New £39,995 Vauxhall Astra Electric to launch with 258-mile-range

The battery-powered Vauxhall Astra represents “almost the last piece in the jigsaw” in Vauxhall’s electrification push, boss James Taylor has said, with the firm set to go EV-only from 2028. 

Electric versions of its Vauxhall Astra hatchback and Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer are due to go on sale later this summer, bringing its battery-electric passenger car range to six models. 

In particular, the Astra Electric Sports Tourer will be one of only a handful of estate EVs on the market, giving the British brand a footing in a segment today served by only the MG 5 EV.

However, it’s the hatchback that’s expected to dominate sales when it arrives in June (six months before the estate) and, along with the facelifted Corsa Electric supermini that was revealed last week, draw in new customers, said Taylor.

“It’s really important for us to have an electric Astra in the line-up,” he said. “We’ve dominated and won in the segments we’ve launched the pure-electric vehicles in, whether that’s the B- or B-SUV segment. [And the Astra Electric] really gives us a big springboard into that more sizable opportunity of the C-segment EVs. So it’s going to unlock quite a lot of openings for us.” 

The arrival of the EV means Vauxhall will offer buyers a choice of three different Astra powertrains: petrol, plug-in hybrid and electric.

Like all other Astras, the new model is based on Stellantis’s EMP2 platform – as is the Peugeot e-308, which is scheduled to hit the UK market at about the same time as the Vauxhall, also with both hatchback and estate bodies. 

It is also identical in styling to the combustion-engined models, bar the lack of an exhaust. Inside, the story is the same, adopting design chief Mark Adams’ ‘bold and pure’ design principles, which centre around an overall simplification of displays and driving controls. This includes two 10.0in screens – one for instruments and one for the central display. 

Offering one of its bestsellers with an on-trend electric powertrain is key to Vauxhall’s strategy for remaining competitive, explained Taylor. 

“We want to be the leading EV manufacturer,” he said. “We’re now very much electric-first. “Electric has given all brands the chance to reset, and we wanted to take that opportunity as well.”

Fitted with a 54kWh battery pack (familiar from its Vauxhall Mokka Electric crossover sibling), the Astra Electric offers a range of up to 258 miles. A synchronous motor that makes 153bhp and 199lb ft of torque drives the front wheels through single-speed reduction gearing.

Vauxhall cites a top speed of 106mph and a 0-62mph time of 9.2sec for the hatchback – because kerb weight has risen from 1257kg in the petrol Astra to a hefty 1679kg, owing to the battery.

Specifications of the estate will not be released until closer to its launch, confirmed Vauxhall. However, given its larger size, a slight downgrade in performance can be expected. 

The new Astra Electric duo will bring Vauxhall’s EV offering up to six, the other models being the Corsa, the Mokka and the van-derived Combo Life and Vivaro Life MPVs.

Pricing for the Astra Electric hatchback opens at £39,995 for the entry-level GS and tops out at £43,110 for Ultimate trim. The estate is expected to command a similar £1000- £2000 premium as the ICE models, but this has yet to be confirmed.

This puts the hatch on par with the similarly sized but more powerful Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric, which arrived in the UK in a three-tier range priced at £37,000-£41,000.