Our cars Petrol versus electric


Two Mokkas, two powertrains, prices and costs, but there can be only one winner… Guy Bird


At a time when many consumers are considering an electric car for the first time, it is not only interesting to consider the differences in various models by different brands, but also the many carmakers that offer both petrol or full- electric powertrains within one model range. So we did.


Having driven the 136hp Mokka-E for more than six months, we are used to its quiet, smooth and instant power and with the “B” button pressed most of the time, also the feeling of control that re-gen braking brings. Jump into the similarly- powerful 130hp 1.2 turbo auto and after taking your foot off the accelerator, the petrol Mokka gives a sensation of running away with itself. The petrol 1.2 is not as quick with your foot on the gas either, taking 9.2 seconds to 0–62mph (versus the E’s 8.7).


The three-cylinder petrol engine is also much noisier; a pleasant enough thrum in the old days perhaps, but once used to the near-silence of an electric vehicle (EV) the extra din seems like an intrusion. That unit’s petrol power is less instant too, whether leaving the car in eight- speed automatic mode or when pressing the manual button and using the steering


wheel paddles, although the latter activity seems faintly ridiculous, given the lack of reward it affords.


Both cars look sharp in their respective trims, the white petrol sporting SRi with the green electric Mokka-E in Elite and both offer fine quality interiors with smart finishes. Due to the different powertrains, the petrol Mokka’s 350/1105L min/max rear luggage space trumps the Mokka- E’s 310/1,060L – but it is only by 40L, rear seats up. Neither are class-leading compared with many rivals.


policy. Case in point, its recent reduction in Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG) to £1,500, and the threshold for when it stops to £32,000, prompted Vauxhall to reduce its EV prices by £3,000 late last year so customers could still qualify. For the Mokka-E Elite we are running that means a new £31,580 on the road price before PiCG, although we still print the original £34,525 P11d figure here, to reflect its price when we first started testing. Consequently, our long-term Mokka-E Elite is now ‘only’ £4,125 more than


“The biggest differences come in measuring costs.”


But the biggest differences come in measuring costs. Comparisons of any EV to their petrol equivalent can be distilled down to saying that EVs cost more to buy, while petrol cars cost more to run. But drilling down into the detail of that truism is tricky because the cost goalposts keep moving. All fuel prices (including electricity) are currently volatile due to various global political crises and even list prices change more for EVs than regular cars, due to UK government


the £27,455 petrol SRi. Can the EV’s current tax breaks and lower running costs claw that money back? Old stats from Vauxhall – when fuel prices were lower and the Mokka-E’s list price higher – suggest the answer is yes (at the time of writing its web calculator was not working to recheck). But on fuel alone, using rudimentary maths and specific urban scenario with higher lamp post (0.24p/kWh) electricity charges than most domestic wall boxes, the Mokka-E


Why we’re running it


To see if going full-electric can work for a city dweller without a wall-box (and beyond).


has only cost £232 over 3,000 miles. Meanwhile, the petrol 1.2 could cost £584 based on similar roads and a likely real-world 35mpg versus 47mpg official and £1.50 per litre price. Extrapolate that £352 difference over 30,000 miles and the EV fuel saving is £3,520. Coupled with generous tax breaks – Mokka-E’s 1% BIK versus petrol Mokka’s 31% via a 137g/km CO2 rating – and much lower EV servicing and maintenance costs, which according to Vauxhall gives a saving of £478 (£639 versus £1117) the EV win is clear.


The only thing that would make me seriously consider a petrol Mokka is the need to make regular 100-mile-plus round trips without reliable charging at the ‘away’ end (in which case I would probably choose a bigger car anyway, EV or otherwise). As it is the Mokka-E wins hands-down for this city-based use case.


Vauxhall Mokka-E (136) Elite Nav Premium Auto


P11D price (PiCG not included) £34,525 As tested £33,430 Official consumption 3.6 miles/kWh Our average consumption 3.1 miles/ kWh Mileage 3,086


WEBSITE Please visit www.businesscar.co.uk/tests/long-term-test/ for previous reports on our fleet


www.businesscar.co.uk | March 2022 | 47


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