Vauxhall Mokka GSE (2025) Review

Introduction

When Vauxhall first introduced its Mokka model back in 2012 it’s fair to say that it hardly set the world alight. Performance, handling, and cabin quality were relatively uninspiring. However, over the years those issues have been gradually ironed out and we’re now left with a very decent five-door crossover car.

The introduction of fully-electric powertrains for the Mokka saw a huge leap in performance and now Vauxhall has taken inspiration from its rallying heritage to develop a truly exciting Mokka GSE.

For anyone looking for a slightly tamer option, there are still the 1.2-litre petrol or electric cars in Griffin, GS and Ultimate trims, but it’s the Mokka GSE that really raises the bar with a 0-62mph sprint time of just 5.9 seconds. All the EVs feature the same 54kWh battery, but the power levels are far greater on the GSE.

Additionally, it is competitively priced below the Expensive Car Supplement threshold of £40k and with the Electric Car Grant factored in, customers can buy the Mokka GSE for £35,495.

Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, GSE stands for ‘Grand Sport Electric’.

At a glance

The five-door Vauxhall Mokka GSE is a great looking car with plenty of eye-catching features, but we felt the designers could have thrown a bit more energy its way.

Yes, it features bi-colour alloy wheels with yellow brake callipers, a gloss black sports bumper, GSE side badging, but the car was supplied in a dark grey shade with black trimmings, so where are the go-faster stripes, outrageous spoilers and rallying red paintwork? It is good looking, then, but one that might benefit from more flamboyant design.

The interior is far more sports oriented with flashes of bright colour and rally-inspired features at every turn. We’ll get to that in a bit.

High-performance Michelin tyres are fitted as standard, while for £100, customers can specify more efficient Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres that add an extra eight miles to the range. Usually, that sort of set up is the other way round, but it’s a nice nod to those who like a more spirited drive.

Key features

The fully-electrified Vauxhall Mokka is sold with the choice of four well-equipped trim levels. Entry-level Griffin cars feature twin 10-inch infotainment screens, a six-speaker sound system, Bluetooth, DAB digital radio, heated front seats, a heated vegan leather steering wheel, a six-way adjustable driver’s seat, light grey trim inserts, jet black seat trim made from 100 per cent recycled materials, rear tinted windows and 17-inch diamond cut alloy wheels.

Step up to GS and you will see the addition of ambient lighting, upgraded seat upholstery, two additional rear USB connections, a panoramic rearview camera, black Griffin logo, 18-inch alloys and an ultrasonic security alarm.

The feature-rich Ultimate trim gains Intelli-Lux Matrix headlights, front and rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, inbuilt sat nav, a wireless phone charger, electric vehicle route mapping, heated front seats, black upgraded seat upholstery, a frameless mirror and some additional safety features.

The Mokka GSE, adds black Alcantara Performance bucket seats with integrated headrests, Alcantara door inserts with GSE stitching, alloy-effect sports pedals, GSE performance graphics displaying G-force and race data etc., GSE badging, a gloss black GSE bumper and 20-inch GSE wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres.

Range and batteries

The Vauxhall Mokka GSE has a 54kWh battery that offers a driving range between charges of up to 209 miles. That is less than other Mokka EVs that all feature the same battery but can deliver up to 250 miles.

Here you sacrifice a little range for more poke.

Performance and drive

The Vauxhall Mokka GSE is front-wheel drive and is fitted with a 54kWh battery. While the Griffin, GS and Ultimate versions boast 156 PS, it increases to 281 PS on the GSE model. With 345Nm of torque the performance figures make for interesting reading with a 0-62mph sprint time of 5.9 seconds and top speed of 124mph.

The acceleration out the starting blocks is blisteringly quick and, while the car is not being heralded as a hot hatch, it’s certainly got high performance written all over it.

There are drive modes called Eco, Normal and Sport with differing power outputs. Eco has a top speed limited to 93mph with power reduced to 190PS and torque set at 300Nm. Switch across to Normal and you get 231PS and the full torque output of 345Nm. Finally, Sport mode sees the power ramped up to 281 PS.

The Mokka GSE has a WLTP-tested driving range of 209 miles between charges, but that would only be achievable if the car was driven carefully. On our driving route through the winding mountain roads just outside Madrid, many cars arrived back at base after a 100-mile trip with just four per cent of charge left. And one poor soul ran out of range completely three miles from the location. So, the range will be accurate provided you are not fizzing up and down mountains!

But when put through its paces, the Mokka GSE, which sits 10mm lower than the standard car, is confident and well grounded, with nicely weighted steering and excellent grip. The brakes feel a tad spongy at times and there is some road surface and deceleration noise that is quite irritating, but we were driving without any radio playing.

Numerous rally-inspired engineering adjustments have been introduced, including stiffer chassis tuning, upgraded and larger brakes, a mechanical limited-slip differential, model-specific tyres and a new steering rack.

We were also invited to put the car to the test at the Jarama race track, which was formerly home to the Spanish Grand Prix. Once again, the car performed to a higher degree than our expectations with exceptional pace and complete control through bends.

Charging

With rapid charging at a capacity of 100kW, the 54kWh battery can receive a 0-80 per cent boost in 30 minutes. However, it will be cheaper to use a home or work-based wallbox facility whenever possible. With that in mind, a full charge takes five hours via an 11kW outlet, increasing to 7 hours, 30 minutes if using a 7kW port. If plugged into a domestic socket, the full charge will take 21 hours, 45 minutes.

