Vauxhall Grandland Electric review

Introduction

Like a collector scrambling to complete their prized collection of football cards, Vauxhall were quick to complete its collection of electric cars, with the Vauxhall Grandland Electric filling in the last blank space.

It makes Vauxhall one of the first brands to successfully offer an electric version of every car that it sells.

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RRP from: £36,545

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What Car? indicative Personal lease example (subject to status)

73kWh GS SUV 5dr Electric Auto AWD (325 ps)

Expected annual mileage	5000
Term months	60
Deposit months	12
Monthly payment	£487.76
Initial payment	£5,853.12

Step-by-step

Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.

• Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
• Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
• Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end

What you get

When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:

• Full manufacturer’s warranty
• Road tax and roadside assistance included
• No admin fees
• Free returns within 30 days*

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£5,853 initial payment, 60 month contract, 5000 miles p/a. Subject to status and conditions.

• Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
• No balloon payments
• Road tax included

Of course, the petrol-powered Vauxhall Grandland has been around for quite some time. But to make sure this all-electric version has maximum impact, Vauxhall has really tried to accentuate the Grandland Electric’s flagship status. How so? Well, it’s got a big battery and a competitive official range – with an even larger battery option due in early 2027.

It's going to need those things if it’s going to compete against the best electric SUVs, including the Renault Scenic, Skoda Elroq and Smart #5. There’s also the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross (which is closely related to the Grandland), and the immensely popular Tesla Model Y.

What’s new?

- April 2026: We drive the Grandland Electric AWD and the Long Range, the latter of which is due to reach customers in early 2027
- June 2025: Grandland Electric AWD announced – the first electric Vauxhall with four-wheel drive
- October 2024: Deliveries of the latest Grandland commence
- August 2024: Three trim levels confirmed (Design, GS and Ultimate)
- April 2024: Latest Grandland SUV revealed, with a choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric power

Overview

The Vauxhall Grandland Electric is fairly spacious, well equipped and quite smart inside, plus it has a good-size boot. It’s also reasonably priced. It’s let down, though, by an unsettled ride and disappointing real-world range. The Renault Scenic is a better all-rounder.

Our pick

73kWh Design SUV 5dr Electric Auto (213 ps) review

RRP £36,995

Pros

• Competitive range
• Smart interior
• Lots of standard kit

Cons

• Fidgety ride
• Spongy brake pedal feel
• Four star safety rating

Our pick

73kWh Design SUV 5dr Electric Auto (213 ps) review

RRP £36,995

Trims available

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GS

We can see why you’d upgrade to mid-spec GS trim – namely because it gets the upgraded 16in infotainment system. On top of that, it also adds wireless phone charging, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel.

Ultimate

Top-spec Ultimate is a little too expensive to recommend, but it covers all the bases if you want every mod con. Indeed, it adds a head-up display, a panoramic roof, a heated windscreen, a premium stereo system and very clever Matrix LED headlights.

Design

Entry-level Design comes with plenty of standard kit, making it our pick of the range. That equipment list includes 19in alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control and dual-zone climate control.

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Performance & drive

What it's like to drive, and how quiet it is

How fast is it and which motor is best?

The Grandland Electric is more ‘fast enough’ than it is ‘fast’. Acceleration feels quite leisurely, particularly in front-wheel-drive (FWD) versions. It never feels as sprightly as a Skoda Elroq.

The all-wheel drive (AWD) version is considerably quicker – you’d be hard pressed to say it lacks power. Still, drive one after having driven an Elroq vRS (or better yet a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD), and the Grandland AWD ultimately feels tame by comparison.

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

When it comes to ride comfort, the Grandland Electric is best described as unsettled. You can feel the suspension fidgeting beneath you, almost constantly if the road isn’t silky smooth. Sure, it’s not overly harsh – the Model Y is less forgiving – but it’s this jittery sensation that stops the ride from being as relaxing as the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross and Smart #5.

As for agility, the Grandland is fine for a big, heavy electric SUV. It instils some confidence, mainly via its good body control. What’s holding it back? Well, our main gripe is the overly light steering; it’s ideal around town, but at higher speeds the steering doesn’t build much weight, giving you little sense of connection with the front wheels. The spongy brake pedal makes slowing down smoothly a tad tricky, too.

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

You don’t notice much wind or road noise when driving the Grandland Electric, even on the motorway. The whine from the electric motor is barely noticeable, too.

Driving smoothly is easy enough, even if (as we mentioned) the brake pedal is a bit spongey. True, you can strengthen the level of regenerative braking, meaning you won’t have to use the physical brake pedal as much, but a #5 is still easier to stop smoothly.

What’s the range and efficiency like, and how quickly can it charge?

The Grandland Electric FWD and Electric AWD get the same 73kWh (usable capacity) battery, and their official ranges are 322 and 305 miles respectively. In the real world, knock about 50-80 miles off those figures, depending on the conditions. Remember, electric cars struggle to maintain range in cold weather and/or when travelling at constant motorway speeds.

If you do a lot of long journeys or would simply like some extra piece of mind, there’s also the Electric Long Range, which has a 97kWh (usable capacity) battery and a 425-mile official range. Again, factor in a decrease in range if the conditions aren’t perfect, but you’ll still go very far on a full charge. No Renault Scenic, Skoda Elroq or Tesla Model Y can match, let alone exceed it.

With a maximum charging rate of 160kW, the Grandland Electric’s charging times are pretty competitive in the class, with 20-80% on a fast charger taking around 30 minutes. That’s similar to the Elroq and slightly quicker than the Scenic.

