- After a two decade hiatus, Vauxhall has revived the Frontera model name, with the Vauxhall Frontera Electric.
- The Frontera will also be sold in petrol hybrid form, but with the Frontera Electric starting at £22,495 after the Electric Car Grant compared to the hybrid’s £24,855 base price, is the EV model a no-brainer?
- The Vauxhall Frontera Electric is also being sold as the Opel Frontera Electric in Mainland Europe markets.
Vauxhall Frontera Electric: Could this be one of the best value electric cars on the market?
With the Corsa Electric hatchback starting at £25,280 after the Electric Car Grant is applied, the Vauxhall Frontera Electric is now the cheapest EV sold by the manufacturer. When it was initially revealed last year, Vauxhall made sure to impress on the fact that the Frontera would be one of the first EVs to achieve price parity with its petrol-powered cousin – but with the subsequent arrival of the UK’s Electric Car Grant, the base electric model now comes in cheaper than its base model hybrid counterpart.
Onboard equipment
The Vauxhall Frontera Electric that we tested was the top spec ‘Ultimate’ edition. With the eye-catching optional £650 orange paint, this comes in at an on-the-road price of £26,345, after the £1,500 Electric Car Grant is subtracted. Extras over the entry-level ‘Design’ trim also include heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, automatic air conditioning, larger diamond-cut alloy wheels, a heated windscreen and more.
However, even in base specification, the Frontera Electric is generously equipped with technology such as a ten-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, and a rear view camera.
Physical buttons also remain plentiful in the Frontera, with key actions such as ADAS functions, volume adjustment, and air conditioning just a push of a button away, rather than being buried within the on-board touchscreen. This is very much a get-in-and-go EV, without the added faff, and plays directly into its affordable price.
Practicality
Despite its compact footprint, the Frontera Electric offers a respectable amount of space inside. Taller adults won’t struggle for legroom in the rear seats, whilst boot space stands at 460 litres – increasing to 1,600 litres when the second-row seats are folded down.
Unfortunately, the £550 third-row seat option, transforming the Frontera into a seven-seater, is only available on the hybrid model, and not the EV variant.
Driving Experience
No matter which specification of the Vauxhall Frontera Electric you go for, the electric motor itself remains the same. It’s propelled by a front-driven 113 horsepower electric motor, delivering 0-62mph in 12.8 seconds and a top speed of 88mph.
That might not sound like much on paper, but that’s not a problem: Remember, this is an affordable electric car likely to be a hit with families – performance is not top of the agenda. Besides, you still get that satisfying hit of instant torque that we’ve come to associate with all electric cars.
Around town, the Frontera Electric is a nice place to spend time, with little road noise and electric motor noise kept to a minimum. Despite the vast amount of space available inside, it feels easy to thread through narrow roads – after all, the actual footprint is not dissimilar to the Vauxhall Astra hatchback.
Take it out of town on to faster country roads, and it still handles the bends well, whilst refinement also remains excellent for its price point. Subjectively, it also seems to smooth out bumps better than the heavier and larger Vauxhall Grandland Electric that we tested last year.
Vauxhall Frontera Electric Range
As standard, the Frontera Electric comes with a 44kWh battery pack, offering a claimed range of 189 miles. Setting off from a full charge, our test vehicle was already showing near to this claimed range, and after a 50 mile trip combining urban streets with faster country roads, it returned with 140 miles left showing on the dashboard – so it seems very likely that you’ll be able to achieve Vauxhall’s claimed range in the real world.
For those who want a bit more range, there is also the option to upgrade to a larger 54kWh with a claimed range of 246 miles, but this brings the base price up to £27,495 (£25,995 after the ECG is applied).
The maximum charging speed of 100kW isn’t the fastest in the industry, but is what we’d expect at this low price point – and is enough to take the state of charge from 20% to 80% in as little as 26 minutes on a suitable fast charger.
Vauxhall Frontera Electric Offers
To ease in customers who might be making the EV transition for the first time with the Frontera Electric, Vauxhall is also bundling the Frontera Electric with its ‘Electric All In’ offer. This includes a number of benefits and freebies, such as eight years of roadside assistance and emergency charging, an eight year/100,000 miles battery warranty.
Also included as part of this offer is a £500 credit which can be applied to either an Ohme home EV charger installation, Tesco charging credit, Octopus Electroverse credit, or Connected Kerb credit.
For Frontera Electric Customers that switch to Octopus Energy’s Intelligent Octopus Go tariff, there is also an offer of 10,000 miles worth of free home charging credit.
Conclusion
With its £22,495 starting price after the £1,500 Electric Car Grant is applied, the Vauxhall Frontera Electric is a seriously price-competitive EV. The interior space is commendable, and I can see this car being a hit not only with price-conscious families, but also rental companies who are electrifying their fleets but want a vehicle that remains simple to get in and simply drive.
Looking to purchase a new EV like the Vauxhall Frontera Electric? Check out our guides to the cheapest electric cars and best electric SUVs.
