Vauxhall Astra Electric review

Is the Vauxhall Astra Electric a good car?

Existing owners of petrol, diesel, or plug-in hybrid Vauxhall models looking to make the electric switch will find much to like in the EV Astra. It drives a lot like the standard Astra, but it is smoother, quieter and more responsive. Moreover, Vauxhall has been working to make the jump to electrification as painless as possible, to the point where its battery-powered family hatch is actually more affordable to buy than the plug-in hybrid version. So, while the all-electric Astra doesn’t offer any outstanding qualities compared to bespoke EV rivals such as the Volkswagen ID.3, it does deliver decent value for money in an increasingly competitive class.

How much does the Vauxhall Astra Electric cost?

As we’ve already mentioned, Vauxhall has recently boosted the EV Astra’s showroom appeal by slashing prices, with entry-level Design and well-specified Griffin trims costing around £35,000. The sportier-looking GS comes in at just over £37,000, while the top-of-the-range Ultimate can be had for under £39,500. Those after the more practical Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer estate can get into one for around £1,200 to £1,300 more than the equivalent hatchback version.

The Astra has been a familiar sight on UK roads for over four decades. The ever-increasing SUV market has meant that the British-badged model isn’t as popular as its predecessors, but it remains a capable, efficient and practical family car choice.

Launched in 2021, the current eighth-generation model is one of the best yet, combining style and sophistication with plenty of tech and choice of body styles. It’s also the first Astra to be available in fully electric guise, with the battery-powered model joining petrol and plug-in hybrid versions.

Currently, there’s only one engine and battery option, with a 54kWh lithium-ion pack powering a single 154bhp unit that drives the front wheels. Like the internal combustion-engined versions, the Astra Electric is available in Design, Griffin, GS, and Ultimate trim levels – although there’s no electric equivalent of the high-performance GSe plug-in.

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Overall, the Astra driving experience is quite pleasant. In terms of ride and handling, it sits between the agile Renault Megane and the smooth-riding VW ID.3, but runs both close enough that it’s the best compromise of the three. Throw in the fact that it’s better than either at muffling suspension knocks and road noise – sounds that become all the more obvious alongside an EV powertrain – and it’s a relaxing car to live with every day.

Compared to current EV standards, the 154bhp Astra isn’t especially quick. But as a family car designed to get from A to B, a 0-62mph time of 9.2 seconds is more than adequate. Indeed, the delay between pressing the throttle and getting any response has a greater bearing on the Astra’s lack of enthusiasm compared to its rivals. It’s surprisingly laggy for an electric car.

On the plus side, the Astra benefits from precise steering and balanced and accurate handling. It’s not a fun car, but the Vauxhall always feels poised through a series of corners, responding crisply to your inputs. It rides well, soaking away bumps and potholes with just as much suppleness as the VW ID.3. If anything, the electric Astra is even more composed and comfortable than its internal combustion-engined relatives. 

The brakes give enough power when they’re called upon, but the calibration needs a little more work. The first part of travel, which deals with motor regeneration, feels a little soft and mushy, and then the pedal stiffens up appreciably when the mechanical brakes kick in. The maximum regen level – accessed through the B mode on the drive selector – doesn’t offer anywhere near the one-pedal driving levels that many rivals provide. The traditional brake discs can feel a little grabby when used at low speeds.

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At 54 kWh, the Astra’s battery is relatively modest by the standards of the class, but Vauxhall claims this is all to the Astra’s advantage. A smaller battery means less weight, which in combination with the car’s aerodynamically-honed bodywork, means greater efficiency. In fact, the brand claims the Astra is capable of 4.2 miles per kilowatt hour, which means an impressive WLTP range of 260 miles between recharges in hatchback form, and 255 miles for the Sports Tourer estate. 

Our time behind the wheel of the hatchback model showed that figure not to be a pure flight of fancy. We didn’t quite match those claims, but with an estimated range of around 240 miles, we weren’t far off, and unlike the previous generation of Stellantis EV powertrains found in the earlier Corsa-e (now known as the Vauxhall Corsa Electric), the range doesn’t seem to nosedive once you edge towards motorway speeds. A standard heat pump should ensure that range isn’t compromised too severely when the weather turns chilly, either.

