• Single drivetrain option
• Three power modes to choose from
• Punchy at low speeds

What power options are there?

The Mokka Electric is powered by a 136hp electric motor fed by a 50kWh battery pack. It’s the most powerful Mokka that you can buy. The total battery range on the WLTP combined test is 209 miles, which is a little behind similarly-powered EV rivals. Top speed is limited to 93mph, with a 0-62mph time of 8.7 seconds.

Vauxhall has designed the drive modes in the Mokka Electric to limit power and maximise range – Eco limits power to 82hp, Normal allows up to 109hp and switching to Sport means all of the 136hp available is on tap. It’s not Tesla Model 3 quick, and those expecting rapid acceleration might be a little disappointed, especially in Eco drive mode, but it certainly feels nippy enough in town.

In all but Eco mode, the distance to empty range indicator reduces depressingly quickly. Battery capacity is represented in percentages, and in cold weather, this can reduce at the same rate as the miles left in the ‘tank’. That would indicate a usable range of 100 miles in typical winter driving.

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What’s it like to drive?

• Quiet and refined cruiser
• Stable over bumps
• Excellent ride quality

The Mokka Electric is quiet on the move (as you’d expect), with little wind noise or tyre noise – commendable for a car designed to run both an electric powertrain and combustion engine variants. The steering has more weight than the Peugeot e-2008’s – a car the Mokka Electric shares its battery, motor and suspension with – and despite weighing more than a regular Mokka, bodyroll is well controlled.

Since the car defaults to Normal mode every time you start it, this is the mode you’ll get used to, and switching to either of the other two settings means you have to adapt your driving style to suit the car’s different character. It’s not that the transformation is huge, but the throttle response in Power mode is that little bit faster, so you need to be a bit slower with your inputs.

On the other hand, choosing Eco mode means the Mokka Electric feels sluggish to accelerate, so you press the throttle a little harder, which will probably cancel out any effect that the power-saving mode might deliver. Selecting ‘B’ mode delivers some useful energy recovery when you lift off the throttle, but it’s not strong enough for you to be able to do some one-pedal driving – you still need to apply the brakes to come to a complete stop.

One thing to be aware of is that the electric drive system doesn’t cope very well with higher speeds. There’s nothing wrong with the Mokka Electric at speed, but going faster sees the car’s range drop dramatically. Another positive is the ride quality, which is very good – almost up there with the class-leading Citroen e-C4 – and manages to shrug off urban potholes and motorway imperfections very well indeed.

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