“With its great body control, it’s a shame the Grandland Electric isn’t more fun to drive. I find it just doesn’t give you confidence to push on, especially on damp roads, where it quickly runs out of front-end grip.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

You could say the Vauxhall Grandland Electric’s interior has more showroom appeal compared with previous Grandlands. It looks sharp and modern, and there’s a good mix of soft-touch materials dotted around the place. The interior feels pretty plush, even if it ultimately falls short of the (even plusher) Smart #5 for material and build quality.

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

You sit high up in the Grandland Electric, and every version comes with plenty of seat and steering wheel adjustment. The only bugbear is that the steering wheel is offset to the right, and some might find that annoying.

Forward visibility is pretty good in the Grandland Electric, with the elevated driving position giving you a good view out over the front of the car and slim windscreen pillars allowing for plenty of visibility at junctions.

Things aren’t quite so positive when it comes to rear visibility, though. The view over your shoulder is decent enough, but the shallow rear window means that you can’t see that much out the back. To make parking easier, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera come as standard, with a 360-degree camera added on the top-spec Ultimate.

Are the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

The dashboard is logically laid out, and the physical buttons for key climate control settings are welcome. We much prefer the Grandland’s set-up to the more touchscreen-centric system you’ll find in the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross, Skoda Elroq and (particularly) the Tesla Model Y.

When it comes to infotainment, going for GS and Ultimate trim upgrades the touchscreen infotainment system from 10.0in (with Design trim) to 16.0in. So far, we’ve only tried the bigger screen but it’s quite impressive, reacting quickly to prods and showing you information in really clear high definition.

You get a few physical shortcut buttons, but most of its menus require you to use the touchscreen, which isn’t ideal. Some of the icons are small and hard to press while you’re driving, too. The Renault Scenic’s system is better.

It gets a good amount of features as standard, including wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring and, if you go for the larger screen, built-in sat-nav.

"I think it’s great that the Grandland Electric’s interior has so many physical controls because it’s much easier to use without looking away from the road.” – Claire Evans, Consumer Editor

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

How much space does it have for people?

Even if you have a pair of broad six-footers sitting in both front seats of the Vauxhall Grandland Electric, they’ll have plenty of space to get comfortable and shoulder room to spare.

They’ll have loads of cubby spaces to store various items, too. There are large door bins, a refrigerated cubby beneath the central armrest, and a storage area underneath the centre console. If you go for GS or above, that’s where you’ll find a wireless phone charger.

As in the front, there’s plenty of space for those measuring 6ft tall in the back seats, with plenty of head, knee and leg room on offer. Middle-seat passengers will be happy to know that there’s no central tunnel to straddle your feet over, plus there’s enough shoulder room for three people to get comfortable. Just bear in mind that the Renault Scenic is even more generous.

How much room does it have for luggage?

Every Grandland Electric comes with rear seats that split in the versatile 40/20/40 configuration and fold totally flat. That’s better than the 60/40 split you get in the Skoda Elroq, plus it means you can load long items through from the boot without losing one of the outer seats.

That said, with 550 litres of boot space (the same as the Vauxhall Grandland Hybrid), you might not need to fold the rear seats all that often. You see, the boot is bigger than the Elroq’s and roughly as big as the Scenic’s. Check out the Smart #5 if you need more space, but that is more the exception than the rule.

“Compared with older versions, this latest Grandland has grown in all directions, with the most notable change being the extra 17cm in length. This pays dividends in the boot, where I could easily fit several carry-on suitcases and backpacks inside.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

As a cash purchase, the Vauxhall Grandland Electric is well priced, costing a similar amount to a Renault Scenic and a comparable Skoda Elroq, and less than a Tesla Model Y.

Better still, the Grandland Electric is predicted to depreciate more slowly than most rival electric SUVs. That can have an effect on how much you’ll pay per month on a PCP finance deal.

It also helps that the Grandland Electric comes with lots of standard equipment, with even entry-level Design trim getting 19in alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, an EV heat pump, Matrix LED headlights, adaptive cruise control and an automatic anti-dazzle rear-view mirror.

Stepping up to mid-spec GS trim adds some niceties to the list, including the upgraded infotainment system, heated seats and a heated steering wheel, while top-spec Ultimate gets all the bells and whistles. Indeed, that version gets 20in alloys, a premium Focal stereo system with 10-speakers, a heated windscreen, a power tailgate and a panoramic sunroof.

Is it reliable, and how long is the warranty?

Vauxhall performed very well in the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey, managing to claim fifth place out of the 30 included manufacturers. That’s better than all of the Grandland Electric’s rivals.

The three-year/60,000-mile standard warranty is pretty par for the course though, and doesn’t come close to Kia’s seven-year/100,000-mile offering. The Grandland’s electric battery is covered by a separate eight-year/100,000-mile warranty.

How safe is it, and is it easy to steal?

The Grandland Electric scored a slightly disappointing four stars out of five for safety when it was tested by the experts at Euro NCAP. Most new cars and SUVs get five stars, although the related Citroën ë-C5 Aircross scored four stars too.

Every Grandland Electric comes with automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assist and a driver drowsiness monitoring system. Upgrading to top Ultimate trim adds to the safety equipment list, getting lane-changing assist, rear-cross traffic alert and semi-autonomous lane changing.

“I think the entry-level Grandland Electric looks like reasonable value but the price quickly escalates and puts it right in the crosshairs of better rivals with more range.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

Buy it if...

-You want an electric car that won’t break the bank

-Having a decent electric range is important to you

-Reliability is important to you

Don’t buy it if…

-You value a five star EuroNCAP rating

-You want the most comfortable electric car

-Fast acceleration is high on your priority list

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