Vauxhall Corsa Yes review: a better value EV than cheaper Chinese rivals (but not French ones)

Telegraph

24-02-2025

A trivia question: what do these seemingly disparate words have in common? Flair, Fun, Spin, Swing, Twist, Star, Gem, Ski… If you guessed that they're all names used on various Vauxhall Novas of the late 1980s and early 1990s, award yourself top marks.
These special editions were once Vauxhall's go-to marketing tool. Add a smattering of extra equipment, throw in some funky upholstery and maybe some jazzy paintwork and then offer it for a knock-down price. Et voila.
Old habits die hard at Vauxhall, it would seem, because this is the modern-day successor to all those 'special' Novas: the Corsa Yes. The idea is simple: respond to criticism of its too-pricey Corsa Electric by launching a bargain entry-level version with a youthful bent.
But will it be cheap enough to take on the onslaught of affordable Chinese EVs starting to arrive on the UK market – and cheerful enough to be more desirable than any of them?
Pros
Smart interior
Good to drive
Lots of equipment for the price
Cons
Not as much range as cheaper rivals
Tight rear legroom
Spongy brakes
Counting the cost
The most pertinent question first: how much is it? The short answer is, unfortunately, still 'quite a lot' – £27,495 to be precise.
For that you get, officially, 221 miles of range from a 50kWh gross battery capacity and 100kW charging. To put that in context, the BYD Dolphin starts at £26,195 for 211 miles of range, while a GWM Ora 03 will cost £24,995 and give you 193 miles.
But fellow Stellantis brand Citroën will sell you a similarly equipped ë-C3 with only 20 miles less official range for about £3,000 less than the Corsa. Meanwhile, over at Renault, you can buy a mid-spec example of its fabulous 5 with 253 miles of range for £26,995. So while its price feels commensurate with rivals from the Far East, the Yes isn't exactly a bargain.
Having said that, the additions with this Corsa are admirable, especially given this is supposed to be a 'de-contented' (industry parlance for less well-equipped) model.
For example, a heat pump is standard, which will help prevent the range from tailing off too severely in winter. Heated seats and steering wheel, keyless start and electronic climate control are also standard.
Vauxhall will also give you £500 towards a home wall box installation or public charging, and you get eight years of breakdown assistance, including help with mobile charging if you flatten the battery during a journey.
What's more, it doesn't actually feel like a budget buy. From the outside, the Yes looks moderately sporty; there's a contrasting black roof, for example, along with gloss black accents, smart alloy wheels and chunky bumpers from the GS model.
Inside, that theme continues, with body-coloured inserts throughout and matching 'racing stripes' on the seat upholstery giving a welcome lift.
Of course, you won't get those 221 miles in the real world; expect more like 150-175 miles, depending on the weather. However, with fairly rapid charging speeds, you can top up reasonably quickly; charging from 10 to 80 per cent will take about 27 minutes, providing about 100 extra miles.
Range anxiety
Just don't believe the in-car range readout. We've heard countless tales from readers who own electric Corsas of their cars predicting 200-plus-mile range s, only for the range to drop drastically once they start driving; so it went with our example, which read 208 miles at the top of the gauge, but shed miles rapidly when underway.
It's almost as if the readout has been calibrated to show a range figure approaching that of the official ones when fully charged, to fool you into thinking the car will go farther than it really will.
The trouble is, when drivers realise they're losing 10 miles of predicted range for every seven they travel, they start to feel short-changed.
They might well feel short-changed by the rear seat legroom, too. It's not impossible for a 5ft 11in adult to sit behind another, but it's a tight squeeze and you end up with knees digging into seat backs.
Head and shoulder room are equally tight, while the narrow door aperture makes sliding in a struggle if you're gangly. Belting up a child seat is equally tricky.
In the boot, there's 267 litres of space, which is about average for an electric car of this type; more than in the GWM, but slightly less than in the BYD, Citroën or Renault.
Touch of class
