Vauxhall Frontera Electric

Cheapest electric model in Vauxhall's line-up is a virtual twin of the Citroën e-C3 Aircross

- OLIVER YOUNG

On sale Now Price from £23,995

RECYCLING OLD NAMES is all the rage with cars these days, but the Vauxhall Frontera is very different from its 1990s namesake. And that can only be a good thing; it's a surprise that Vauxhall wants us to remember the rattly, agricultural machine of three decades ago.

We can breathe a sigh of relief, then, that the new Frontera promises rather more sophistication than its primitive ancestor, thanks to sharing its underpinnings with the Citroën C3 Aircross. In common with its sibling, every Frontera uses electrification to some degree; there's mild hybrid assistance for the petrol model, which fights the Dacia Duster and Renault Captur for buyers, and there's a fully electric, er, Frontera Electric that takes on the Ford Puma Gen-E and Renault 4 (R4) and the Citroën e-C3 Aircross.

Here, we're focusing on the Frontera Electric, which is available with a 43.8kWh or 53.5kWh (usable capacity) battery; the latter officially returns a 246-mile range, but the former's 189-mile potential might suffice if much of your driving is relatively local.

Both versions are powered by a single 111bhp electric 111bhp electric motor that powers the front wheels; this is good for 0-62mph in 13.0sec with the bigger battery, the smaller one bringing a slightly quicker 12.1sec time.