Vauxhall Corsa-e interior & comfort

Inside the Corsa-e, you’d never know you were driving an electric car. It all feels reassuringly familiar, with a logical dashboard design and space for all your odds and ends. High-spec Elite Nav cars get an impressive 10-inch touchscreen display, but the overall quality of the materials and design is less impressive, especially when you consider the electric Corsa's high price.

There are many more luxurious and premium-feeling alternatives – albeit with petrol or diesel engines – that you could get for the Corsa-e's £310 per month finance payment (on a four-year PCP agreement with a £6,000 deposit). On the plus side, there's plenty of clever on-board technology, including driver-assistance features such as traffic-sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring and lane-keeping assistance.

Vauxhall Corsa-e dashboard

The inside of the latest Corsa is functional but uninspiring. It’s a sea of black plastic, centred around a large touchscreen display with myriad connectivity options. At least the separate climate controls are easy to operate.

There’s a set of fully digital dials, and while they don’t stretch the entire width of the instrument binnacle as they do in some high-end BMWs or Audis, it’s less noticeable than you might expect. You can use them to present the information you want right in front of your eyes, framed by the chunky leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Equipment, options & accessories

There are only two trim levels to choose from at the moment: SE Nav and Elite Nav – plus those two different on-board charging options. The entry-level car costs from £27,665 after the UK government’s plug-in grant has been taken into account, and features essentials such as a seven-inch sat-nav system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus climate control, alloy wheels and LED lights.

Elite Nav brings luxuries like that aforementioned 10-inch screen, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, Matrix lighting, a panoramic rear-view camera and keyless entry. However, with prices starting from a smidge over £30,000, these cars come in at almost double the cost of a basic petrol Corsa.

Infotainment, apps & sat nav

Every car gets a touchscreen sat-nav, but you’ll need to upgrade to the Elite Nav to swap the standard seven-inch display for the glorious 10-inch version. It’s not worth it for this alone, but factoring in some of the luxuries listed above may make the jump easier to justify.

The infotainment system itself is packed with features, but it can feel a bit slow to respond. Navigating via the standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto doesn’t make any difference, either, although the ability to project your phone’s screen to your car’s display does add some welcome functionality.

The Corsa, as with many electric cars, is available with a downloadable app that allows you to control charging times, as well as monitor battery status and remote activation of the air-conditioning system.