In the front, however, there's plenty of space, while the dashboard is smart and finished in high-quality materials – better than those you'd find in the Chinese rivals.
What's more, from the driver's seat at least, this is a car that's really easy to use. There are physical heating and ventilation controls, which means you don't have to rely on the touchscreen to adjust the temperature or fan speed, for example.
There are more proper buttons on the steering wheel and everything is where you expect it to be.
The touchscreen itself is good, too, unusually for a Stellantis product. The reason is simple; Vauxhall has pared back its version of the Stellantis software, so you don't get any of the fancy-pants animations of a Peugeot or a DS.
Therefore, it works much faster and more smoothly. The on-screen buttons are large and easy to press, too, so it's less distracting to use on the move. It's a shame, though, that with the recent facelift, Vauxhall ditched the row of physical shortcut keys for the system in favour of a touch-sensitive panel.
On the road
It's much the same as any other Corsa to drive, which is to say that it's been set up on the firm end of the spectrum, geared more toward zingy cornering than bump smothering.
That's not to say that the Corsa is uncomfortable; just that you'll want to slow a little more than usual for those particularly sharp bolt-down speed humps.
And the trade-off is that it feels pert and nimble, changing direction swiftly, with a direct, pointy feel at the front end that means the electric Corsa almost feels like a warm hatch – even in this most affordable form. The motor is responsive, too, with plenty of get-up-and-go.
It's a shame about the brakes, though, which really spoil the fun; they're just too spongy through the first part of their travel, which means you press harder, at which point they firm up suddenly. This can make it quite difficult to slow down gently and smoothly.
The Telegraph verdict
This cheap and cheerful Corsa, then, is not quite as cheap as you might have hoped. It is cheerful, though, with more equipment than you might expect, it's lively to drive, it looks good and it feels more rounded than its more affordable Chinese rivals.
Whether it will win buyers away from its cheaper Stellantis cousins – not to mention the all-conquering Renault 5 – is another matter. Especially given the Yes still suffers from the same shortcomings as every electric Corsa: not enough space in the back seats, a squidgy-feeling brake pedal and a perennially over-optimistic range indicator.
On the whole, though, this is an EV that won't break the bank, but will make you smile. Frankly, we could do with a few more of those.
The facts
On test: Vauxhall Corsa Electric Yes
Body style: five-door hatchback
On sale: now
How much? £27,495 on the road (range from £18,995)
How fast? 93mph, 0-62mph in 8.2sec
How economical? 4.0mpkWh (WLTP Combined)
Electric powertrain: AC permanent magnet synchronous motor with 50kWh (gross) battery, 100kW on-board charger, Type 2/CCS charging socket
Electric range: 221 miles
Maximum power/torque: 134bhp/151lb ft
CO2 emissions: 0g/km (tailpipe), 19g/km (well-to-wheel)
VED: £0 first year, then £180
Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 miles (no mileage limit in first year)
Spare wheel as standard: no (not available)
The rivals
Renault 5 150 Techno
148bhp, 253 miles, £26,995 on the road
Whichever way you square it, the 5 has the Corsa licked. More range, more power, smashing styling and an even more funky interior; it's roomier in the back, too. No wonder it's the European Car of the Year. Likeable though the Corsa is, it's hard to see why you'd choose one instead.
Citroën ë-C3 Max
111bhp, 198 miles, £24,385 on the road
Citroën's new small car takes the form of an SUV, which means you get much more space within than you do in the Corsa. Its interior fittings are slightly less plush, but the styling inside is more eye-catching. It does without a heat pump, though, and the battery's even smaller than the Corsa's – so beware those cold winter mornings.
BYD Dolphin Active
94bhp, 211 miles, £26,195 on the road
The entry-level version of this Chinese hatchback might have looked like a bargain when it first turned up, but less so now; true, it's £1,500 less than the Corsa, but it's much slower, and gets less range into the bargain, too. Throw in the unsettled ride, remote driving experience and some cheap-looking interior materials, and suddenly it's a tough sell.