Vauxhall Mokka Electric review

If you ask for an extra shot of espresso in your mocha, because it gives you your spark back, you may be drawn to the Vauxhall Mokka Electric on its name alone. 

An alternative theory is that you own a petrol Vauxhall Mokka, and would like to make the shift to electric power without making a big statement. If that’s the case, you’re in luck. Aside from a few "e" badges, you’ll find it hard to tell the petrol and electric versions of the Mokka apart.

Under the surface, the Mokka Electric shares its underpinnings with the Fiat 600e and Peugeot e-2008 – and it rivals them too. Other electric car (EV) class members worth considering are the Kia EV3 and Renault 4 (R4). Read on to find out how well the Mokka stacks up.

Every Vauxhall Mokka Electric has 154bhp and a 0-62mph time of 9.0 seconds, aside from the GSE version (more on that later). Acceleration is swift enough, but there are a fair few EVs that are quicker, such as the Kia EV3 (7.5sec). 

Its handling is on-par with the EV3, offering a relaxed feel with good grip levels and precise steering, especially when driving casually. Corner the Mokka hard, though, and it does start to feel inert. It’s not very keen to change direction quickly and there’s more body lean compared with the R4 and especially the VW ID 3. 

You see, the Mokka Electric’s suspension is set up to prioritise softness. The upside is that the ride is far from punishing; it’s really compliant over potholes and broken roads (even if it’s not quite ID 3 smooth). What’s more, the ride gets more forgiving with speed. In other words, the Mokka is a well refined motorway cruiser. 

The sporty Mokka GSE flips the script. It’s sharper in the corners and quicker in a straight line, with 278bhp meaning 0-62mph in 5.9secs. The trade-off is a firm, jittery ride. But is it worth it?

Well, we’re not so sure. On the plus side, the standard-fit limited-slip differential (LSD) helps the front wheels put the power down very well. It’s a highlight, even with the accompanying torque steer – that’s where the steering wheel tugs to the left or right under hard acceleration. 

We weren’t left grinning ear-to-ear like we are in the very best hot hatches, though. Despite its upgrades over the regular car, the GSE still isn’t nimble, playful or engaging enough – it doesn’t flow through a set of corners as well as the smaller, lighter Alpine A290. 

The GSE’s official range is 209 miles, which is far cry from the regular Mokka’s 250. To add some other cars into the mix, the A290 can officially cover up to 236 miles, the R4 up to 247 miles and the EV3 will do 270 miles (in Standard Range form). 

The Mokka Electric generates only a minor amount of road noise – the GSE is noticeably louder – and all Mokkas whip up noticeable wind noise at motorway speeds. 

"I found covering lots of miles in the Mokka Electric a comfortable experience and the range means you’ll be able to cover most journeys in one hit." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

While it's technically an electric SUV, the Vauxhall Mokka Electric is not much taller than a small hatchback. To give you a more commanding view of the road, the seats are mounted quite high up and the tall bonnet (which you can see from the driver’s seat) gives you the impression you’re driving a "proper" SUV.

That slightly elevated driving position also gives you decent visibility to the front and sides, which is handy when negotiating junctions. Some of our taller road testers found that the pillar between the front and rear doors can get in the way with the seat set to their preferred position. If you're a six-footer, try before you buy.

Over-the-shoulder visibility is hampered somewhat by a rising window line and chunky pillars. That's less of a problem in the Kia EV3 with its taller windows and slimmer pillars. At least the Mokka Electric comes with rear parking sensors as standard, with a rear-view camera added if you step up to mid-spec GS trim and front sensors with top-spec Ultimate.

Even if you go for the entry-level Design trim, you get bright LED headlights to help with visibility at night. Drive at night a lot? The Ultimate trim upgrades those headlights to adaptive matrix LED ones that can shape their light output to avoid dazzling other road users with full beam selected.

You’ll find a good range of adjustment to the reach and height of the steering wheel and driver’s seat, so you should be able to find a comfortable driving position. It is, though, a bit of a shame that adjustable lumbar support is only available if you go for Ultimate trim. 

Unlike in the Peugeot e-2008 – which gets an iCockpit set-up that some drivers find awkward – you won’t have any issues seeing the Mokka Electric’s 10in digital driver's display. It doesn’t quite have the wow-factor of the larger display in the Hyundai Kona Electric, but it's clear, easy to read and shows you all the necessary information, including sat-nav directions.

The rest of the dashboard is well laid out and easy to get the hang of, and you get physical buttons and knobs for the climate control and media volume. The e-2008 and VW ID 3 get touch-sensitive controls, which are more distracting.

Every Mokka Electric comes with a 10in touchscreen with software that's been updated in the car’s most recent facelift. While it's still not as good as the EV3’s infotainment system, it's an improvement on the clunky old system, with better graphics and quicker reactions when you touch the screen.

