• Fastest and greenest Corsa
• It feels quick off the blocks
• Electric your only option 

What power options are there?

There’s only one propulsion option on this Vauxhall, a 136hp electric motor. There are three drive modes, and two levels of regenerative braking. A full 260Nm of torque means nippy acceleration, especially around town, where the Corsa-e can leap from 0-31mph in just 2.8 seconds, and on to 62mph in 8.1 seconds when conditions allow. Top speed is 93mph.

Helping claw back charge is the car’s regenerative braking system, which offers two levels of severity depending on driver preference and prevailing traffic conditions.

Drive in D mode (below) and you’ll experience a mild level of regeneration, allowing the Corsa-e to decelerate gently. Nudge the gearlever down to B mode and this doubles the level of regeneration, working all the way down to 5mph before coasting again.

There are three drive modes available in the form of Eco, Normal and Sport. The toggle switch beside the electronic parking brake switch controls the modes, with each the lower two modes throttling the amount of power the motor provides to improve range.

Eco mode reduces the motor’s performance to 82hp and 180Nm of torque, and brings slower throttle response and a pared down climate control system to match. Normal mode serves up 110hp and 220Nm of torque. Top speed remains the same, but both these detuned maps can also be overruled with full-throttle application for emergency use.

Sport mode is where you’ll find the full 136hp and 260Nm of torque, and the steering weight is firmed up to complement the added poke. Given the usable battery capacity of 46kWh, the Corsa has an efficiency rating of 4.54 miles per kWh and using the latest Government power generation figures, a well-to-wheels CO2 output of 37.7g/km.

What’s it like to drive?

• Nippy and fun
• Even in eco mode, performance is brisk
• Regenerative braking takes some getting used to 

It’s no Tesla, but the little Corsa is brisk, borderline quick. Like all single-speed electric cars it punches hard from a standstill but tends to run out of steam at high speed. Medium speed overtaking feels fast and confidence inspiring, but above 50mph you need to think carefully before a marginal pass. There’s a lot of torque and the Corsa-e feels nippy and fun. Even on slippery roads the traction control is gentle and wheelspin takes a lot of provocation. That said, if you floor the throttle with a lot of lock on, it does fly off rather too fast for comfort.

Body roll is well controlled and the steering is direct and well weighted if not over endowed with feedback. In fact the Corsa-e’s weight distribution is closer to an ideal 50/50 than its petrol counterpart and the centre of gravity is 10% lower, which is a good start. That extra weight, however, means that like most battery electric cars, Corsa corners flat with a slightly uncanny feeling of grip which tells you nothing about just where the limits of that grip are. So you end up driving on trust rather than knowledge.

The brakes have also been upgraded with larger items to compensate for the added weight.