How the electric Opel Corsa has changed (and how it rides) after the recent restyling

From style to new technical solutions, the revised & corrected version of the electric Corsa doubles and adds power and autonomy.How it goes and what it offers in our test.

It changed its name (from Corsa-e to Corsa Electric) but the substance remains very similar to what we told you four years ago in one of ours video.Electric, a close relative of the Peugeot e-208 (another compact electric from the Stellantis group), with dimensions also suitable for the city (it is 4 meters long) and an autonomy that is growing, of around 400 kilometers (in the first edition they were 300 ). Four years later, Opel presents a revised & corrected version of its "electric for everyone", as they launched it on the occasion of its debut.

The first images date back to last May:in fact what is defined as a restyling, which slightly changes the design (it is especially noticeable in the front, aligned with the other electric ones of the brand, Mokka and Astra), reviews the technology, but above all adds a new electric version, more powerful, efficient and with improved autonomy.After closing 2023 at 13th place in the sales rankings of electric cars in Italy (1,493 registrations according to the data Unrae), today there are two electric versions of the Opel Corsa, to which one will soon be added for the first time mild hybrid version 48 Volt, less virtuous but suitable for those who don't yet feel ready for an electric car.

Opel Corsa electric, now there are two versions

We were saying... With an autonomy (declared, we will see the "real" one later) of over 400 kilometres, interesting financing formulas and access to the highest range of Ecobonus, the electric version of the Corsa remains a very interesting proposition for those who choose an electric:city-sized dimensions, an equipment in terms of Adas and active safety that is already very complete and today even richer.And, in addition, a new driving pleasure, from the 136 horsepower of the previous version (which remains available), to the 156 now, always pleasantly silent and without emissions.Among the new features there is also one bigger battery (51 kWh) and efficient, thanks to greater energy density.

To be honest, it didn't surprise us that much.Apart from the improved performance, the Corsa Electric (we'll call it by its new name from now on) is the same as always:snappy, pleasant, silent.But above all practical in terms of spaces, compartments for objects, visibility and maneuverability.And also practical in managing everyday life, with charging that accepts up to 100 kW in direct current and 22 in alternating current, with the results that we will see later.

“Hey Opel take me home”

Inside, evolution is more perceptible.Spaces, seats, design remain largely unchanged:space in front is good, less space for passengers in the back.But now the dashboard is completely digital, the infotainment system has a new and larger one 10 inch touch screen.Connectivity has improved and now - finally - when you get on board your smartphone (whether Apple or Android), it connects to the car wirelessly, without the need for a cable.Comfortable too wireless cell phone charging:just place it in the compartment near the gearbox, remove the cover (if it's not one of those), and goodbye cables!Thanks to voice commands by saying “Hey Opel” the infotainment system allows you to make a phone call or set a location on the navigator.Thus the materials, plastics and fabrics have an improvable appearance.

Safety equipment is growing

And then safety, one of the themes that at LifeGate we will never tire of highlighting as one of the priority choice criteria for a car, safety which has grown on the Corsa Electric with accident warning systems with emergency braking and pedestrian detection, with an adaptive cruise control that regulates the speed, brakes and accelerates on its own and remains active even in traffic jams.The road sign recognition system is very useful, projecting the speed limit not to be exceeded onto the on-board instruments.While if you drive for too long, there is a system that detects tiredness and suggests taking a break.Security which, however, in the EuroNcap evaluation (carried out in 2019) stopped at 4 stars;good but not great.

Another aspect related to safety:night driving.THE LED matrix headlights, i.e. adaptive, i.e. capable of adapting to traffic and light conditions, were already present on the electric Corsa when they debuted in 2019 (and they went rather well).Now that the number of LEDs has increased (from 8 to 14), night visibility has also increased, to the benefit of visibility and, once again, road safety.As for maneuvering, the Corsa was already agile in traffic, now with the side blind spot warning systems, the 180-degree camera and those for parking assistance, everything is even simpler and more intuitive.And if you think that the Adas systems listed are now widespread and "obvious", you are wrong:with an average age of over 13 years, the Italian fleet is largely devoid of driver assistance systems;the consequence is the high number of road accidents, many right in the city.

Performance, autonomy and charging times:this is what the electric Corsa offers

And now we come to some considerations on the driving and performance of the Opel Corsa Electric.At this point, we can only confirm what we wrote in our first test drive:easy to handle, agile (more than before thanks at least in the new version with more powerful electric motor from 115 kW or 156 horsepower), pleasant in city traffic, comfortable and silent in extra-urban traffic.The maximum speed, whichever version you choose, remains the same as before, i.e 150 km/h.And, as before, it is better not to abuse it, unless you want to see the autonomy reduced considerably, the motorway sections tackled at high speeds are in fact the electric car's worst enemies because they greatly reduce its autonomy:on average imagine counting on approx 300 kilometers “true”.

It also depends on which of the 3 driving modes you use the most: Normal, Eco or Sport.The meaning of the three options is understandable, the choice depends not only on the greater or lesser driving dynamics, but also on the effect of the regenerative braking, that is, that every time you brake, face downhill sections or, in general, lift your foot from the accelerator, it recovers energy which powers the electric range.

Come on charging times of the battery, Opel declares for the fast direct current one (that of the 100 kW columns to be clear) "up to 80 percent less than 30 minutes”, while for the other options there is a 7.4 kW single-phase charger as standard, while the 11 kW three-phase charger is on request, but shortens charging times (if you have a wallbox) to approximately 3 hours.And now we come to the price:Opel Corsa Electric is available from 36 thousand 500 euros still confirming the strong gap compared to the similar petrol version (from 19,450 euros);the gap can be partially filled by accessing the incentives provided by the government for 2024, which will be confirmed in detail at the beginning of February;for updates please refer to the website Mise.