Item: Vauxhall Grandland Electric
Rating: 3.5

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There’s plenty to like about the Vauxhall Grandland Electric, there really is. In a crowded class, it’s competitive on range, design, space and price, and has little that should deter buyers or put them off. Lots to like, then. There’s just not much that you’ll love.

That might not be a barrier to buyers out there looking for an electric family SUV: this is a thoroughly sensible package from a familiar brand. It’s the sort of thing Vauxhall has done well lately. And, much as it can feel like damning with faint praise, there’s a lot to be said for quiet competence. It's the sort of benign approach that the Nissan Qashqai does well, and that's proven to be quite popular.

This is the second-generation Grandland, and the first to gain an electric version. And just to complete the podium, it's the third model to arrive on the STLA Medium platform, after the Peugeot e-3008 and Peugeot e-5008.

You can still get it with a combustion engine, too: you can read our main Vauxhall Grandland review to find out more about that. For this review, we will focus on the battery-powered version.

The Grandland Electric gets the same 73kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery as the e-3008, mated to a 210bhp electric motor on the front wheels for a WLTP range of up to 325 miles (although the feature on our Ultimate-spec test car means it could 'only' go 318 miles). Rapid charging can be done at speeds of up to 160kW for a 10-80% charge in some 25 minutes.

A 98kWh battery option will arrive next year, allowing for a range-topping model with an official range of 435 miles.

This car is a five-seater, and there's no word of a seven-seater any time soon, so the Grandland is taking on a huge variety of rivals, ranging from the Volkswagen ID 4, Renault Scenic E-Tech and MG ZS EV right up to the BMW iX1, Mercedes-Benz EQA and Tesla Model Y – not forgetting its platform-mate, the e-3008.

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 7

Vauxhall Grandland Electric

Vauxhall's popular SUV gains an electric version that's safe and sensible, if not sensational

Good

Loads of space

Smart interior

Competitively priced

Bad

Slightly fidgety ride

Other EVs have longer range

Middling performance

DESIGN & STYLING

Pros

Stylish looks, if hardly stand-out

Some interesting colours

Flexible platform means a bigger battery is on the way

Illuminated badges

Cons

Inoffensive looks

Illuminated badges (very much a matter of taste...)

The Grandland falls into the overwhelmingly competitive ‘mid-sized-SUV-ish-family-hatchback-thing’ class. It’s quite a departure from its predecessor. The switch to Stellantis’s STLA Medium platform has resulted in the machine growing considerably (helping make room for the new Vauxhall Frontera which sits at the other end of the C-SUV segment), and there’s entirely new styling that looks pleasingly upmarket. That includes a big central lip on the bonnet, which you peer down from behind the wheel.

At 4.65m long with a 2.78m wheelbase, it’s a touch bigger than the Scenic or Ford Explorer but a very similar size to the ID 4. It’s hardly a ground-breaking design, but the '3D Vizor' front grille is fairly striking, especially on the GS and Ultimate models, which have the griffin logo illuminated. The 'Vauxhall' script on the bootlid is also illuminated and you get 19in alloy wheels on every version.

It can fall a little flat in dark colours, like the blue of the Grandland Hybrid reviewed elsewhere on this website, but there are also some interesting colours to choose from, including Impact Copper, which is a '70s-esque shade that some might suggest is metallic brown. We’re all for it.

INTERIOR

Pros

Smart finish

Real buttons

Loads of space

Cons

No ‘frunk’

Narrow rear windscreen

Others have better screen graphics

The interior of the Grandland Electric makes good use of the extra space from the previous generation, and in our view is better resolved than in the closely related Peugeot e-3008. While the French firm clearly went chasing style, Vauxhall’s focus was on being reassuringly Vauxhall, so even though there’s a big touchscreen you still get physical controls for things like the heating. It’s all reassuringly familiar.

The dashboard is a fairly simple structure of horizontal lines, but it’s finished in some pleasingly tactile textiles that look very smart and are present throughout the cabin. The centre console is high, so it feels as if it bisects the driver and front passenger. It's finished in some hard, matt plastics that aren’t unpleasant but maybe don’t feel quite as high-end as in some rivals. Mind you, in many ways that’s still preferable to the piano black finish that’s common these days, as you won’t spend half your life buffing fingerprints off the dash.

