Vauxhall Corsa Electric: range, battery & charging

The Vauxhall Corsa Electric shares a number of its parts, as well as its basic platform, with the Peugeot E-208 and DS 3 E-Tense. Like its Peugeot and DS siblings, the Vauxhall has recently undergone a facelift and now boasts the option of the larger 51kWh battery pack shared with the Jeep Avenger. This means top models now have a maximum range of almost 250 miles – almost identical to the likes of the Renault ZOE – while a price cut makes the 222-mile base model slightly better value than before.

Vauxhall Connect – a feature of the MyVauxhall smartphone app – allows you to access information such as the remaining range, as well offering the option to pre-condition the interior to a set temperature. Smartphone users can also see the charging status of their car, remotely start the air-conditioning and select the charging time required.

Vauxhall Corsa Electric range

As mentioned, the electric Vauxhall Corsa is now offered with two battery sizes. The smaller of these is the same one that has been offered since the car was launched; several technical updates since then now mean the 50kWh Vauxhall Corsa Electric is capable of up to 222 miles on single charge.

Having driven this model in warm weather, we’re pleased to report that Vauxhall’s range predictions are pretty accurate. Hold off flooring the accelerator and we have no doubt you’ll easily be able to cover over 200 miles on a single charge, although this will drop slightly in winter – all Vauxhall Corsa Electric models do come with a heat pump as standard to aid this slightly.

If range is your priority, you’ll want to step up to either the GS or Ultimate trim and choose the larger 51kWh battery. While the increase in battery size may seem marginal, it’s more efficient so you get a range boost to a maximum of 246 miles. During our time with the car in Germany, we were able to average roughly 4.6 miles per kilowatt-hour, which translates to a range of 235 miles – not far off Vauxhall’s estimates.

Charge time

Every version of the Vauxhall Corsa Electric comes with a Type 2 cable for home wallbox and slower public charging, but you have to pay extra for a conventional three-pin plug, which seems a bit stingy given the car’s high list price.

The Corsa is available with either a 7.4 or 11kW on-board charger, which affects how quickly it can charge from a domestic charging point. However, you need three-phase domestic electricity to take advantage of the 11kW upgrade, and this isn't very common in UK homes, so check before stumping up the cash.

If you do, Vauxhall quotes a 15-80% charge time of three hours and 20 minutes, compared to five hours for the 7.4kW setup. Regardless, all Corsa Electric models come with a CCS port, ensuring an 80% top-up in as little as 30 minutes from a 100kW rapid charger. These are getting more common in the UK, but many public points are still 50kW – taking near-enough twice as long to perform the same task.