New e-SUV: Vauxhall orders some updates to its baby Mokka  

Vauxhall has tweaked its best-selling electric utility vehicle to improve efficiency by up to 20%. But crucially, practicality remains the same despite a larger 54kwh battery. So, what’s the catch? 

Ok, so we’ll be straight with you: this technically isn’t a new car. Rather, the new Vauxhall Mokka Electric is more of a facelift without the ‘face’ part. Piqued your curiosity yet? 

Instead of fiddling with the styling, adding a superfluous vent here, and a bit of plastic trim there, Vauxhall has finally addressed the EV Mokka’s Achilles’ heel: the lackluster driving range. Like many compact electric SUVs, the original electric Mokka suffered from a circa 200-mile driving range that (with cold weather and varied driving conditions) could plummet even lower.  

Riding in to save the day, the latest extended-range Mokka Electric promises to address EV range gripes like those of Honda’s latest e:Ny1. With an extra 43 miles crammed into a new larger battery pack, the plug-powered Mokka can now run from Edinburgh to Manchester without stopping — a distance of 252 miles.

However, while this should be enough range for most buyers, it still falls some way short of MG’s ZS EV Long Range and Hyundai’s Kona Electric. Helping to distract buyers from this salient fact, Vauxhall has added a further 19 bhp to the standard car’s 134 bhp figure, resulting in a marginally quicker 9 second 0-60 mph dash.  

While that 252-mile figure might be on the shorter side of adequate, standard fit Michelin Primacy 4 tyres will help to ensure no miles are squandered through inefficient rubber. With 20% greater mileage than its predecessor, Primacy 4 maximises longevity and range without compromising wet weather performance.

So, what’s the damage for all this extra efficiency? Vauxhall are charging a fairly reasonable £1,000 more across all three trim levels (Design, GS, and Ultimate), which means the latest Mokka is still slightly cheaper than a comparable Hyundai Kona, but a little more expensive than the MG at £36,610.  

Has Vauxhall’s improved battery put the new Mokka on your radar? The order books are now open with the first deliveries expected in March of this year. Topping sales for the best B-segment e-SUV in 2023, can Vauxhall’s tweaks help it to claim the title for a second year?

Hero image credit:  Vauxhall