Flipping the switch
Our petrol vs the Mokka-e. By Jake Groves
Time to plug in! The Mokka’s CMP platform is designed to cope with different power sources while being fundamentally the same car. I’ve been trying the electric version, which is practically indistinguishable from mine. Well, apart from some ‘e’ badges, and a green numberplate, and a power meter instead of a rev counter, and it’s cleaner… ANYWAY.
The facts: a 50kWh battery, a single 134bhp e-motor and, when I had the keys, a maximum claimed range of 201 miles (Vauxhall has since changed the standard tyres and made a couple of tweaks to up it to 209). During my time with it, the maximum indicated range was 186 miles. Not bad.
The additional weight’s improved the ride quality – my
Mokka’s more jittery than this car – and the EV’s half a second quicker than my 128bhp petrol and plenty zippy around town; you do without the sometimes indecisive eight-speed auto on my car.
Unlike my point last month about the modes meaning very little on my car, the Mokka-e’s modes actually do stuff. Eco reduced power, Normal is, er… normal, and Sport unleashes all of the oomph. I left it in Eco, in which it’s happy pottering about town.
But there’s one big annoyance: the range predictor. It’s all over the place. It says 186 miles on a full charge, but on one occasion dropped to around 130 after a few miles of driving, then went up to 150-ish after another few miles… and so the rollercoaster predictions continued. (Ah, yes, welcome to EVs, Jake. BM.) While range anxiety isn’t a thing if you’re sticking to short journeys, this feels like you’re riding the Tesla share price bar graph – it’s exhausting.
And yet I’ve seen loads of Mokka-e models on the road. I get it – this is a hugely stylish, super simple EV that doesn’t rock the boat. Perfect for the suburbanite moving up from a small family car, and for those who’ve got a wallbox, a driveway, and an easy commute. By those metrics, Vauxhall’s done its job.
Vauxhall Mokka SRi Nav Premium Month 7
The story so far
Trying out the electric Mokka – how does it differ from ours? ★ Instant throttle response on EV version, and a softer ride - Vacillating range predictor
Logbook
Price £27,455 (£27,775 as tested) Performance 1199cc turbocharged three-cylinder, 128bhp, 9.2sec 0-62mph, 124mph Efficiency 47.1mpg (official), 42.9mpg (tested), 137g/km CO2 Energy cost 15.8p per mile Miles this month 1760 Total miles 10,896