What_Car_UK_-_August_2020

68 August 2020 whatcar.com

COMPARISON

Ourfavourite smallelectric car,the Peugeote-208,has

a strong newrival in theshape of the closely related

Vauxhall Corsa-e.Will there bea shock upset?

Photography:OlgunKordal

Who’s in charge?

THECONTENDERS option with their regular 208

and Corsa models in an effort to

‘normalise’ electric power.

As well as blending in with

other small hatchbacks, rather

than shouting about their

electrifi cation from the rooftops,

the e-208 and Corsa-e are well

equipped, sport reasonable ranges

and support fast charging – all

things you want to hear if you’re

thinking of buying an electric car.

DRIVING

Performance, ride,

handling, re nement

With our contenders using the

same 50kWh battery and 134bhp

electric motor, it’s no surprise that

acceleration is almost identical,

both hitting 60mph from a

standstill in around eight seconds.

Acceleration tails off slightly at

motorway speeds, but between

30mph and 60mph – where you’ll

spend much of your time – both

pull strongly. And with no gears

or clutch to worry about, nipping

Peugeot e-208

GT

List price £29,965*

Target Price £29,482*

Vauxhall Corsa-e

Elite Nav

List price £30,310*

Target Price £29,991*

The small electric car to

beat; it’s smart inside and has

an impressive range.

Uses the same underpinnings,

motor and battery as the e-208,

but is it a better package?

into a tight gap in traffi c or making

an A-road overtake is a breeze.

Both cars have plenty of grip,

but the extra weight of their

batteries can be felt in corners;

despite having fi rmer suspension

than their petrol siblings, the

e-208 and Corsa-e aren’t quite as

agile and lean more. The e-208 is

more enjoyable, though, thanks

to its more accurate steering.

While the e-208 remains

comfortable over most surfaces,

the Corsa-e’s ride is more

unsettled, even on the motorway.

It’s also less adept at taking the

sting out of sharp intrusions, such

as potholes and expansion joints.

There’s little between this pair

in terms of refi nement; wind

noise is limited to a small amount

of buffeting around the door

mirrors, and although there’s a bit

of suspension noise, this is a lot

less obvious than in a Zoe.

We’ve yet to put either car

through our Real Range test,

but in mixed driving conditions

in relatively warm weather, we

When will they simply become

known as cars?

Well, if PSA (the group that

owns Peugeot and Vauxhall)

has anything to do with it, that

moment could be imminent.

Instead of going down the route

of designing a bespoke electric

model – like Renault did with its

innovative Zoe, or Honda with

its quirky E – both Peugeot and

Vauxhall have taken the decision

to offer a fully electric power

PINPOINTING EXACTLY WHEN

a niche technology becomes

mainstream is a tricky business.

For instance, when did fl atscreen

TVs become known simply as TVs?

Smartphones referred to as just

phones? Digital cameras... you see

where we’re going with this. Which

got us thinking. With electric

cars becoming increasingly

commonplace, when will we start

to drop the word ‘electric’ from

conversations involving them?

NEW

* Not including £3000 government grant