Vauxhall has revealed that the Astra Electric hatchback will cost from £39,995
- Maximum range of 258 miles
- Front-mounted 152bhp electric motor
- Due on sale in Spring 2023 from £39,995
Vauxhall Astra Electric pricing has been confirmed, with the important EV set to start from £39,995 – that’s just £2,000 below the current price of an entry-level Tesla Model 3. Other rivals include the £37,115 Volkswagen ID.3 and Renault Megane E-Tech which kicks off from £36,995, while the £26,995 entry-level MG4 significantly undercuts its classmates.
Vauxhall has pledged to become an all-electric brand by 2028 and while the British marque already offers two strong EVs in the form of the Corsa Electric and Mokka Electric, the all-new Vauxhall Astra Electric is set to perhaps become the most important plug-in addition to the range. It commands a circa £2,000 uplift in price versus the plug-in hybrid Astra.
Like the standard petrol-powered model, the Astra Electric will be offered in both hatchback and Sports Tourer estate body styles. The electric family hatchback segment is a rapidly developing one, with the Astra Estate set to rival the likes of the MG4, Volkswagen ID.3 and the Peugeot e-308, with which it shares many of its parts.
From the outside, there’s very little to distinguish the Astra Electric from its petrol counterpart. Just like the regular car, the plug-in Astra gets Vauxhall’s signature ‘Vizor’ front-end design which houses many of the car’s driver assistance systems and flows into a set of slim LED headlights.
One significant change is that the Vauxhall Astra Electric also comes as standard with a set of diamond-cut 18-inch alloy wheels; these can be optionally specified in gloss black and are outfitted with aerodynamic trim pieces in order to improve range. There are also some ‘e’ badges to denote its electric powertrain.
Much like the outside, there’s very little to report in terms of interior changes for the new electric version of the Astra. Vauxhall’s Pure Panel infotainment setup sits proudly on top of the dashboard and, like the standard car’s arrangement, features two 10-inch screens and “Hey, Vauxhall” voice controls.
Thanks to clever packaging, the Astra Electric’s boot is no smaller than the petrol-assisted Astra plug-in hybrid. This means that while the hatchback has 351 litres of space behind the rear seats, it’s still slightly down on what’s offered by made-for-purpose EVs, such as the Cupra Born. If you need even more space, the electric version of the Astra Sports Tourer boasts a spacious 516-litre load bay.
Like the petrol Vauxhall Astra that shares its underpinnings with the Peugeot 308, the Astra Electric is mechanically similar to the electrified Peugeot e-308. All four cars sit on parent brand Stellantis’ new EMP-2 underpinnings, with the two electric models powered by a 54kWh battery pack. The Astra, however, gets a slightly less powerful electric motor that produces 152bhp – the e-308 outputs slightly more.
Though exact figures have yet to be released, expect Vauxhall’s electric family hatchback to get from 0-62mph in between eight and nine seconds; top speed has been confirmed as 105mph, however. With a gentle right foot, Vauxhall claims the Astra Electric will do 258 miles on a single charge, which is slightly better than the equivalent e-308. Standard 100kW fast charging means a 10-80% top-up will take around half an hour. A full charge from a 7kW home wallbox should take just under eight hours.
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Keyword: New Vauxhall Astra Electric: price, range and details