Vauxhall Grandland Electric long-term test

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 8134 List price £39,995 Best Price £39,995 Price as tested £40,645 Official range 322 miles Test range 265 miles 

24 November 2025 – Sounding out boot space

Pester power. It’s how, as a kid, I regularly came home from supermarket trips with a new toy car. It accounts for many visits to fast food outlets instead of healthier alternatives over the years, and – in truth – it’s how I got my way when my wife and I chose the colour of our bathroom. I’m not proud, but nor do I have any regrets, especially now that I find myself at the receiving end. And my Vauxhall Grandland Electric has been doing all the pestering.

I find my three-hour commute to the office a great opportunity to catch up with new music releases. Typically, I’ll hear about a new (to me) band via BBC 6 Music through the Grandland’s DAB radio, and I’ll later investigate said bands’ repertoires via the Tidal app, streaming with the Grandland’s wireless Android Auto smartphone connectivity. It’s how I’ve discovered such up-and-comers as Just Mustard, Sorry, and Porij, all of whom are now part of the soundtrack of my life.

It sounds great, too. The stereo in my Ultimate-spec Grandland is by Focal, a French hi-fi brand of long-standing repute, and it’s one of the better set-ups I’ve had in a company car so far. It’s crisp, detailed and full-sounding, without being overblown in the bass. In fact, the lower register is what really stands out… and this is where the pestering began. 

Again and again, listening to certain tracks that I was very familiar with revealed low bass notes I’d not noticed before, even through my home hi-fi system. After weeks of taunting me with enjoyable near-seismic rumbles, my Grandland had persuaded me to buy a subwoofer for my living room.

Trouble is, to deliver meaningful low frequencies, a subwoofer’s speaker cone has to move a lot of air, and that means they tend to have to be pretty big. You need a sizeable vehicle, then, to shift a subwoofer from shop to chateau. Happily, the Grandland’s boot proved well up to the task, the boxed sub nestled between the wheelarches in a way that would have been impossible in my BMW 5 Series saloon. In fact, finding somewhere for it in the car was easier than finding a home for it in the living room. Or, indeed, convincing my wife that we really needed it. I guess I should have pestered her first.

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