Vauxhall Frontera

After the Government announced that every Vauxhall EV was eligible for the £1,500 Electric Car Grant (ECG) introduced in August 2025, the entry level EV in Design trim will cost £22,495 while the higher-spec GS starts from  £24,495. In comparison the Frontera Hybrid starts from just over £24,000.

Three are offered. Entry level Design comes with a 10” touchscreen, Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, LED headlights & 16” wheels . GS adds 17” alloys, front parking sensors, blind spot alert, a black roof, high-gloss black wing mirrors, a black Griffin logo, dark silver skid plates, tinted rear windows & LED taillights. Ultimate, includes high gloss black roof rails with a 240kg load capacity, LED front fog lights, heated seats, steering wheel & windscreen.

Whilst an almost identical model to the Citroen C3 Aircross, Vauxhalls design is clearly evident with the brands Vizor grille & Intelli-LED headlights at the front. Vauxhall have also managed to introduce a curvy C pillar which stands out best with the contrasting black roof. The upright rear features Frontera lettering with a new light signature, of three blocks,  with large low down silver coloured bumper.

Compared to the C3 Aircross it’s a little conservative, with black, chrome & greys dominating on the dash front, seat fabric & doors. There’s plenty of generic Stellantis switchgear on offer & the same ‘Pure Panel’ design as other Vauxhall models. Two 10” displays, one for the instruments & the other for the infotainment.

The use of physical buttons for some key functions in the Frontera is good news as is the three-spoke, flat-bottomed steering wheel contains buttons for cruise control on the left & the infotainment & phone on the right. The wheel itself is compact meaning you can see both the drivers display & heads-up display clearly.

The seat covers feel tough & durable & the finishes are generally good with just some cheaper scratchy plastics located in the usual spots, out of sight down low. There’s also an adjustable band on the centre console that’s been cleverly designed to fit drinks containers of varying sizes. All in all it’s impressive at psi price point.

Lifted from many other Stellantis models it’s easy to use, features clear graphics, connects promptly to CarPlay. Separate climate controls sit beneath which is more good news. Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto are included as standard.

Four USB-C ports also come as standard along with a wireless smartphone charger. It’s easy to use but perhaps feels a little basic when compared to some newer offerings out there.

This is where the Frontera really shines, with the option of a third row of seats on GS & Ultimate hybrid versions. Two-way adjustable headrests & a ‘fold and tumble’ seat mechanism also provide easy access to the third row when fitted.

Cabin compartments offer interior storage of up to 23 litres, while the 60:40 split second-row seats & a two-level boot floor mean a capacity of 1,600 litres with the rear seats down, 460 litres when they’re in place.

The boot opening is also pleasingly large almost square witty a low load lip, so loading & unloading is very easy. The availability of roof rails with 240kg capacity enhances the Frontera’s load-carrying credentials further.

Two battery configurations are offered. A Standard Range 44 kWh battery with a claimed WLTP range of up to 188 miles or the larger Extended Range 54 kWh battery which increases the range to 249 miles. On our shortish test route at temperatures outside of 12 degrees Centigrade we were seeing a return of 3.8 miles/kWh. Our experience of the larger 54kWh battery fitted to other Stellantis models would suggest a range of 220-240 miles on mixed roads in warmer weather & 180-200 miles as the nights get colder for the Extended Range model.

It’s worth mentioning that Vauxhall are making more effort than most brands when it comes to helping customers into an EV with Electric All In. This includes, 8 years of comprehensive roadside & emergency charging assistance, 8 years/100,000 miles battery warranty for at least 70% of the original charging capacity.

For those taking their first EV step, choose from £500 credit to be used towards either an Ohme home charger installation or Tesco charging credit or Octopus Electroverse credit or Connected Kerb credit, a more than generous s 10,000 miles’ worth of free home charging when switching to the Intelligent Octopus GO home energy tariff . This also includes unlimited access to Connect Plus, giving access to the full suite of connected services available through Vauxhall Connect.

In addition, thanks to Vauxhall’s partnership with Tesco, retail customers can collect 50,000 Tesco Clubcard points when they purchase a new car through a participating Vauxhall retailer. This offer applies to all new Vauxhalls, and not just those with electric powertrains.

Safety

As with all manufacturer’s new cars the Frontera is packed with safety features. These include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, speed sign recognition, driver drowsiness alert, forward collision alert, blind spot alert & cruise control with speed limiter.

Frontera Electric charging times from 20-80%

In the smaller 44kWh version if you’re out & about on a DC rapid charger this will take 26 minutes or 28 minutes for the 54kWh model. At home on a 7.4kwh charger the times are 4 hours 10 minutes or 5 hours 5 minutes respectively.

The Frontera Electric takes 12.8 seconds to reach 62mph with a top speed of 87mph. The 54kWh Extended Range model takes 13 seconds to reach 62mph. With 111bhp & just 125Nm of torque these figures are hardly surprising although unlike many EV’s the electric Frontera doesn’t offer a low down acceleration which was a surprise.

We took our 44kWh model out on a test route that encompassed all types of driving roads & whilst it’s a doddle to drive it’s hardly exiting. This though is missing the point a step electric Frontera does what it says on the tin. The cabin is spacious & comfortable. Both the infotainment screen &  the driver information display can  be personalised, while a rear-view camera on all models makes reversing easy.

Head & legroom up-front is excellent as is the surprisingly good rear space. It’s worth noting that battery positioning in the Electric means the rear floor is slightly raised compared with the Hybrid resulting in higher knees but it’s a very minor difference.

The cabins bright & airy & the upright driving position gives a good command of the road ahead. Road noise is noticeable at 40mph + especially on wet tarmac,  after all a lot of glass on offer. Ride comfort is pleasingly good masking the worst aspects of battery weight & poor road surfaces. Whilst the steering is light & responsive, don’t expect much feel, it’s very much a city cruiser at which it excels.

If you do hit the motorway then don’t despair. Cruise control is standard & although acceleration is slow, once up to speed this car will sit happily at motorway speed limits. We’d also like to praise Vauxhalls sound system which is really good. We had connected our iPhone to CarPlay easily & quickly & listening to our favourite podcast at 70mph didn’t mean we struggled to hear it.

Alongside sister model the C3 Aircross, it’s amazing value for money. Clever thinking has also delivered a practical user-friendly cabin. For company car drivers you get a family sized-SUV with just 3% BIK. Vauxhall’s excellent ‘Electric All In’ is another plus.

Cons

The cabin & ride aren’t quite as good as the C3 Aircross offers. Some lower down plastics & surface finishes feel cheap & cheerful.  Whilst it does a great job of carrying five passengers & their luggage, it does feel slow & not very engaging.

Like a defensive midfielder, the electric Frontera does all of the stuff that needs doing, without making a song & dance about it. Spacious, tick. Comfortable, tick, well equipped, tick, practical, tick & perhaps best off all an absolute bargain price-wise !

If you’re expecting electric thrills this isn’t the car that delivers & it doesn’t have the same ‘uptown-funk’ the C3 Aircross offers. However, Vauxhall’s EV commitment is to be commended, as is there willingness to price-point a practical EV at under £23,00. You’d have to pay a bit more for our favoured model, the 54kWh GS at just under £30,000, but even so this car is a steal !