New 2021 Vauxhall Combo-e Life electric MPV gets £31,610 price tag
Vauxhall’s pure-electric Combo-e Life people carrier is priced from £31,610 and offers seating for either five or seven
The Vauxhall Combo-e Life is on sale in the UK now, priced from £31,610 (including the government’s £2,500 grant). The brand’s electric van-based people carrier was designed to directly rival the Nissan e-NV200 Combi and act as an all-electric alternative to the new Volkswagen Caddy MPV.
Vauxhall only offers the Combo-e Life in its SE specification, which comes as standard with 16-inch alloy wheels, dual sliding doors, LED daytime running lights, automatic windscreen wipers and a rear-view camera. Unlike the panel van on which it’s based, every model also comes with body coloured bumpers.
Buyers also get a decent level of standard driver assistance technology, including cruise control, traffic sign recognition and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection.
Vauxhall has fitted an e-Call system, which puts the driver in touch with a trained advisor in the event of an accident or a breakdown, and there’s even an electronic traction control system, which features specialised settings for snow, mud and sand.
Inside, the Combo-e Life features air conditioning, a digital gauge cluster and an eight-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Vauxhall has also added a panoramic sunroof and an overhead storage bin, which has an extra 36 litres of capacity and some built-in LED lights.
There are two wheelbases and two seating configurations to choose from. Medium models are 4.4 metres long and can be specced with either five or seven seats. The former seating option provides 597 litres of boot space, or 2,126 litres with the rear bench folded.
Vauxhall’s larger Combo-e Life XL measures 4.75 metres long and is only available with seven seats. However, the MPV’s longer wheelbase means there’s it has more carrying capacity, with 850 litres as standard or 2,693 litres with the rear seating rows stowed.
The second seating row for both the Medium and XL variants folds with a 60:40 split, but buyers can have a three-way split-folding bench as an optional extra. There are also a handful of Isofix points dotted around the cabin.
Like its commercial sibling, the Vauxhall Combo-e Life is powered by a 50kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which feeds an electric motor mounted on the front axle. The system has an output of 134bhp and 260Nm of torque, which Vauxhall says provides a 0–60mph time of 11.2 seconds and a maximum WLTP range of 174 miles.
When connected to a 100kW DC rapid charger, the Combo-e Life’s battery pack can take on an 80 percent charge in 30 minutes. Slower charging methods are also supported, though, with the standard van coming with a single-phase 7.4kW on-board charger. However, this can be upgraded to a three-phase 11kW charger as an optional extra.
How does the new Vauxhall Combo-e Life stack up against the competition? Read our list of the best MPVs…
