Vauxhall Frontera Electric Review 2025

One of the reasons those with no experience of electric cars cite for sticking with combustion-engined alternatives is their expense. While that price differential has been reducing year-on-year, for some it’s still too great. Perhaps that might be about to change with the Vauxhall Frontera Electric which costs the same as the mild hybrid petrol versions.

Yes, you did read that correctly — this new small electric SUV costs from £23,495 regardless of whether you go for it in full battery-powered guise or as the 100PS Vauxhall Frontera Hybrid in entry-level Design specification.

So what about if you fancy the increased level of standard-fit gear that come with the upgrade to GS trim? Both the Vauxhall Frontera Electric and the Hybrid-badged versions cost £25,895. That’s quite an achievement.

How do those price tags compare with the Frontera Electric’s rivals? You need at least £26,195 to get behind the wheel of a BYD Dolphin with a similarly-sized battery and power output, while the Ford Puma Gen-E starts at £29,995 — it has a similar-sized battery to the Frontera but significantly more power.

Even the cheapest Kia EV3 — admittedly with more power, greater battery capacity and a larger body — will set you back £32,995 and that’s from a brand that’s a paragon of fine value for money.

Until other manufacturers get their acts together, the Frontera Electric’s closest rival will be an in-house one in the form of the soon-to-be-launched Citroen e-C3 Aircross. Not only do the two share their underpinnings and battery pack, quite a lot of the bodywork is also common between the two. That may put off a small number of customers but most will neither notice nor care.

Sharing showroom space with the Frontera Electric is the more compact — by 229mm bumper-to-bumper — Vauxhall Mokka Electric, yet the newcomer has a smaller battery, at least to begin with.

From launch the sole Vauxhall Frontera Electric choice in terms of power is a 113PS motor sending drive to the front wheels via a single-speed automatic transmission. Not only is its power output modest, so is its peak torque at 124.5Nm, reflected in a leisurely 0-62mph time of 12.1 seconds with an electronically capped top speed of 87mph.

Its battery capacity is also on the small side quoted at 44kWh which corresponds with an electric drive range on the WLTP Combined cycle of 186 miles between recharges. That’s fine for those who drive almost exclusively short journeys but we expect the forthcoming Long Range alternative to be the more popular courtesy of its provisionally quoted range of 248 miles. It arrives later in 2025.

Smaller batteries generally take less time to recharge and that’s true in the Frontera Electric’s case. Using a conventional 7kW AC domestic wallbox charger a 20-100% replenishment requires 5 hours 40 minutes. If you’re on a longer journey and need DC rapid charging, this Vauxhall can accept a 100kW flow rate taking it from 20-80% charge in 26 minutes.

In terms of standard equipment and interior space, the Vauxhall Frontera Electric matches its Hybrid-badged siblings, with no reduction in boot capacity to accommodate its high-voltage battery. The key difference is that the GS specification’s seven-seater option isn’t available.

Orders for the Vauxhall Frontera Electric opened in January 2025 with first customer deliveries expected in early spring.

Keep this page bookmarked to read our forthcoming comprehensive Vauxhall Frontera Electric review.