Vauxhall Mokka GSE review – first UK drive

Make and model: Vauxhall Mokka GSE
Description: Performance-pitched version of electric compact SUV
Price range: from £36,995

Summary: The Vauxhall Mokka GSE is a much quicker and sharper version of the standard Mokka Electric, but it’s still usable every day.

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For a broader ownership picture, see our Vauxhall Mokka Electric Expert Rating, which combines media reviews, safety data, reliability, running costs and warranty cover.

Vauxhall is a very familiar name in the UK, with strong sales and one of the country’s largest dealer networks. But while the brand scores well for value, familiarity and trust, it’s also fair to say that most Vauxhall buyers probably aren’t choosing their cars for passion.

The company is now trying to change that by returning to a part of the market where it once had real credibility: affordable performance models. Back in the 1980s, cars like the Astra GTE and Nova GTE helped build Vauxhall’s hot hatch reputation, which later continued with GSi and VXR models. The last VXR disappeared in 2018, just as the market was starting to move towards electrification.

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That brings us to GSE, Vauxhall’s new electric performance badge. The upcoming Corsa GSE will be the more obvious hot hatch, and we’ll be reviewing that later this year. First, though, we have the Mokka GSE, a much quicker and more focused version of Vauxhall’s compact electric SUV.

Price and equipment

The Vauxhall Mokka GSE is priced from £37K, or £35.5K with the current government electric car grant applied. That puts it just below the regular Mokka Electric Ultimate after the grant, despite the GSE being significantly more powerful and more heavily upgraded.

Mechanically, the GSE is a very different car from the standard Mokka Electric. It shares its motor, inverter, battery and wiring with the Mokka GSE Rally, which Vauxhall developed for an electric motorsport series in Germany.

Power rises to 207kW (281hp), compared with 115 kW (156hp) in the standard Mokka Electric, while 0-62mph takes six seconds instead of about nine seconds. That makes the GSE the fastest electric production Vauxhall so far.

The chassis has also been upgraded to cope with the extra performance. The GSE sits 10mm lower than the standard car, with stiffer suspension, revised anti-roll bars, uprated axles and a quicker steering rack. It also gets Alcon front brakes with yellow four-piston calipers, a Torsen limited-slip differential and specific pedal tuning.

The visual changes are more obvious. The GSE gets bespoke 20-inch wheels, black skid plates, a black roof and GSE badging. A black bonnet is also available as an option, which is a nod to Vauxhall’s rally history.

Standard equipment is strong, with front and rear parking sensors, a 180-degree reversing camera, adaptive cruise control, lane assistance, blind spot monitoring, Matrix LED headlights, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, a ten-inch touchscreen and ten-inch digital driver display. The touchscreen also gets GSE-specific performance pages, including acceleration data, battery information and a G-force display.

Inside the car

The GSE treatment continues inside, although the basic Mokka layout remains familiar. The steering wheel is trimmed in synthetic leather and flattened at the top and bottom, while aluminium pedals add to the performance theme.

The main change is the seats. Vauxhall describes them as performance seats, and they look more purposeful than the standard Mokka’s front chairs, with integrated headrests, heating and six-way adjustment. They’re trimmed in Alcantara, which is also used on the door inserts.

The darker interior suits the GSE’s more serious character, but it does repeat one of the normal Mokka Electric’s weaknesses. The cabin can feel smaller than it really is, especially with the dark trim. That may not bother the target buyer as much as it would in a more family-focused version, but it’s still worth noting.

The twin-screen dashboard is reasonably smart, and the main controls are slightly angled towards the driver. That works well enough here, although the cabin is still more style-led than spacious.

Rear-seat and boot space are also affected by the electric Mokka’s packaging. The battery does not ruin the car, but it does make the rear cabin and luggage space feel less generous than you might expect from the outside.

