The all-electric version of the new Vauxhall Corsa is now available to order. Don’t expect to receive your new car until 2020, though.
The Corsa-e is the ‘flag-bearer for a completely new Corsa range’, which Vauxhall wants to ‘normalise electric car ownership’. A good start is accessibility: the Corsa-e will cost from £26,490 (after the government electric car grant), but you can reserve one now from £500. The first 500 reservations will also receive a free home charging kit.
That seems steep, but all electric Corsas will come well-equipped, with standard features including sat-nav, LED headlights, parking sensors, a DAB radio and a seven-inch touchscreen.
You can drive a Corsa-e from £270 per month on PCP, over a 47-month period, with a £5,549 deposit payment.
The Corsa-e’s battery is warrantied to deliver 70 percent or more of its capacity up to 100,000 miles or eight years. The 50kWh unit is good for 205 miles of range and can be recharged to 80 percent capacity (using a public fast-charger) in as little as 30 minutes.
In terms of power, the Corsa-e has 136hp and can reach 62mph in 8.1 seconds.
The new Corsa, along with the all-electric Corsa-e, will debut in the metal at Frankfurt Motor Show in September. First deliveries will start next year, after series production begins in January.
Will this be the model to popularise the electric car? We suspect it may get in a tussle with the new electric Peugeot 208 for that honour.