Vauxhalls with volts! Electric Astra family hatchback and estate revealed

Vauxhall has unveiled new all-electric versions of its popular Astra hatchback and estate as one of Britain’s most popular car embarks on its battery future.

Order books for the new zero-emissions Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric open early in the New Year ahead of first deliveries in June, with prices starting from around £40,000 and the models offering a maximum range of 258 miles.

When the Astra Sports Tourer Electric arrives it will be one of the first all-electric family estate cars on the market.

Their arrival increases Vauxhall’s pure electric passenger car line-up to six models, as the British marque accelerates towards becoming an electric-only manufacturer from 2028.

It also means the Astra will be available in four different powertrains: electric, plug-in hybrid, as well as conventional petrol and diesel. Sportier GSe electrified variants of the plug-in hybrid arrive in the New Year with fully electric variants to follow.

Prices for the new all-electric Astra range are expected to start from around £40,000 for the hatchback and £42,000 for the estate.

The Astra joins a raft of new electric cars arriving or due to arrive on the market, ranging from the Abarth 500e hot hatch, to Volvo’s £75,000 EX90 SUV, Lotus’s Eletre and Rolls’s Royce’s first electric car, Spectre.

Both variants are powered by a 156hp (114kW) electric motor and a 54kWh battery giving it a range of up to 258 miles from a single charge. 

Acceleration from 0-to-62mph takes about eight seconds and top speed is 105mph.

The new Astra Electric requires just 12.7kWh of electricity to cover 62 miles, which Vauxhall says makes it ideal for daily use. 

Charging to 80 per cent takes 30 minutes using a 100kW rapid charger and is expected to take around seven and a half hours on a domestic wallbox. 

All models come as standard with a three-phase 11kW AC on-board charger suitable for wallbox use at home.

Prices for the new all-electric Astra range are expected to start from around £40,000 for the hatchback (pictured) and £42,000 for the estate

When the Astra Sports Tourer Electric arrives it will be one of the first all-electric family estate cars on the market

Inside, the new Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric feature Active Sports seats in Alcantara trim – and they are certified by Germany’s AGR campaign for healthier backs (Aktion Gesunder Rücken) as offering ‘excellent lateral stability’ and a wide range of manual and electric adjustment options.

For convenience, the battery is housed in the vehicle’s underbody which means passenger room and luggage space is not compromised. 

There’s 516 litres of luggage space with the rear seats up, increasing to 1,553 litres when folded – which is identical to plug-in hybrid variants of the vehicle.

The bold design follows the theme first seen on electrified and internal combustion variants of the Astra and Astra Sports Tourer. The ‘vizor’ front end houses Vauxhall’s latest driver aids and safety systems. 

Inside, the new Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric feature seats certified by Germany’s AGR campaign for healthier backs (Aktion Gesunder Rücken)

Both cars have Vauxhall’s latest interior technologies, driver aids and safety features. 

The interior comes with a 10-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-inch central display. The latest generation of intuitive tech displays important functions such as battery charge status or range. Settings such as climate control can be easily adjusted at the touch of a physical button.

A large intelligent head-up display unit (HUD) and ‘Hey Vauxhall!’ natural voice recognition allow drivers to stay focused on the road ahead.

Safety features include: front collision warning with automatic emergency braking; active lane keeping assist; drowsiness detection; as well as rear cross alert to protect both vehicle occupants and other road users.

The arrival of the electric Astras increases Vauxhall’s EV line-up to six models as the British marque accelerates towards becoming an electric-only manufacturer from 2028

Both variants are powered by a 156hp (114kW) electric motor and a 54kWh battery giving it a range of up to 258 miles from a single charge

Acceleration from 0-to-62mph takes about eight seconds and top speed is 105mph

Both vehicles are available with Vauxhall’s all-new ‘IntelliLux LED Pixel Light technology’, with each lamp featuring 168 individual LED elements. 

Vauxhall says they provide ‘unparalleled visibility at night thanks to seamless adaptation of the light beam pattern to suit the driving conditions and surroundings’.

The arrival of the All-New Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric increase the number of fully electric Vauxhall passenger vehicles on sale to six. 

The company said: ‘Vauxhall has taken the next steps in its electric journey with the reveal of the fully electric All-New Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric, arriving in the UK in 2023.

Will it fit in my garage? Astra Electric (and Astra Sports Tourer Electric) 

Price: from around £40,000 hatchback (£42,000 estate)

Orders open: early in the New Year

First deliveries: June 2023

Length: 4,374mm (4,642mm estate)

Width with mirrors: 2,062mm 

Height: 1,441mm (1,442mm estate)

Power: 156hp (114kW) electric motor

Battery: 54kWh battery

Range: up to 258 miles

0-62mph: 8 seconds (approx)

Top speed: 105mph

CO2 emissions: Zero

Charging time using (0-80%) 100kW DC rapid charger: 30 minutes

Charging time (0-80%) home charging wall-box: circa 7 and a half hours

Wheels: 18-inch diamond-cut alloys

Luggage space with rear seats up: 516 litres

Luggage space with rear seats folded: 1,553 litres

‘Astra Sports Tourer is the first fully electric estate from the brand and one of just a handful available on the market.’

It added: ‘By 2028, Vauxhall has committed to being an electric-only manufacturer – a timeline that is seven years ahead of the UK Government target of 2035.’

Vauxhall managing director James Taylor noted: ‘The Astra going electric is a big milestone for both our popular family car as well as for the Vauxhall brand as we move towards our commitment of only offering fully electric cars and vans from 2028.

‘Astra Electric and Astra Sports Tourer Electric will offer everyday practicality, comfort and locally emission-free driving pleasure combined with the innovative technology and bold and pure design language that Vauxhall is known for.’

Order books the new Astra Electric hatch open in early 2023 with deliveries expected from June. 

Ordering for the Astra Sports Tourer Electric begins in the summer with deliveries commencing from the latter part of the year. Detailed UK pricing and specification will be announced closer to the start of sales.

The current Astra hatchback range starts from £25,420 for the Design 1.2T 110hp and goes up to £38,850 for the Ultimate 1.6T 180hp plug-in hybrid.

The current Astra Sports Tourer starts from £26,440 for the Design 1.2T 110PS and goes up to £39,635 for the GS Line 1.6T 180hp plug-in hybrid. 

The best-selling Astra is the GS Line 1.2T 130hp from £28,135. The mark up from an Astra to an Astra Sports Tourer is around £1,200.

Vauxhall Motors began making vehicles in the UK in 1903 and – a sibling to Germany’s Opel – is now part of the giant automotive conglomerate Stellantis created in January 2021 by the merger between Peugeot-Citroen’s Groupe PSA and Fiat’s FCA Group.

Vauxhall’s two manufacturing plants in Ellesmere Port and Luton produced 120,000 cars and vans in 2019, and its sales accounted for 7.5 per cent of the UK market.

Vauxhall describes itself as ‘a leader in electrification’ and from 2021 was one of the first manufacturers to offer fully electric versions of all its vans. By 2024, all Vauxhall cars and vans will be available with an electrified version. By 2028, Vauxhall has committed to only selling fully electric vehicles.

Charging to 80% takes 30 minutes using a 100kW rapid charger and is expected to take around seven and a half hours on a domestic wallbox

For convenience, the battery is housed in the vehicle’s underbody which means passenger room and luggage space is not compromised

Order books the new Astra Electric hatch open in early 2023 with deliveries expected from June. Ordering for the Astra Sports Tourer Electric (pictured) begins in the summer