Driving range and charging

The Mokka GSE has a 54kWh battery, with 51kWh of usable capacity. Vauxhall quotes an official test range of 201 miles on the standard Michelin tyres, rising to 209 miles if you choose the optional Goodyear. The Michelins are more track-friendly, while the Goodyears are more road-biased.

Either way, it’s not a long range by current electric car standards, and it is noticeably less than the standard Mokka Electric’s official figure of up to 250 miles. The trade-off is much stronger performance and a chassis set-up designed to make better use of it.

Public charging peaks at 100kW, with a 0-80% charge taking about half an hour in ideal conditions. Using the standard 11kW onboard charger, a full charge takes five hours and 45 minutes. A 7kW home wallbox takes about seven and a half hours.

Vehicle-to-load capability is also standard, allowing the car to power external electrical equipment. The adapter is sold separately through Vauxhall retailers.

On the road

The Mokka GSE starts with a standard car that has generally been well received, then adds a lot more power and several useful chassis upgrades. Vauxhall was keen to prove the point by including laps of Croft race circuit in Yorkshire as part of the launch event.

On track, with the car in Sport mode, the GSE felt convincing. The lower ride height, stiffer suspension and uprated brakes all help the car feel more secure and more capable than a standard Mokka Electric. Cornering at speed feels controlled, traction is good and the brakes cope well with repeated hard use.

The more relevant question is how it behaves on the road, because that’s where owners will spend nearly all of their time. The good news is that the GSE hasn’t become some brittle, compromised track toy. It’s firmer than the standard car, but not unbearably so, and it remains usable as everyday transport.

Sport mode gives the full 281hp and 345Nm of torque. Normal mode reduces power to 231hp while keeping the same torque figure, and Eco mode drops output to 190hp and 300Nm. Even in Eco, the GSE has enough performance for normal driving, so most owners probably won’t need Sport mode all the time.

Some of the upgrades also help in everyday use. The quicker steering is a clear improvement over the standard Mokka Electric, which can feel a bit vague, while the limited-slip differential helps the front wheels make better use of the extra power.

It’s still a compact electric SUV rather than a proper hot hatch, and the GSE badge raises expectations that the car cannot fully meet. But it does feel much more focused and capable than the regular Mokka Electric, without becoming difficult to live with.

Ownership

The Vauxhall Mokka Electric currently holds a B-grade New Car Expert Rating in our unique Expert Rating Index, with a score of 66% as of July 2026. We don’t yet have a specific rating for the Mokka GSE, but it will be coming soon.

Euro NCAP awarded the wider Mokka range a four-star safety rating in 2021. The Mokka scored 73% for adult occupant protection, 75% for child occupant protection, 58% for vulnerable road user protection and 64% for safety assistance.

Vauxhall’s new car warranty is three years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. The high-voltage battery is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles, which is normal for an electric car.

The review score here reflects the driving experience. Our Vauxhall Mokka Electric Expert Rating tells a broader story, combining the subjective opinions of car reviews with objective safety data, running costs, warranty information and more – which means the Expert Rating often arrives at a notably different conclusion. It’s worth reading both before making any buying decision.

Verdict

The Vauxhall Mokka GSE feels like a warm-up act for the other GSE electric performance models still to come. It’s a meaningful upgrade over the standard Mokka Electric, with much stronger performance, sharper steering, better braking and a chassis that can make decent use of the extra power.

It’s not quite a proper electric hot hatch, partly because it is still a compact SUV and partly because its driving range is limited compared with many newer electric cars. Some buyers will also find the ride too firm, especially if they are coming from the normal Mokka Electric.

But Vauxhall has not gone too far. The GSE is more fun and more focused than the standard car, while still being usable every day. The equipment level is strong, the price looks reasonable after the current electric car grant, and the performance upgrades are more than just cosmetic.

The forthcoming Corsa GSE should be a better test of whether Vauxhall can properly revive its affordable performance reputation. For now, the Mokka GSE is a promising start.

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Key specifications