Vauxhall Corsa-e Review

Practicality and Boot Space

Since the electric motor is hidden under the bonnet and the batteries have been squeezed under the seats, the Corsa-e has exactly the same space as the petrol and diesel variants. And that means it has enough room for all but the tallest drivers in the front and just about enough for adults to be comfortable in the rear too, at least on shorter journeys. There’s only a five-door available, so it’s more practical than a MINI on the school run, but the Corsa-e sits quite low compared to cars like the Renault Zoe. This makes it more aerodynamic but does mean the back seats can feel a little cramped for lanky teenagers. The doors are quite small too, which means taller passengers have to fold themselves a little to get in. 

The boot has been measured at 309 litres, which is bang on the average for a ‘supermini’ of this type. A Ford Fiesta’s is 303 litres for example, while a VW Polo’s is bigger at 350 litres. Fold the seats down for the trip to Ikea or B&Q and the Corsa’s available space expands to 1,118 litres. Oddly, these figures are marginally smaller than the seemingly identical Peugeot e208.

Technology

Only the expensive Corse models are available with the electric powertrain, so it's packed with the latest technology. Car brochures like to talk about how small cars have technology which you’d usually find to expect on luxury limos, but in the case of the Vauxhall Corsa-e it really is true. All of the electric models have navigation, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay compatibility and voice recognition too.

Treat yourself to the top Ultimate model and you’ll get massaging seats, a 10-inch infotainment screen and clever LED headlamps which adapt their beam pattern to give the best visibility while not dazzling other drivers. If you live in the countryside or drive on unlit motorways they make a real difference.

The Corsa also uses an app to give access to navigation services and even allows you to unlock the doors remotely. If you’re letting your (older) kids use the car and are nervous about what they’ll get up to, you can even use a Digital Key to restrict when and where they can drive.

Safety   

The Corsa-e is also packed with the latest safety kit. However, there must be some gnashing of teeth in the safety department at Vauxhall. The new Corsa missed out on getting a full five-star rating from the independent safety testing organisation Euro NCAP by just one point. 

It doesn’t mean the car is less protective in an accident either, as the lost point was in the safety equipment category where the car is scored for its crash prevention technology. In the other in three areas of assessment, including adult and child protection, it performed above the five-star level. Weirdly though, the score for adult occupant safety is lower than the structurally-identical Peugeot e208 (84% versus 91%).

That missed point for safety equipment must be doubly annoying, as the Corsa-e is packed with accident preventing gadgets. It has Lane Keep Assist which will actually gently nudge the car back into lane if the driver starts to wander across the road markings. Blind Spot Alert checks for cars which might be hidden from view and Forward Collision Alert uses radar to reduces the car’s speed to avoid collisions with vehicles, pedestrians, bikes and motorbikes.