Vauxhall plans on becoming an all-electric car manufacturer by 2028 and a key car in its EV transition will be the new Astra Electric. The company says it will go on sale in 2023 in five-door hatchback and Sports Tourer estate form – mirroring the choice of bodystyles available on the internal-combustion engined Astra.
Rather than continue with the nomenclature style seen on the Corsa-e, Mokka-e and Vivaro-e, Vauxhall has added ‘Electric’ to the Astra name – something we could see implemented across its EV range in future.
The Astra Electric’s platform is also new. Instead of using the EMP1 architecture found in the Corsa-e and several other Stellantis models, the Astra Electric receives the latest EMP2 platform. This means there’s a 54kWh battery pack, powering a front-mounted motor to deliver 152bhp and 270Nm of torque. Range for the Astra Electric stands at 258 miles.
Rather than line up against its traditional rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Focus, the Astra Electric will contend with the likes of Renault’s Megane E-Tech and the Cupra Born in the all-electric family hatchback segment.
We expect performance figures to rival those models too with a 0-62mph time of around eight or nine seconds. Top speed has been confirmed as 105mph. The British firm has outlined charging performance, with 100kW DC rapid-charge capability allowing for an 80-per cent top-up in 30 minutes. Vauxhall has also confirmed that, from launch, all Astra Electric models will be fitted with a three-phase 11kW on-board AC charger, and a full recharge from a 7kW home wallbox will take around seven hours and 45 minutes.
The Astra Electric features the brand’s trademark ‘Vizor’ grille, which will soon come to an updated Corsa, and compared with the combustion-engined and plug-in hybrid Astra models, there aren’t many specific styling elements that mark it out as a pure EV. All electric Astras will come as standard with 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, which can also be finished in black.
The brand’s IntelliLux pixel LED headlights feature, plus the Pure Panel infotainment set-up inside, with a pair of 10-inch screens. There’s also ‘Hey Vauxhall’ voice control and plenty of safety kit plus, as per the regular Astra, the Electric’s ergonomic sports seats have been certified by the German campaign for healthier backs (AGR).
Vauxhall claims that, with the battery in the Astra’s underbody, there’s no loss of boot space over the Hybrid. So the Electric hatch has 351 litres with the seats in place, and the Sports Tourer offers 516 litres.
While the five-door Astra Electric will face competition from many EVs – including its Peugeot e-308 sibling, the Volkswagen ID.3, Cupra Born, MG 4 and Nissan Leaf – the Astra Sports Tourer Electric will only have the newly updated MG 5 and the Peugeot e-308 SW as direct rivals.
Orders for the Astra Electric hatch open early next year, while the Sports Tourer EV will go on sale next summer. Deliveries of the five-door car will begin in June 2023, with the estate arriving later. Pricing will be confirmed closer to the cars’ respective on-sale dates, but expect the hatchback to start from between £35,000 and £40,000, depending on full UK specification.
Check out our review of the new Vauxhall Astra here…