Advert
The Vauxhall Grandland Electric is now available with all-wheel drive, adding extra capability to a package that already offers lots of space, a user-friendly cockpit and good value for money.
The latest Vauxhall Grandland looks much better than its predecessor, it offers more space, it drives well and it offers good value – and it’s now available with all-wheel drive, so does this make it even more of a capable all-rounder?
The Vauxhall Grandland is a large family-friendly estate, based on a Stellantis platform shared with the Peugeot 3008, with a slightly raised ride height, which results in it gaining an SUV label. Its ‘pure’ rather than fussy design approach looks good on the outside (although it looks better in colours other than the ‘Graphic Grey’ of our test car), and on the inside, the dashboard is a brilliant combination of screens and physical controls, which we’ll talk more about shortly.
The Grandland measures 4,650mm in length, with lots of rear legroom, but only five seats. There’s a large 550-litre boot, increasing to 1,645 litres with the rear seats folded, and a big space under the boot floor, ideal for storing charging cables.
Under the skin is a 73kWh (net) battery – larger than the batteries in most Stellantis EVs over recent years – with two electric motors: a 213 PS motor on the front axle, and a 112 PS motor on the rear axle, giving a total power output of 325 PS.
The Vauxhall Grandland Electric, like many new cars, is classed as an SUV. The term SUV used to refer to vehicles such as the Range Rover Sport, which had roots as a utility vehicle, but it was also sporty. The Vauxhall Grandland is basically a large estate with a slightly raised ride height and front-wheel drive, so we’re not convinced that it meets the eligibility for an ‘SUV’ label (again, like many cars that are referred to as SUVs). However, the Grandland Electric is now available with all-wheel drive, so in our view that edges it closer to fitting the SUV description.
The Grandland Electric doesn’t operate in all-wheel drive all of the time – it depends on which drive mode you select (the drive modes are selected via a user-friendly controller on the centre console next to the gear selector). Eco mode uses front-wheel drive only, with the rear motor only kicking in under hard acceleration, and it’s the same for Normal mode. In Sport Mode, both motors operate continuously, but the system has a 60:40 front:rear power split. In AWD Mode both the front and rear motors run continuously, splitting power evenly (50:50) for maximum grip. As with any car with 4×4 pretensions we tested the Grandland Electric AWD off the beaten track and it coped perfectly fine with some light off-roading.
All-wheel drive capability aside, the Grandland Electric has some agility in its chassis, which helps with the handling, and it’s comfortable, with good ride quality on smooth roads, but the large 20-inch alloy wheels and relatively low profile tyres on our test car mean you’ll feel potholes.
You get more performance than the front-wheel drive model thanks to the twin motors of the AWD version, with 325 PS of power and a 0-62 mph time of 6.1 seconds (compared to 213 PS and 9.0 seconds for the FWD model).
The gear selector is the standard Stellantis ‘switch’ between the front seats, but rather than the traditional ‘B’ setting for increased brake regeneration, there are steering wheel-mounted paddles to adjust the level of brake regen, giving three levels of regenerative braking rather than one, which is a better solution.
The Grandland Electric is good to drive and the AWD model delivers more capability, but one of the best things about the car is the design of the car controls on the dashboard. In contrast to many new EVs having all car controls buried in a touchscreen, especially from Chinese brands, the Grandland has a brilliant mix of screens (a central touchscreen and a 10-inch digital instrument cluster in front of the driver) and physical controls.
Even when using Apple CarPlay, you still get cabin temperature controls accessible at both ends of the wide 16-inch central touchscreen. But if you prefer to change the cabin temperature (or fan speed) with physical controls, Vauxhall has helpfully provided those too. There’s also a button on the screen to bring up the full climate controls, as well as a home button – but there are also physical buttons for these items under the screen, along with a vehicle button to allow you to switch off ADAS features such as the lane departure warning. There’s even a physical volume dial, and a physical button to switch off the alarm, for example if you’ve got dogs in the car.
Having reviewed every electric car ever on sale in the UK, with increasing numbers of models having absolutely no physical controls on the dashboard, whoever designed the Grandland’s dashboard with driver user-friendliness as the priority should be awarded a knighthood.
The Grandland has Intelli-Lux HD headlights with over 50,000 elements, which should ensure the road is well lit at night.
The Vauxhall Grandland Electric Ultimate AWD with its 73kWh (net) battery has a WLTP combined electric driving range of 306 miles. This is an improvement on many previous Stellantis EVs, which have had 50 kWh or 54 kWh batteries delivering driving ranges of between 200 and 250 miles. After a week on test the real-world range was averaging 270 miles. The Grandland Electric has an energy consumption figure of 3.6 miles/kWh.
Another area of progress is the charging rate – almost all previous mainstream Stellantis EVs have had the same 100 kW charging rate, but the Grandland Electric is capable of a maximum ultra-rapid charging rate of 160 kW, which should deliver a 20% to 80% charge in 26 minutes. A 20% to 80% AC charge at 11kW should take 4 hours 30 minutes – or 6 hours 45 minutes using 7kW AC charging.
A heat pump was fitted to our test car for improved cold weather range.
All electric Vauxhall models are available with the brand’s ‘Plug & Go’ offer, which includes access to a variety of charging solutions.
All Grandland Electric variants are eligible for the £1,500 discount of the UK Government Electric Car Scheme. After the grant, the GS AWD (73kWh) price is £35,495, the Ultimate AWD (73kWh) price is £36,995 – the AWD models are actually cheaper than the FWD variants due to Vauxhall’s pricing strategy.
There are three trim levels for the Grandland Electric range. Design trim is the entry-level model, with no AWD option. GS Trim features a black roof, 19-inch wheels and a 16-inch touchscreen. Ultimate Trim adds 20-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, a head-up display, premium audio, a 360-degree camera, and semi-automated driving tech.
The Vauxhall Grandland Electric is spacious, comfortable, and in AWD form, more capable than the front-wheel drive model for slippery or off-road conditions. We love the user-friendly dashboard, which includes physical controls rather than all car controls being buried in a touchscreen. You also get a practical range and ultra-rapid 160 kW charging. The Grandland Electric is good value for money anyway, but this is especially the case with the all-wheel drive models, which are actually cheaper than the front-wheel drive variants. The Vauxhall Grandland Electric AWD is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 9 out of 10.
Drive an EV for less than you think with Select Car Leasing 
Save 20-50% on an EV through salary sacrifice with The Electric Car Scheme 
ClearWatt supports buyers, sellers and owners of EVs with app-based battery health testing and detailed EV data insights available for every used EV in the UK. Take the stress out of buying a used EV with ClearWatt and save 10% on all their products with promo code “GCG10”. 
Zapmap: UK's No.1 EV charging points app 2025. Zapmap helps EV drivers search for EV chargers, plan longer journeys and pay for charging. 
With Pod, you're in good hands. With over 15 years of EV charging experience, drivers trust Pod to keep their EVs charged and ready to go. 
Paul Clarke, GreenCarGuide Editor
