Vauxhall Corsa Electric: interior, dashboard & infotainment
The Corsa's dashboard is a little drab, and there’s certainly room for improvement when it comes to materials and quality
Inside the Corsa Electric, 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. A recent facelift hasn’t changed all that much, although top-spec cars now get a glossier 10-inch touchscreen running the latest software, while the centre console has been decluttered and there’s a new steering wheel.
The overall quality of materials and design isn’t hugely impressive, though, when you consider the size and price of the Vauxhall Corsa Electric. We also experienced a couple of annoying trim rattles in our test car, even though it had less than 700 miles on the odometer. The gear selector (which is shared with several other Stellantis models) felt a little bit out of reach, too, while the surrounding piano plastic is a magnet for fingerprints.
Vauxhall Corsa Electric dashboard
The inside of the latest Corsa is functional but uninspiring. It’s a sea of black plastic, centred around a seven or 10-inch touchscreen display (depending on spec), with myriad connectivity options. At least the separate climate controls are easy to operate – unlike on the Peugeot E-208 where they’re buried within the touchscreen.
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 you, framed by the chunky leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Equipment, options & accessories
There are three trim levels to choose from at the moment: Design, GS and Ultimate. Even the base electric Corsa costs nearly £10k more than the range-topping petrol model, but you’ll be thankful to know that a plethora of equipment such as LED lights, 16-inch wheels, climate control, rear parking sensors and a seven-inch screen with sat-nav, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, are all included as standard.
Stepping up to GS trim costs around £2,500, and this gives the Corsa Electric a sportier appearance with larger 17-inch alloys, a two-tone roof, power-folding mirrors and gloss black accents. On the inside, the Vauxhall Corsa Electric GS gets a larger 10-inch touchscreen, figure-hugging sports seats and a reversing camera.
At the top of the line-up sits the Ultimate model, boasting luxuries like matrix-LED headlights, wireless phone charging, Alcantara upholstery and heated massage seats.
Infotainment, apps & sat nav
Every version gets a touchscreen with built-in sat-nav, but you’ll need to upgrade to the GS model to swap the standard seven-inch display for the glorious 10-inch version. The system itself is packed with features, and the new software is much more responsive than the rather laggy set-up in previous models – although it does take a while to start up.
If you’d rather not use Vauxhall’s software, the Corsa Electric comes as standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity – both are not only much easier to use, but more responsive, too. The Corsa, like many electric cars, is also available with a downloadable app that allows you to control charging times, as well as monitor range and remotely pre-condition the battery and cabin temperature.