Vauxhall Mokka Electric review: A world apart from its uninspiring predecessor

17 January 2024 , 08:35

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Vauxhall's "Visor" styling direction has really grown on me. It's handsome, slightly aggressive, quite sporty and there's a little bit of retro about it.

It's been applied to the new Mokka, Vauxhall's compact crossover which, remarkably, has been with us for over 10 years now.

While the original Mokka was given a mid-life facelift and plenty of tweaks throughout its long reign, this second-generation version really moved the game on when it hit the roads in 2021.

Vauxhall is now part of Stellantis, the huge firm that owns Peugeot, Citroen and others, and this has meant the new Mokka sits on a shared platform we also find beneath other similarly-sized cars.

Vauxhall Mokka Electric review: A world apart from its uninspiring predecessor eiqkiqheiqhkinv

The version of the Mokka I've been testing, however, is the Mokka Electric, a fully-electric variant which has a 50kWh battery and a range, Vauxhall says, of up to 209 miles.

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The interior is neatly laid out, with a refreshing array of physical buttons and a roomy feel, especially for the passengers.

The driver is greeted by two large screens, which respond well and have sensibly laid-out menus.

Unlike its Peugeot cousin, the e-2008, the cabin layout is far more sober, with a more sensibly-sized steering wheel and less flamboyance. Some will miss all that theatre but, personally, I love the Mokka's dash layout.

Rear seat space is good, if hampered a bit by a very narrow door, and the boot can swallow around 350 litres, which isn't bad for a small SUV thingy.

On the road, the Mokka Electric compensates for the added weight of all the electrical gubbins with a brisk take-off, with 0-62 dispatched in 9.2 seconds.

As you'd expect, it's all wonderfully refined with a fairly decent ride and minimal wind noise, although I do wish the brake pedal wasn't so grabby. It does take some getting used to.

It's not a car for hooning around it, let's say. It's not built for that anyway, so that's forgivable, but there is decent road-holding and it settles well into corners.

Electric range is, predictably, a lot lower than the WLTP claims. In the real world, on a fairly chilly week, I managed to get closer to 160 miles. So there are rivals that will go further between charges, but it's pretty acceptable. In the summer I reckon you could get closer to 180 miles, perhaps a bit more if you were really trying. And that's not too bad.

It's worth mentioning a 100kw charge will replenish 80 per cent of the Mokka's battery level in half an hour, and even a 50kw charge could be dusted off in 45 minutes.

I should also add that, not long after I finished testing the Mokka Electric, a new "Long Range" version was announced, offering a new, bigger battery and a more powerful and efficient electric motor, increasing range to 252 miles (WLTP).

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If you're going to be covering large distances, there are a range of internal combustion variants to choose from still. At least until 2028, when Vauxhall is promising to make the big switch.

In the base "Design" trim, which is still quite nicely specced, the Mokka Electric starts at £36,610 - which is quite a bit higher than a top-spec petrol version.

Climb up the spec ladder, and the Mokka Electric sails past £40,000 - but trim levels are pretty generous throughout the electric range, so choose wisely.

There's a bewildering range of compact crossovers to choose from these days, and the previous Mokka sold well without really having the styling to stand out.

This one not only looks superb, but it offers a lot of kit for the money, decent road manners, and now an all-electric option.

More than anything, though, it's interesting. It's a car you won't tire of seeing on your driveway, and that should be all it needs to stand out from the crowd. It's one of the best options for an EV of this size.