drive at night a lot? The Ultimate trim upgrades those headlights to adaptive matrix LED ones that can shape their light output to avoid dazzling other road users with full beam selected.

You’ll find a good range of adjustment to the reach and height of the steering wheel and driver’s seat, so you should be able to find a comfortable driving position. It is, though, a bit of a shame that adjustable lumbar support is only available if you go for Ultimate trim. 

Unlike in the closely-related Peugeot e-2008 – which gets an iCockpit set-up that some drivers find awkward – you won’t have any issues seeing the Mokka Electric’s 10in digital driver's display.

It doesn’t quite have the wow-factor of the larger display in the Hyundai Kona Electric but it's clear and easy to read, showing you all the basic information you could ever need, including sat-nav directions.

The rest of the dashboard is well laid out and easy to get the hang of, and you get physical buttons and knobs for the climate control and media volume. The e-2008 and VW ID 3 get touch-sensitive controls, which are more distracting.

Every Mokka Electric comes with a 10in infotainment touchscreen with software that's been updated in the car’s most recent facelift. While it's still not as good as the EV3’s infotainment, it's an improvement on the clunky old system, with better graphics and quicker reactions when you touch the screen.

You get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring as standard, allowing you to bypass the Vauxhall software and use apps from your phone instead. That’s useful because only top-spec Ultimate gets built-in sat-nav.

In terms of interior quality, the Mokka Electric is a bit of a let-down compared to many electric cars. Visually, it has the flair to match its striking exterior but the materials are much less plush than the equivalents in the EV3 and e-2008.

"While the Mokka Electric's infotainment system relies mainly on the touchscreen, I do like that you get two physical shortcut buttons, for home and the section where you can turn off some of the driving assists." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Vauxhall Mokka Electric doesn't feel as open or airy as a Kia EV3 or VW ID 3 but even tall drivers will find plenty of head room and decent leg room.

There’s also a reasonable amount of storage space, including a well-sized glovebox, a couple of good-sized door bins and a surprisingly large storage tray at the bottom of the dash.

The tray is big enough to take a hefty wallet or a large smartphone, and you’ll find the wireless charging pad there on Ultimate models. The Hyundai Kona Electric and ID 3 have even more cubbies up front.

You feel a lot more hemmed in in the back because of the tall window line and a tapered roofline, but you’ll be better off than in the back of a DS 3 E-Tense or Mazda MX-30 EV. The Kona Electric has more room though. 

The Mokka Electric’s issue isn’t rear head room – that’s passable – it’s the poor rear leg room that’ll cause six-footers to feel wedged into the back with their knees pressed up against the front seat backs. If you want to carry lanky friends, you’re far better served by the EV3 or ID 3.

It’s a shame the Mokka Electric doesn’t offer sliding or reclining rear seats. They're split 60/40 rather than the more versatile 40/20/40, limiting your options when you have passengers and luggage to fit on board. There’s no ski flap to allow you to carry long items with two rear passengers sitting in comfort.

The boot space is pretty disappointing by class standards too, with 310 litres of storage. That's enough for your weekly shopping or short family holiday, but rivals including the EV3, MX-30 EV and ID 3 offer more space.

To put things in perspective, we squeezed four carry-on suitcases into the Mokka Electric’s boot compared with five in the ID 3.

It does come with a height-adjustable boot floor that allows you to separate the space into two compartments, which is handy if you want to stop your charging cables sliding around in the main compartment.

"Along with the small boot, I think it’s a shame that the Mokka doesn’t come with a handy storage area under the bonnet, like the Kia EV3 does." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

If you’re in the market for a relatively affordable electric car and you’re not too bothered about passenger space or battery range, there are a few cheaper options than the Vauxhall Mokka Electric, including the Fiat 500e and Mazda MX-30 EV.

The Kia EV3, Peugeot e-2008 and VW ID 3 are all available for about the same price, but also come in bigg-battery versions that cost a bit more. With the exception of the e-2008, the rivals are predicted to depreciate much more slowly over three years than the Mokka Electric.

If you’re a company car driver, electric cars look good value thanks to the BIK tax savings they offer over petrol or diesel models.

If you decide to get a Mokka Electric, we’d recommend the entry-level Design trim. It keeps the cost down but still gets loads of goodies, including 17in alloys, LED headlights with automatic high beam, climate control, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors and rain-sensing wipers. 

Stepping up to mid-spec GS trim gets you 18in wheels and a few style upgrades, while top-spec Ultimate gets all the tech you could ever need. That list includes matrix LED headlights, parking sensors all round, keyless entry and start, wireless phone-charging and adjustable lumbar support.

How long does it take to charge the Mokka Electric? Well, you’re looking at around seven and a half hours from a 7kW home EV charger (0-100%) or 43 minutes (0-80%) using a 50kW service station charger. The maximum charging speed is 100kW, which in theory means you could charge up in 30 minutes in ideal conditions.

When it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2021, the Mokka scored four stars out of five, which is a bit disappointing when most modern cars score five. Automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control and a driver drowsiness alert system are fitted across the range. Blind-spot monitoring is standard with Ultimate trim.

In terms of reliability, the Mokka Electric did badly in the electric car category of the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey and Vauxhall as a manufacturer finished a poor 29th place out of 31 car makers listed. 

Every new Vauxhall comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which is pretty par for the course and much less generous than Kia’s seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. At least the Mokka Electric’s battery is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles.

"I find the amount of standard equipment you get with the entry-level trim quite impressive. The amount of standard safety kit is good too." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

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