You get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring as standard, allowing you to bypass the Vauxhall software and use apps from your phone instead. That’s useful because only top-spec Ultimate has sat-nav included.

In terms of interior quality, the Mokka Electric is a bit of a let-down compared to many electric cars. Visually, it has the flair to match its striking exterior but the materials are much less plush than the equivalents in the e-2008, EV3 and R4.

The GSE gets some sporty Alcantara on the doors and seats, but apart from that it’s much the same. It doesn’t feel as sporty inside as the closely related Abarth 600e or Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce.

"While the Mokka Electric's infotainment system relies mainly on the touchscreen, I do like that you get two physical shortcut buttons, for home and the section where you can turn off some of the driving assists." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Vauxhall Mokka Electric doesn't feel as open or airy as a Kia EV3 or VW ID 3 but even tall drivers will find plenty of head room and decent leg room.

There’s also a reasonable amount of storage space, including a well-sized glovebox, a couple of roomy door bins and a surprisingly large storage tray at the bottom of the dash.

Said tray is big enough to hold a hefty wallet or a large smartphone, and you’ll find the wireless charging pad there on Ultimate models. The Hyundai Kona Electric and ID 3 do have even more cubbies up front though.

You feel a lot more hemmed in in the back seats because of the tall window line and tapered roofline. And a six-footer sitting behind another will feel very squished, especially for leg room. The Kona Electric has more space, as does the EV3 and ID 3. 

It’s a shame the Mokka Electric doesn’t offer sliding or reclining rear seats. They're split 60/40 rather than the more versatile 40/20/40, limiting your options when you have passengers and luggage to fit on board. There’s no ski flap to allow you to carry long items with two rear passengers sitting in comfort.

The boot space is pretty disappointing by class standards too, with 310 litres of storage. That's enough for your weekly shopping or short family holiday, but rivals including the EV3 and ID 3 offer more space.

To put things in perspective, we squeezed four carry-on suitcases into the Mokka Electric’s boot compared with five in the ID 3. It does come with a height-adjustable boot floor that allows you to separate the space into two compartments, which is handy if you want to stop your charging cables sliding around in the main compartment.

"Along with the small boot, I think it’s a shame that the Mokka doesn’t come with a handy storage area under the bonnet, like the Kia EV3 does." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

If you’re in the market for a relatively cheap electric car and you’re not too bothered about passenger space or battery range, there are a few cheaper options than the Vauxhall Mokka Electric, including the Fiat 500e and Renault 4.

The Kia EV3 and VW ID 3 are both available for about the same price, but also come in big-battery versions that cost a bit more. They’re also predicted to depreciate much more slowly over three years than the Mokka Electric.

If you’re a company car driver, all electric cars look good value thanks to the BIK tax savings they offer over petrol or diesel models.

The cheapest Mokka trim, Griffin, is positioned to tempt buyers into the model, but strangely, it’s better equipped than the next trim up, Design. Like Design, it gets 17in alloys, cruise control, climate control, electrically adjustable and heated wing mirrors, rain-sensing wipers and rear parking sensors. Griffin then adds heated seats and a heated steering wheel.

Stepping up to mid-spec GS trim gets you 18in wheels and a few style upgrades, while top-spec Ultimate gets all the tech you could ever need. That list includes matrix LED headlights, parking sensors all round, keyless entry and start, wireless phone-charging and adjustable lumbar support. The GSE is effectively the range-topping Mokka and, as such, it gets all of Ultimate's kit, plus its sporty upgrades. 

How long does it take to charge the Mokka Electric? Well, you’re looking at around seven and a half hours from a 7kW home EV charger (0-100%) or 43 minutes (0-80%) using a 50kW service station charger. The maximum charging speed is 100kW, which in theory means you could charge up in 30 minutes in ideal conditions.

When it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2021, the Mokka scored four stars out of five, which is a bit disappointing when most modern cars score five. Automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control and a driver drowsiness alert system are fitted across the range. Blind-spot monitoring is standard with Ultimate trim.

In terms of reliability, the Mokka Electric did badly in the electric car category of our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey and Vauxhall as a manufacturer finished a poor 29th place out of 31 car makers listed.

Every new Vauxhall comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which is pretty par for the course and much less generous than Kia’s seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. At least the Mokka Electric’s battery is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles.

"I find the amount of standard equipment you get with the Mokka Electric's entry-level Griffin trim quite impressive. The amount of standard safety kit is good too." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Buy it if...

- You'd like a reasonably priced, small electric SUV

- You want an easy-to-use interior

- You want a smooth motorway ride

Don’t buy it if…

- You want a flash, expensive-feeling interior

- You want a car that's fun to drive

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