What are the running costs?

With a relatively small battery pack, efficiency is vital. Thankfully the Astra Electric seems to deliver, at least in our gentle hands. On a mix of roads we managed 4.2 miles per kWh, enough for a calculated range in excess of 200 miles. This figure drops as your time on the motorway increases, something to bear in mind if you’re considering one.

View detailed figures on our Vauxhall Astra Electric specs pages

As for charging, all Astra Electrics can take advantage of up to 11kW AC and 100kW of DC. That means a 30 minute 10-80% time on a powerful enough rapid charger and five- and three-quarter hours on a three-phase AC. A typical 7.4kW home wallbox takes eight hours.

Servicing and warranty

What you see is what you get with Vauxhall servicing and warranty. There are lots of dealers; parts and labour costs are competitive and there are a number of service packages to help you spread the cost of maintenance over several months.

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Vauxhall offers a three-year/60,000-mile warranty as standard on the Astra, which you can extend to four or five years for an additional fee. However, compared to the seven-year packages offered by Kia and MG, or the 10-year scheme available with Toyotas, Vauxhall’s warranty looks a little meagre.

At least the battery is guaranteed to hold at least 70% of its charge after eight years or 100,000 miles.

Reliability

While the regular Astra comes with tried and tested engines, the Electric gets a second-generation battery and motor setup. This is shared with all manner of cars within the Stellantis group so will soon be as ubiquitous as its Puretech petrol engines.

You can also keep an eye on how buyers are finding the Astra’s reliability (and offer some insight on your own experience with the car if you have one) in our owner reviews section.

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