Vauxhall Corsa Electric review: running costs & insurance

Running an electric car could work wonders for your bank balance. Yes, most cost more to buy than their petrol or diesel equivalents, but charge at home overnight on an off-peak electricity tariff and you could fill the Corsa’s battery for only a couple of pounds – far cheaper than a tank of fuel. 

Then there’s the fact that there’s no road tax to pay as all electric cars are currently exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) until 2025. And if you’re a company-car driver, you pay just 2% Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax right now, so whichever way you look at it, that’s a lot less than the equivalent petrol or diesel model would set you back.

Vauxhall Corsa Electric insurance group

While group 24 and 25 insurance ratings don’t seem that high in comparison with direct rivals – the Peugeot e-208 sits in groups 26 to 28, for example – it’ll cost you more to cover an electric Corsa than it would one of its petrol counterparts. A top-spec, petrol-powered Vauxhall Corsa Ultimate sits in group 19; much lower (and more affordable) than the equivalent Corsa Electric.

Part of the reason for the higher cost comes down to the limited number of repair centres – both for mechanical and structural work. Fewer people are qualified to work on electric cars, which means when something goes wrong, it’s harder to get them fixed.

Warranty

Like every new Vauxhall, the Corsa Electric gets a three-year/60,000-mile warranty. That’s pretty much par for the course, and stacks up fairly well against mainstream rivals. In addition, every model gets an eight-year/100,000-mile battery warranty – guaranteeing against degradation of the cells. Should the battery’s usable capacity drop below 70% during that time, Vauxhall will replace it for free.

Servicing

Every Corsa Electric needs an initial service after one year or 8,000 miles, whichever comes soonest. Following this, there's a first scheduled service two years or 16,000 miles from the date of first registration. The Corsa’s service intervals then shift to every two years or 16,000 miles. That puts electric owners at a distinct advantage, as both the petrol and diesel versions of the Corsa require maintenance every 12 months, which inevitably raises costs – even with a service plan.

Road tax

As mentioned above, all electric cars including the Corsa Electric are currently exempt from road tax (VED) in the UK, no matter their purchase price. They also enjoy exemption from the London Congestion Charge until 2025.

Depreciation

As you might expect for a car costing upwards of £30,000, the Vauxhall Corsa Electric loses a bigger proportion of its initial value than one of the cheaper petrol versions. That’s not to say the numbers are poor; every Corsa EV will retain at least 47% of its value over three years of 36,000 miles according to industry experts.

For comparison, that’s in a similar ballpark to the Renault ZOE, but some way off the fashionable MINI Electric, which our figures show will hold on to as much as 60% of its initial purchase price after the same time period.