There are some cute design touches, though: on the GS and Ultimate models, you get a ‘Pixel Box’, which is a wireless phone charging pad that’s secreted away beneath a glass lid. some trims get cooled centre console storage cubbies and other tech-laden treats.

As for tech, the base Design gets two 10in screens, while higher-spec models get a 16in touchscreen. Configurable button on the home page and physical air-con controls are all very welcome features, plus there’s the essential wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and over-the-air software update compatibility.

It has to be said that the graphics aren’t quite up there with Audi and BMW, and it can be a touch laggy at times, but this new infotainment system (also seen in the 3008 and 5008) is usefully better to use than any previous Stellantis infotainment set-up.

There’s also the option of a head-up display, if you want it.

The seats are very comfortable, as well as upholstered in 100% recycled material, with even the manually controlled seats in lower-spec cars getting adjustable thigh support and lumbar support, although it would be good if the seats would drop a bit lower.

Space is good up front and in the back, where passengers have masses of leg room, very decent head room, a centre rear armrest and a couple of USB-C charging ports.

The boot is a very good size: at 550 litres, it's almost up there with the Skoda Enyaq and Tesla Model Y for sheer roominess, plus the rear seats are split 40/20/40.

There’s no frunk, though, so you will have to make do with the underfloor cable storage in the boot.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Pros

Variable brake regen

Physical driving-mode selector

Reasonably fast charging

Cons

Middling pace

No four-wheel-drive option with the smaller battery

On the road, the Grandland Electric is perfectly decent. Again, that’s not meant as faint praise: that’s exactly what many buyers will be after. Unlike many EVs it’s not tuned for lightning acceleration, although the throttle response is good and it has decent punch when you need it. There are three levels of regen controlled by steering wheel paddles, which we like, although the highest level stops short of being a true one-pedal mode.

The single 210bhp electric motor powering its front wheels makes it good for 0-62mph in 9.0sec, which is fairly sedate by the standard of this class. It's fine for most uses, but while the Grandland Electric doesn’t feel underpowered when it’s only carrying a couple of people, we have a suspicion that it could feel strained when full of people and stuff or if you decide to utilise the 1200kg towing limit.

Still, as long as you avoid Eco driving mode, which really neuters the accelerator pedal’s response, it feels just fine to breeze along in at lower speeds. It’s all perfectly easy to modulate and judge, not to mention pleasantly refined. There are three regenerative braking modes to choose from, none of which is quite heavy enough for one-pedal driving, but you can toggle through them via the steering wheel paddles - which is useful and straightforward. Hyundai's and Kia's regen system is still more flexible, but the Grandland’s is intuitive and doesn’t feel grabby, which is all that most will need or want.

Otherwise, charging speeds are up to 160kW for 10-80% charge in 26 minutes, and you get a heat pump as standard to help with winter efficiency.

Our test was in near-freezing conditions but we still averaged a creditable 3.2mpkWh, likely helped by the heat pump that's included as standard. That suggests a real world range of close to 250 miles.

RIDE & HANDLING

Pros

Nice steering

Good refinement

Perfectly benign

Cons

Busy ride

Plenty of body lean

Weight of EV can be felt

Frequency Selective Damping is standard on the EV (and an option on the petrol version), which automatically adjusts the damping depending on the roads and your driving style. That keeps the ride unflustered, although it does jar a bit on bigger potholes and ruts. It’s generally very comfortable and likeable, and with the quiet powertrain gives a relaxing, poised feel.

That’s also true of the handling: it’s an easy car to steer and place on the road, but it’s never really engaging. The steering is direct, but at speed you can always feel the considerable weight of the battery beneath you. It's fit for purpose – nothing more, nothing less. It gets frequency-selective damping as standard, and on 20in alloy wheels, it keeps the ride reasonably calm. But it’s not without a subtle yet constant fidget over scruffy town surfaces, and while that settles down at higher speeds, it’s replaced by a more jarring bump absorption over sharper-edged potholes and ruts.