At 100kW, charging speeds are decent, but again, not class leading. The one advantage of a slightly smaller-than-average battery is that charging it up doesn’t take very long, with a 20-80 per cent top-up taking 26 minutes. Utilising a 7kW wallbox charger at home will take eight hours to fully recharge an empty battery.

Of course, like all electric cars, the Astra makes a strong case for itself as a company car – especially now the Astra Electric has a lower list price than the plug-in hybrid version. With zero emissions at the tailpipe, it’s rated at just two per cent for Benefit-in-Kind taxation, compared with eight per cent for the hatchback plug-in hybrid.

What you’ll save in tax will be offset a little by insurance premiums, with the Astra Electric falling into a fairly hefty group 25 in hatchback Griffin form, and group 26 in all other guises. Still, with a Thatcham-rated alarm and immobiliser, the Vauxhall should be well protected against theft.

According to our expert data, the electric Astra should hold on to its resale value reasonably well. After a typical three-year/36,000-mile ownership period, it’ll retain around 46-49 per cent of its original list price, with the Sports Tourer in Griffin trim offering the best residual values across the Astra range. 

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The previous generation Astra suffered from a dowdy and anonymous image that left it struggling well behind the class leaders, so Vauxhall pulled out the stops to push its family hatch upmarket. It’s now a modern, striking-looking machine with strong lines that work well with the manufacturer’s Vizor front-end design. However, under its sharply styled interior, the Astra is based on the same eVMP platform that also underpins the Peugeot E-308 and Citroen e-C4. 

Climb aboard, and it’s clear Vauxhall has continued with the upmarket approach. There are plusher materials than in pervious Astras, with soft-touch plastics, and even some Alcantara inserts on the door cards of Ultimate trim models. Look harder, and you will find some cheaper plastics used on the centre console and lower down in the cabin, but overall, the Astra looks and feels like a quality product.

The trim structure consists of Design, Griffin, GS and Ultimate. The Design and Griffin models are equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels as standard, but with a sportier front and rear bumper design and black exterior trim, the GS and Ultimate models have the edge for kerb appeal.

However, our pick of the bunch is the mid-level GS  trim, which gets all the kit you’ll need, plus desirable extras such as a 360-degree parking camera, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and an upgraded infotainment system. Flagship Ultimate trim adds adaptive LED headlights, a punchier sound system, a head-up display, a panoramic sunroof and wireless smartphone charging, but it also weighs in at nearly £40,000

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

All Astras feature Vauxhall’s Pure Panel infotainment set-up as standard, but GS and Ultimate spec models feature an upgraded Pure Panel Pro system. Both consist of two 10-inch screens, one covering media functions and the other a digital instrument display providing information for the driver. 

Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are included, along with a natural voice recognition system that we found to be both intuitive and accurate. However, loading times are a little slow, plus there’s only a single USB connection if you need to plug it in to charge (wireless charging is standard on Griffin trim and above).

The dual-screen set-up looks great, particularly in Pure Panel Pro guise, where the two screens are seamlessly joined together. Better still, the graphics look sharp, plus the reversing camera has great definition, too. More importantly, Vauxhall has stuck with physical shortcut buttons and climate controls that are easier to use when on the move than touch-sensitive sliders, which have been a real bugbear of the VW Golf.

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The eighth-generation Astra has increased in length by a few millimetres over the previous model and now measures 4,374mm, which is 128mm longer than the VW ID.3. However, at 2,675mm, the Vauxhall’s wheelbase is around 100mm shorter than its German rival’s, which has a knock-on effect on interior space. The Sports Tourer estate is a little bit better in this regard at 2,732mm, and is longer overall at 4,642mm.

