Should you buy one?

This facelift has made the Vauxhall Corsa Electric better. It’s now available with more technology, a more powerful electric motor and a larger battery pack that gives it a longer range. Overall, the tweaks have certainly made it a more well-rounded electric car.

However, it’s quite pricey for what it is – especially when you consider it alongside its rivals. The cheapest Corsa Electric Design costs £32,445, making it around £5,500 more expensive than the entry-level MG4 EV and almost £7,000 more expensive than the cheapest BYD Dolphin.

But the worst part is that the Corsa Electric isn’t that much cheaper than electric SUVs such as the Smart #1 and Kia Niro EV. Prices for the Smart #1 start from £35,950, while the cheapest Kia Niro EV costs a shade over £37,000 – and both these cars have longer maximum ranges, more space inside for passengers, bigger boots and more powerful electric motors.

Vauxhall’s finance deals aren’t that attractive, either. Like consumers, Vauxhall is dealing with increased costs, but it’s still trying hard to drive down the deposits and monthly repayments for the Corsa Electric. However, it’s doing so by extending its PCP leasing period from three to five years.

That means you’ll still need to pay £3,900 up front and £375 per month for the even the cheapest Corsa Electric. The MG 4’s leasing deals can beat that by a considerable margin. Despite this, if you’re hankering for a small electric car and you can make the figures work, we think the Corsa Electric is well worth considering.

What we like

The facelifted Corsa Electric is better than ever. We like its new infotainment system and we’re pleased that Vauxhall gave the car a longer maximum range – especially as the new battery pack doesn’t steal any more space from the supermini’s passenger compartment or boot. We still like the way it drives, too. It’s a genuinely fun little car.

What we don’t like

It isn’t the best option for families as space on the rear bench and in the boot is at a premium. It’s ideal as a town runabout, but you might find it uncomfortable if you ask it to tackle a long family holiday. Plus, all the extra equipment has driven up the Corsa’s price-tag and, as we mentioned above, there are larger cars available for the same sort of money.