Running costs and emissions

The Mokka electric line-up starts from £32,505 for the Griffin specification, increasing to £35,105 for the GS, then £38,105 for the Ultimate. The race-inspired Mokka GSE costs £36,995. However, these prices are before the Electric Car Grant has been factored in, so all models receive a £1,500 discount.

Additionally, Vauxhall has its own Electric All In package which includes £500 credit which can be used towards an Ohme home wallbox installation, Tesco charging credit or Octopus Electroverse charging credit. Customers can also take full advantage of 10,000 miles worth of free home charging when switching to the Intelligent Octopus Go home energy tariff.

With zero carbon emissions, the day-to-day running costs are low with a first-year road tax bill of just £10, increasing to the standard £195 charge after 12 months. As models are below the £40k threshold, there is no Expensive Car Supplement to worry about and the Benefit in Kind rating for any business owners is set at three per cent.

Interior and tech

A quick glance inside the Mokka GSE and it instantly becomes clear this is no ordinary crossover, with sporty characteristics in abundance in a race-focused cockpit. Expect to find black Alcantara performance buckets seats with integrated headrests and neat yellow stitching.

There are alloy-effect pedals, along with door inserts featuring GSE stitching.

Two 10-inch infotainment screens are the main focal point and these merge seamlessly behind a curved panel. The touchscreen offers access to the many on-board features, such as inbuilt navigation with EV route mapping, a six-speaker audio, smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay or Android auto, Bluetooth, ambient lighting and lots more besides. You can also access more performance-related data such as drag race timings, G-force readouts and other handy track figures.

The driver display screen can be customised to taste, and this shows important numbers, including the speed, battery charge levels and existing range.

The seats and steering wheel offer ample manual adjustment so it’s easy to get a comfortable driving position and they can also be heated for added convenience. There is a nice mix of touchscreen controls and physical switches, with a separate panel complete with dials for all the climate settings.

In addition, there is a wireless charging pad, along with three USB connections – one USB-C port up front and two USB-A connectors in the back.

Practicality and boot space

The Vauxhall Mokka GSE boasts plenty of kerb appeal with its athletic design and it is relatively practical as far as crossovers go too. The vehicle stretches 4,150mm in length, is 1,787mm wide (with mirrors folded), 1,506mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,561.

The bucket seats are actually a lot more comfortable than they look and there is ample room up front for a couple of adults to stretch out. Back seat passengers don’t fare quite so well, although there is enough space for a couple of adults or, ideally, three youngsters.

The boot can hold up to 310 litres of kit, a capacity that increases to 1,060 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat. And there are numerous practical storage options scattered throughout the cabin, such as a glovebox, two front cup holders, a central cubby, door bins with space for a bottle, plus a choice of USB-A or USB-C ports to stay connected on the move.

With Vehicle-to-Load capabilities, it is possible to charge up external appliances such as laptops, camping lights, or an e-bike, although owners will have to buy a special adaptor to achieve this, which costs in the region of £400.

Safety

The Vauxhall Mokka was tested for its Euro NCAP safety rating back in 2021 and was awarded four out of five stars. It secured a 73 per cent score for Adult Occupants, 75 per cent for Child Occupants, just 58 per cent for Vulnerable Road Users and 64 per cent for Safety Assist.

There is a comprehensive list of safety features and driver assistance aids, including emergency braking with pedestrian and bicycle detection, speed sign recognition, a driver drowsiness alert, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, lane positioning assist, forward collision alert at all speeds, adaptive cruise control with an intelligent speed limiter, blind spot warning, front and rear parking sensors with a panoramic rearview camera, automatic high beam assist, a tyre pressure monitoring system, hill start assist, a full suite of airbags, plus Isofix child seat anchors on the outer rear seats.

Options

The Mokka GSE is based on the high-end Ultimate trim but adds some extra kit. So, that means there is really little need to go searching for any optional extras. However, customers can opt for a body-coloured roof rather than black, which is free of charge. Additionally, a black bonnet will cost £250, the more efficient Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres that add an extra eight miles of range are priced at £100.

An 11kW on-board charger with Vehicle-to-Load capability comes as standard, but the adaptor to make use of the set-up costs about £400.

Rival cars

The all-electric Vauxhall Mokka has plenty of rivals out there, but the sportier GSE car will appeal to more of a niche audience.

That means there will be less competitors vying for sales, but customers can also check out the Cupra Born VZ, Alpine A290 and Smart #1.

Verdict and next steps

If you are going to launch your fastest battery-electric car to date, then where better to show off its capabilities than a race circuit, and a world-renowned one at that.

And in fairness to Vauxhall, the Mokka is the real deal with ‘proper’ handling capabilities and rewarding performance to keep thrill-seekers entertained for hours on end. It looks dynamic, if a little understated, but the inside is totally sports focused. Plus it’s loaded with every feature imaginable for a fun-filled track adventure.

Even the price is tempting, especially with the Electric Car Grant factored in.

Any drawbacks? The limited driving range could be a deterrent for some. Refinement might be another issue, even though that’s arguably lower down the list of priorities with a performance vehicle.

We were driving on silky smooth Spanish roads and there was still quite a lot of tyre noise. Ultimately, we’ll reserve full judgement on the sporty Mokka until we drive the GSE variant here in the UK.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Vauxhall Mokka.

**Correct as of 26/11/2025. Based on 12 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 12 monthly payments, or £5,572.92 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.