The Vauxhall Corsa, one of Britain’s most popular cars, is going electric, and is now available for reservation. Vauxhall describes the Corsa-e as the flag-bearer for a completely new Corsa range, based on Vauxhall’s CMP Multi-Energy Platform. With 134 bhp from its 50kWh battery and acceleration from 0-62mph in just 8.1 seconds, the company believes the Corsa-e’s punchy performance will appeal to a broad range of drivers who may not have previously considered an electric car.

Range, according to the new, more stringent WLTP test, is 205 miles. Using a public fast-charger, the Corsa-e can be charged to 80 per cent of its capacity in just 30 minutes.

A £500 reservation fee (fully refundable on purchase) is required to secure an order on a Corsa-e. The first 500 customers to place a reservation will receive a free home charging kit when they take delivery of their Corsa-e.

Priced from £26,490, including the Government’s £3,500 Plug-in Car Grant, the Corsa-e will be available in two trims, both of which will come as standard with a 7-inch touch screen, 11kWh on-board charger, satellite navigation, LED headlights, alloy wheels, rear parking sensors and DAB radio.

On Personal Contract Purchase (PCP), the Corsa-e will start at £270 per month for 47 months, with a customer deposit of £5,549.40 and an optional final payment of £9,123.00*, based on an SE model with optional Orange Fizz paint (£650).

Also standard will be the Corsa-e’s battery warranty, which guarantees that at least 70 per cent of its capacity is maintained for 100,000 miles, or eight years.

Full specifications and range pricing will be available when Corsa-e receives its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, ahead of series production starting in January next year.