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Vauxhall Corsa Electric review: Should you say Yes to this entry-level supermini?

January 16, 2026 Matt Allan

We review the Vauxhall Corsa to see how Vauxhall’s stalwart supermini stack up against a growing field of talented EV rivals?

The Vauxhall Corsa frequently tops the monthly best-seller list in the UK, and has done so for years.

Its compact size and relatively affordability have made it a popular choice for everyone from new drivers to pensioners, as well as driving schools and hire fleets.

Its success is also partly down to Vauxhall’s canny marketing, which has over the years added a variety of special editions that promise additional specification for less money than the “regular” trim levels.

These special editions have had various names over the years but, right now, Vauxhall is using the Yes 25 trim grade to entice buyers, promising an entry-level price but with design features and equipment lifted from more expensive models.

It’s a smart move that should make the electric version of this supermini more attractive, but with a growing number of rivals – from the Renault 5 to the Citroen E-C3 and Nissan Micra – offering impressive tech and performance, is it enough to keep the Corsa competitive.

Vauxhall Corsa design, interior and technology

It’s fair to say that the Corsa isn’t the most stylish model in its segment.

This generation came out in 2019 and despite intervening updates adding features such as the Vizor grille, it’s starting to show its age. That isn’t helped by Vauxhall’s perennial position as the poor cousin in the Stellantis family, where it misses out on the fun or stylish design options.

So it’s a bit dull and dowdy, with slightly odd proportions that aren’t helped by 16-inch alloys. Once these were hot hatch-spec, now they look like go kart wheels. That said, it does make the Renault 5 look like a bit of a chunky monkey. The Corsa is actually longer than the Renault but it’s lower and narrower, so looks smaller on the road, if less exciting.

The age-related problems continue inside, where the Corsa’s cabin is a little plain and a little “six years ago”. There’s a lot of shiny black plastic. Some of it is “posh” piano black on the dash and centre console, some of it is low-cost finish lower down. There is a splash of colour in the dash and door panels that matches the exterior paint if you go for a Yes! Edition exclusive colour. That helps elevate the look a little but the rest of the design is functional rather than flamboyant.

The benefit of this older cabin design is that there are sensible buttons in sensible places for all the functions that need buttons, so it’s easy to use. A case of plain but practical rather than flash but feckless.

The downside is that the central infotainment system is relatively small and basic. It supports wireless Android and Apple mirroring but restricts them to a small central portion of the 10-inch display. Functions beyond that are quite limited and involve scrolling through long menus, although big shortcut buttons simplify this a bit. It is usable but some way behind the best in the segment.

Being a supermini, interior space is limited. There’s reasonable room up front and perhaps a fraction more rear legroom than in the shorter Renault 5, but it’s still a supermini, so the back seats are really for kids only, and utterly unusable if the driver’s seat is fully back. The boot is a similarly compact 267 litres – still enough for a weekly shop although less than some rivals.

Vauxhall Corsa Electric battery, motor and driving experience

The Vauxhall Corsa Electric comes with two drivetrain options available across all trim levels.

The cheaper option is a 134bhp motor drawing power from a 46kWh battery. For an extra £1,395 buyers can step up to a 154bhp motor and 51kWh battery, which is what I’ve been testing.

Vauxhall says the Corsa Electric should cover up to 266 miles in this setup with efficiency of around 4.3m/kWh. DC charging tops out at 100kW, which means a 0-80% top-up in around 30 minutes.

As you’d expect, real-world use has an effect on all of these but, after a few bad experiences with early versions of this powertrain, I was pleasantly reassured by the Corsa’s performance.

Over a week where the temperature fluctuated between +1 and -7 degrees it returned 3.3m/kWh. That’s some way off the official figure but pretty good given the sub-zero conditions. The trip computer estimated that translated to a real-world winter range of between 160 and 180 miles, which is acceptable for the class. The only big downside is braking regeneration options, which is limited to two settings and is never fully off, nor fully one-pedal.

With 15bhp/192lb ft the Corsa is quick enough for the supermini class, with a 0-62mph time of 8.2 seconds. The throttle is a little hesitant unless you’re fairly firm, but there’s plenty of verve for nipping around town.

It drives reasonably well, too. The Corsa is more precise and agile than a Citroen E-C3, for example, but not as incisive or fun as the Renault 5, with accurate but uncommunicative steering. Its ride is supple and composed. It’s not quite as smooth as the Citroen’s but better than the Renault, no doubt thanks to the thick sidewalls of the tiny 16-inch wheels fitted to this entry-level Yes specification.

Vauxhall Corsa Electric price and specification

Which brings us nicely to the Corsa range, which offers three trim levels – Yes 25, GS and Ultimate.

Prices start at £26,280 for the Yes 25 trim with the smaller battery and £28,675 for the tested bigger battery, although this drops to £27,175 with the Electric Car Grant (ECG) applied. GS trim is an extra £3,735, with Ultimate another £1,810 on top of that.

Equipment-wise, even this basic Yes 25 spec gets a heated steering wheel and heated seats and has wireless Android/Apple, LED lights and cruise control, plus automatic air con and a standard suite of driver assistance.

Rivals offer adaptive LED lights, adaptive cruise, wireless phone charging, a heat pump and more, but apart from keyless entry and a reversing camera there wasn’t much I missed in my week with it.

The problem is that those rivals offer that extra kit and still cost less than the Corsa.

Even a top-specification Renault 5 Iconic starts at £25,945 after the ECG thanks to a bigger grant and Renault’s keen pricing. It’s a similar story with the Micra. The Citroen E-C3 is behind the Corsa when it comes to power and range, but starts at under £20,000 and tops out at less than £24,000.

Verdict

Based on driving the petrol car a few years ago and mixed experiences with other cars on this platform, I had fairly low expectations for the Corsa Electric, but I was pleasantly surprised.

It drives nicely, delivers decent efficiency and even the entry-level Yes 25 has a lot of the creature comfort we have come to expect.

However, the interior is showing its age – buttons are great but the infotainment system and shiny plastic aren’t – as is the exterior design.

More of an issue is the price. Currently, the basic Corsa is more expensive than the top-grade award-winning Renault 5. To get a like-for-like specification, the Corsa is thousands more.

Partly that’s due to rulings around the Electric Car Grant, so beyond Vauxhall’s control, but decent as the Corsa might be, it makes it a harder sell among more modern alternatives.