The relatively short wheelbase compared with its rivals means occupants in the rear seats will find things a little tighter. Not only is legroom below class standards, taller passengers will find their head touches the ceiling. Still, there is at least decent space for their feet to slide under the front seats, plus there are ISOFIX points fitted on the outer rear seating positions.

Those sat up front are far better catered for, with plenty of room to get comfortable and a wide range of seating adjustment. On GS models, the front seats get additional adjustments and support, which means they’ve received certification from the AGR (The Campaign for Healthier Backs in Germany).

Like the best family hatches, the Astra is packed with plenty of handy cabin storage and lots of useful standard kit. There’s a big cubby located between the front seats, two trays with sliding covers and a fold-out section below the central air vent that could be used to store a phone or sunglasses.

Keyless start, front and rear parking sensors, automatic wipers and cruise control all come as part of the entry Design specification, while GS spec models and above feature a front centre armrest with cupholders, a heated steering wheel and heated front sport seats.

The standard internal combustion-powered Astra hatchback has a generous 422-litre boot, but the need to accommodate the battery means the electric version features a smaller 352-litre load bay. However, the rear seats can be quickly and easily folded flat to increase the available space to 1,268 litres. Of course, if you need even more space, the electric Astra Sports Tourer estate boosts carrying capacity to 516 litres, which increases to 1,553 litres with the rear bench lowered. That rear bench also folds in a more versatile 40:20:40 split.

Despite its healthy torque output, the Astra Electric isn’t rated for towing, so potential buyers looking to pull a trailer or small caravan will have to look to rivals such as the MG 4, which has a 500kg capacity.

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Although the standard Astra petrol and plug-in hybrid have been rated by safety experts Euro NCAP, the same result doesn’t cover the electric version. However, with almost identical architecture and equipment, the ICE and plug-in hybrid model’s results indicate how its battery-powered cousin is likely to perform.

The Astra fell short of a full five-star score, largely due to the revised and tougher testing criteria introduced in 2022. In the end, the Vauxhall was awarded four stars, with testers highlighting the lack of a central airbag to protect front seat occupants in a side-on collision. They also noted the emergency braking system’s poor responses in recognising pedestrians.

Like all Astra models, the Electric gets the brand’s PureSense suite of active safety kit, which includes lane departure warning with lane-keep assist, speed sign recognition, a driver drowsiness alert and automatic emergency braking (AEB). Adaptive cruise control comes with mid-range GS trim and a more advanced collision alert system that works at higher speeds, while top-of-the-range Ultimate adds blind spot monitoring and a lane position assist feature.

The latest Astra wasn’t featured in the 2024 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, so we have no direct owner feedback. However, the brand came in a disappointing 26th place out of 32 manufacturers, which is two places lower than the previous 2023 result. Owners praised the running costs, but not much else. There’s room for improvement – especially when sibling brand Peugoet came in sixth, while Citroen finished in fifth in the same survey.

All Vauxhall cars are covered by the same three-year and 60,000-mile warranty, which matches the warranty offered by VW or Skoda, but trails Kia’s trademark seven-year guarantee. That said, the Astra Electric does get a separate eight-year or 100,000-mile policy for the battery pack – if the battery’s usable capacity drops below 70% during that time, Vauxhall will replace it for free.

Vauxhall Astra Electric alternatives 

The Astra Electric sits right in the heart of the still popular compact family hatchback class, which means it’s not short of rivals. Some follow the same formula as the Vauxhall by installing EV running gear in existing ICE architecture, while others are bespoke battery-powered designs.

Sitting in the former camp is the Peugeot E-308, which is built on the same platform as the Astra. It also uses an identical motor and battery, which means that the driving experience is largely similar. The same can also be said for the similarly closely related Citroen e-C4.

At the other end of the scale is the VW ID. 3, which uses the German firm’s EV-only MEB underpinnings. It’s more spacious than the Astra and just as composed on the road, although it costs more to buy, and some of the interior fittings feel cheap. Speaking of which, the Vauxhall’s recent price reduction brings it into the firing line of the MG 4, which offers great value, engaging driving dynamics and a decent range.