Vauxhall Grandland Electric long-term test: report 7

The car Vauxhall Grandland Electric Ultimate  Run by Chris Haining, sub-editor

Why it’s here To find out what Vauxhall's electric family SUV has to offer in what is a highly competitive class  

Needs to be comfy and relaxing on a long motorway commute; economical to run; offer the practicality an action-packed life demands

Mileage 10,201 List price £39,995 Best Price £39,995 Price as tested £40,645 Official range 322 miles Test range 265 miles 

12 December 2025 – Winter range anxiety gives me cold feet

Wintertime is gorgeous. On Sunday, my frosty morning stroll took me along the estuary shore, where the still water reflected an azure sky as a perfect mirror. The night’s dew had crystalized on the bonnet of my Vauxhall Grandland Electric, leaving a landscape of swirls and eddies, like river rapids frozen in time. It was so beautiful, I forgot that Monday's commute was likely to be a total pain in the proverbial.

I should have seen it coming. I’ve run electric cars in the winter months before, so I’m familiar with their ranges plunging as if to ape the mercury in my thermometer. Electric cars’ batteries generally aren’t as good at delivering electricity in the cold seasons as they are in the milder months. Naively, though, I thought “maybe the Grandland will be different”.  

Nope. Leaving my drive in 2deg chill, the dashboard reported 326 miles of potential range, but upon arriving in Twickenham, 117 miles away, only 130 miles remained. I left the office that evening with the dread of having to invest time to charge somewhere on my way home. By that time, the temperature had risen to a more reasonable 10deg, and – observing a strict maximum of 60mph, being very gentle on the accelerator, slipstreaming lorries where I could, and with the heating turned off – I nursed the Grandland home with just a handful of miles in reserve. 

It’s in such icy conditions as I left my driveway that morning that a heated front windscreen is a godsend, particularly in an electric car, where it clears the ice far more efficiently than simply turning the heater on. The one in the Vauxhall Astra plug-in hybrid I ran some time ago was terrific. Great timing, then, to find that the Grandland’s heated windscreen button seems not to do anything – just when the weather is right to test it. 

I resorted to clearing the windscreen with an old bank card from a dusty recess of my wallet – had I been driving a Skoda Enyaq, I’d have found a little ice scraper concealed in the tailgate. Still, I can report that the Grandland’s heated seats and steering wheel work just fine, taking the edge off when I don’t dare turn the heater on during my journey home.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here

Read more on our long-term Vauxhall Grandland Electric >>

Read about more long-term test cars >>

Buy a new car with What Car?

Like the sound of the Vauxhall Grandland Electric?

If so, check out our New Car Deals pages to see how much you could save on a Vauxhall Grandland Electric. 

We’ve got the biggest selection of discounted new cars available in the UK.