Don’t get us wrong; it’s not as if you drive the Grandland down the road thinking ‘blimey, this is uncomfortable'. In fact, it’s impressively hushed and softly sprung, so feels rather likeably old-school in the way it goes down the road. But the finer ride comfort aspects can reveal how hard the suspension is working to keep the Grandland’s mass in check, and the bigger wheels of our top-spec test car don’t help matters, either.

The steering is nicely weighted – a touch heavier than in many rivals, and with a slim-rimmed steering wheel that’s pleasant to use. You can make it heavier still with the Sport mode (accessible via a physical button on the console, which is always better than a screen menu), but the Grandland just isn’t a car that feels like it warrants a Sport mode.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Pros

Low list price

Competitive finance

Good equipment list

Cons

Others have longer warranties

Unremarkable efficiency

The Grandland Electric is certainly good value: Vauxhall has already trimmed the prices, so entry-level Design models start from £37,345, and mid-spec trim models also sneak under the £40,000 luxury tax threshold – which will be very useful when EVs start paying Vehicle Excise Duty from 1 April 2025 onwards.

That mid-level GS trim is tipped to account for the bulk of UK sales and has most kit you need, including a rear-view camera, heated sets and intelli-lux auto-dipping matrix headlights.

Our top-spec Ultimate trim was priced at £40,495, and even that undercuts plenty of rivals – notably including its Peugeot stablemates that use the same platform. It's worth remembering Vauxhall does typically offer really decent PCP finance or leasing costs, so the Grandland may well be a good bet if you pay monthly.

As noted, we achieved 3.2mpkWh in cold conditions on UK roads, and 3.5mpkWh on the international first drive earlier this year. That's decent if not sensational, and should make the Grandland reasonably cost-effective to run, especially if you have access to home charging.

A three-year/60,000 mile warranty with separate coverage of eight years/100,000 miles for the battery is par for the course with many manufacturers but seriously underwhelming next to the longer warranties provided by Hyundai, Kia, MG, Peugeot and Toyota.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 7

Vauxhall Grandland Electric

Vauxhall's popular SUV gains an electric version that's safe and sensible, if not sensational

Good

Loads of space

Smart interior

Competitively priced

Bad

Slightly fidgety ride

Other EVs have longer range

Middling performance

The Grandland Electric isn't the sort of EV that's going to get you hugely excited or envisaging a bold new future of radically reinvented motoring. But that's sort of the point. It's a decent all-rounder, and while it might like in radical styling, scintillating performance or thrilling handling, it delivers in areas more relevant to real-world, everday driving: cost, comfort, size and practicality.

It has the refinement, technology and space on offer to make it a very serviceable and effective family EV, and the list price and monthly costs are very competitive. There's nothing that would really put you off about the Grandland Electric, and it would make for an easy, amiable companion. But there's also nothing that will really grab you with excitement, or that stands out as being particularly memorable. It's very sensible.

If you just want a practical, easy-going electric family car, it will tick all the boxes – but it's one of those worthy yet unremarkable cars that may struggle to stand out among its many and varied rivals.

TECHNICAL SPECS

Model tested:

Vauxhall Grandland Electric

Price:

£37,345

Price as tested:

£40,496

Electric motor/s:

Single, permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor

Drive battery:

73kWh lithium-ion NMC

Driveline layout:

Front motor, FWD

Model tested

Vauxhall Grandland Electric

Price

£37,345

Price as tested

£40,496

View all specs and rivals

Electric motor/s

Single, permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor

Drive battery

73kWh lithium-ion NMC

Driveline layout

Front motor, FWD

Power

210bhp

Torque

254lb ft

0-62mph

9.0sec

Top speed

105mph

Kerb weight (DIN)

2120kg

Battery size

73kWh (total)

Energy efficiency

4.5mpkWh

Range

325 miles

Rivals Peugeot E-3008 Renault Scenic E-Tech Hyundai Ioniq 5

Power

210bhp

Torque

254lb ft

0-62mph

9.0sec

Top speed

105mph

Kerb weight (DIN)

2120kg

Battery size

73kWh (total)

Energy efficiency

4.5mpkWh

Range

325 miles

Rivals Peugeot E-3008 Renault Scenic E-Tech Hyundai Ioniq 5

James Attwood

Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets.