Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric (2022 - )

Vauxhall has added a fully electrified estate model to its line-up and with a driving range between charges of up to 258 miles, it is likely to gain plenty of interest from the fleet market.

While the estate, or Sports Tourer to give it its proper title, is virtually the same as the standard Astra Electric with a 54kWh battery pack and 154bhp electric motor, the big difference is the much larger boot capacity which is increased from 352 litres on the Astra hatch to 516 litres on the estate.

Prices start from £39,995 and customers have a choice of trim levels called Design, GS and Ultimate. We opted for the range-topper for our test drive which saw the cost creep over the £46k mark which is a lot of cash for a Vauxhall. But will that price-tag scare off the buyers in a sector that, in all honesty, has very little competition?

The all-new Astra Sports Tourer Electric looks great from any approach thanks to its neat streamlining and sporty design. It certainly doesn’t look like any load lugger from bygone days that’s for sure.

It boasts the company’s new bold design with the distinctive Vizor front end that was first debuted on the latest Mokka. This features a smooth panel housing the black Griffin logo that is flanked each end by signature lights. There are sports front and rear bumpers, dark tinted rear windows, black door mirrors and 18-inch alloy wheels.

The interior is clutter-free and modern in its design and layout with plenty of tech to explore. The eight-way powered driver’s seat means its quick and easy to find a great driving position and there is ample manual adjustment to the steering wheel too.

Alcantara upholstery, alloy-effect pedals, a panoramic sunroof, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, black headliner and lots of soft touch surfaces give the car an upmarket feel. Vauxhall has certainly benefited from sharing technology across the Stellantis group with far improved interior designs these days. 

On-board technology includes a 10-inch colour touchscreen with multimedia navigation system built in. There is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, Bluetooth, natural voice recognition, a six-speaker sound system, DAB radio and wireless charging for mobile devices.

All the vital driving data can be clearly viewed on the 10-inch digital driver cluster and a head-up display is another convenient feature.

It is a driver-focused cabin and we applaud Vauxhall for having physical controls for all the climate setting functions. It’s so much safer than having to navigate complicated drop-down menus on a touchscreen simply to raise or lower the temperature.

Powering the all-new Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric model is a 54kWh battery pack with a new e-motor delivering 156hp and 270Nm of torque. While it’s not exactly the fastest kid on the block, the car can complete the 0-62mph dash in a respectable 9.2 seconds and has a top speed of 105mph. 

Probably the main statistic though is the driving range between charges which is a WLTP-tested 256 miles. That should be fine for most business drivers who will also be saved the added costs of driving through low emission zones thanks to the car’s zero carbon emissions figure.

Out on the open road, the front-wheel drive Astra Sports Tourer Electric is nicely balanced through twisting bends with good levels of grip and next-to-no sign of body movement. The acceleration through the single-speed automatic transmission is smooth and the steering is well-weighted too.

Occupants are protected from outside noise although we did notice a little tyre rumble at higher speeds and the vehicle got a tad fidgety on rougher road surfaces. That aside; it’s quite a refined driving experience all round.

There are drive modes called Eco, Normal and Sport that alter the driving characteristics of the car and a B mode increases the regenerative braking level to capture more energy during braking.

It’s a vehicle that can effortlessly eat up the dual carriageway miles and is also nimble in busier town centres too, where all the sensors and park assist systems will make you look a complete expert when squeezing into tight spaces.

The Astra Sports Tourer Electric is a practical estate car that stretches 4,642mm in length, is 2,062mm wide (including mirrors), 1,481mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,732mm.

Up front, there is plenty of space to stretch out and back seat occupants also benefit from good levels of leg, head and shoulder space.

But the really big news is the boot. This sees quite a dramatic increase in capacity compared to the electrified Astra Hatchback which can hold 352 litres, increasing to 1,268 litres with the rear seats dropped. The Astra Sports Tourer Electric can swallow 516 litres of goodies and that limit increases to a very practical 1,553 litres with the 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat.

The boot has a wide-opening and a powered tailgate for added convenience and there are plenty of storage compartments scattered throughout the cabin, including a central cubby, door pockets, a glovebox, sunglasses storage, cup holders (front and rear) and some handy trays.

Charging the 54kWh battery from a 7kW wallbox takes 8 hours, or from an 11kW public charger it takes 5 hours, 45 minutes. If using a 100kW rapid charger a 20-80 per cent boost can be achieved in just 26 minutes.

The new Vauxhall Astra line-up costs from £26,160 for the entry-level hatchback Design model powered by a 1.2 petrol engine. The cheapest electric estate is £39,995 which is also for the Design trim. Our range-topping Astra Sports Tourer Ultimate Electric model cost £45,460 although it also featured tri-coat metallic paint that added a further £700 to the price-tag. 

That’s quite a hefty price for a Vauxhall in all honesty, but owners will soon start to reap the financial rewards of running an EV thanks to its zero carbon emissions figure.

The vehicle is exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty charges (road tax), Congestion and Ultra Low Emission Zone fees and owners are not hit with a premium car tax levy for owning a vehicle costing in excess of £40k. However, these incentives will be cut back or withdrawn completely from 2025, according the Government.

Any business owners considering the Astra Sports Tourer Electric as a company car will be pleased to hear it has an attractive Benefit in Kind tax rating of just two per cent.

It’s exciting times at Vauxhall right now with the company offering six fully electrified passenger vehicles and numerous LCVs too. From 2024, Vauxhall will have an all-electric version of every one of its models.

The Astra has been a huge success for the company and is now in its eighth generation. But this is the first time both the hatchback and estate have been offered in EV guise.

And if you remove fellow Stellantis stablemates such as the Peugeot E-308 SW from the mix, there are very few high-standard BEV estate cars out there right now.

But for anyone not quite ready for the leap to fully electrified driving, both the Astra hatch and estate are available with petrol or plug-in hybrid powertrains as well.