New 2026 Vauxhall Astra facelift: EV, PHEV and HEV all get the same sub-£30k price tag
The updated Vauxhall Astra Electric gets a boost in range and extra equipment as standard
The Astra is the oldest name in the current Vauxhall line-up, and now the eighth-generation Vauxhall Astra has just been updated with a new look, new kit and new powertrains.
Pricing for the newly facelifted Astra has also been announced. Available to order now, it kicks off at £29,995 – and in a unique move for the segment, the larger Sports Tourer estate costs the same as the hatchback. For context, the pre-facelift Astra Sports Tourer in Griffin trim costs an extra £2,875 in comparison to the hatch.
That entry price tag is for the Griffin trim level, while GS starts at £31,495 and Ultimate is priced from £33,995. If you want to save a bundle then check out what you can save on the outgoing Astra on the Auto Express Find A Car service, with pre-reg models starting from less than £20,000.
Not only has Vauxhall given its Astra customers price parity across the two body styles, but those price levels are the same whether you go for the hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully-electric. That means you can get the top-spec Astra Electric Ultimate for less than £1,000 more than the most basic Kia EV3. The previous Astra was offered with a cheaper 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol, which will return to the line-up later this year, presumably bringing the Astra’s entry-level price down in the process.
The Vauxhall Astra’s updates come at a crucial time because competition in the family hatchback market is ramping up. The Ford Focus might be bowing out, but Kia has just launched the new K4, the Honda Civic has just had a facelift of its own and even Dacia is looking to encroach on the Astra’s territory with the new Striker.
On the Astra, Vauxhall’s ‘Vizor’ family face has been tweaked for a slimmer, more purposeful look. The badge is illuminated and there’s a stylistic nod to the ‘Opel compass’ as found on the Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo concept.
The front bumper is new for the 2026 model, and there’s a new choice of 17-inch ‘Kaddett’ wheels on the Griffin or 18-inch wheels elsewhere in the range, with the Electric getting a new design of alloys. Two new paint colours have been added: Contour White and Clover Green. The Astra’s LED headlight signature has been altered with anti-glare ‘Intelli-Lux’ technology now offered on the Astra for the first time on Ultimate trim.
As for standard kit, the Griffin (alongside its new look) also receives the same twin 10-inch displays inside as before, plus integrated sat-nav and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. GS adds a sportier bumper, a black roof, sports seats and some useful technology such as keyless go, dual-zone climate control, a 180-degree reversing camera and electric and heated door mirrors.
The Ultimate, as its name suggests, is packed with the most kit, so there’s the trick new Intelli-Lux headlights, a head-up display, a wireless phone charger, a powered bootlid (on the Sports Tourer) and heated and massaging front seats. There’s also extra safety kit with blind-spot alert, lane-change assist, lane-keep assist and rear cross-traffic alert.
Vauxhall has also introduced some interior tweaks with a new ‘scratch-resistant’ satin grey finish, physical buttons for functions such as the radio, climate control and drive modes. Vauxhall’s ‘Intelli-seats’ come as standard, too, so the Astra should be more comfortable.
The hatchback has a 422-litre boot in the hybrid, dropping to 352 litres in the pure-electric and finally 310 litres in the plug-in hybrid. The Sports Tourer estate raises this to 597 litres in the hybrid, 516 litres in the EV and 466 litres in the PHEV.
The plug-in hybrid remains the same as before, with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder and an electric motor powered by a 17.2 kWh battery producing 196bhp and 360Nm, plus an electric range of up to 52 miles. The Hybrid 145, with its 145bhp turbocharged 1.2-litre, is paired with an automatic six-speed dual-clutch transmission and 48V motor. It’s the same unit we’ve seen on a number of cars from Vauxhall’s parent company Stellantis.
Crucially for the EV, there’s a new 58kWh battery – the same unit found in the Peugeot E-408. The Astra has even more range than its Stellantis sibling, at 282 miles, which is 22 miles more than the old Astra Electric. Also new for the Astra Electric is vehicle-to-load functionality, so you can charge appliances from the Vauxhall’s battery.
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