2023 Vauxhall Astra Electric revealed
It may have a Ronseal name, but the new Vauxhall Astra Electric offers a range of up to 258 miles and will be available as a hatchback or estate car. Here’s everything else you need to know...
On sale Early 2023 Price from £35,000
As indie rock band Yo La Tengo sang, ‘You can have it all’ – and with the launch of the new Vauxhall Astra Electric, the same is true with the Astra. That’s because it will be available as a petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or as a full electric car.
The Astra Electric also gives you a choice between hatchback or estate car, and whichever you choose, it will be powered by a 153bhp electric motor paired with a 54kWh battery for an official range of up to 258 miles.
That gives it a slightly longer range than the new Peugeot e-308 and entry-level versions of the MG4 EV but less than entry-level versions of the Cupra Born – which managed up to 219 miles in our range test. What’s more, it can be charged at rates of up to 100kW. That means a 10-80% charge should be possible in 30 minutes if you use a powerful enough charging point.
Visually, there’s not a lot to differentiate the Astra Electric from the petrol, diesel, and PHEV versions, but small touches include dedicated 18in alloy wheels.
The interior will feature a 10in digital instrument panel and a central touchscreen display. There is also a head-up display that projects the most important driving information on to the windscreen, in the driver’s line of sight.
We've tested the Astra infotainment set-up in other versions of the car and our experience of it has been good. There are more buttons than in some new models, which we welcome because it makes the system easier to use on the move.
A range of safety features such as drowsiness detection, lane-keeping assist and automatic emergency braking (AEB) are also included as standard.
Elsewhere, LED headlights that automatically adjust their beams depending on the driving conditions should make driving at night easier.
There’s no word on pricing yet, but we can expect the Astra Electric to cost around £35,000. That’s in a similar bracket to the Born and the e-308, but quite a lot more expensive than the MG4, which starts from £25,995.
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