Vauxhall Mokka 207kW GSe 54kWh 5dr Auto

Ten Second Review

If, like us, you doubted that Vauxhall's Mokka small SUV could ever be really sporty, then check out this hot electric version, the Mokka GSE. It's been thoroughly developed by enthusiasts. But will be thoroughly at home amongst fashionistas.

Background

Vauxhall and its partner Opel used to be experts in small sporting cars, as anyone who's owned an old Corsa VXR or Astra VXR will tell you. So when its classic GSE badge was dusted off in 2023 for use in modern day Astra hatch and Grandland SUV performance models, much was expected. But what a disappointment. No proper performance tuning, no huge hikes in power - not even much of an exclusive look. And with all the clumpy weight of a PHEV drivetrain to cart around, those two models weren't even particularly fun to drive either. But forget about that now and consider here a Vauxhall far better tuned to what a small, sporty car should be - the Mokka GSE. To suit the mood of the moment, it's all-electric, but the engineering here is promising, basically the same as we've seen in other recent perky Stellantis Group small EVs like the Peugeot E-208 GTI, the Abarth 600e and the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce. This is Vauxhall's very first all-electric GSE model. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Spec

The Mokka GSE was inspired by the brand's GSE Rally competition model, which was the first rally car to be developed to the FIA's new eRally5 regulations. And Vauxhall claims the production model shares its competition counterpart's motor, battery, inverter and wiring harness. You're going to want to know about power - there's 280hp of it, a massive 120hp increase over the ordinary Mokka Electric, which is why the 0-62mph time of 5.9s is a full 3.1s faster than that standard model, helped by a meaty 345Nm of torque (85Nm more). What the GSE does share with its standard counterpart is its 54kWh battery (51kWh usable), though the range it delivers here is just 209 miles (about 50 miles less). You might hope for a more sophisticated independent rear suspension system to handle all this extra power, but the budget here didn't allow for that so the GSE retains the same simple twist beam rear axle as any other Mokka. At least the spring and damper system's been upgraded, lowered by 10mm with new shock absorbers and double hydraulic bump stops all round. There's also a wider track, bespoke Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres, a limited-slip differential and four-pot Alcan brakes with 380mm front discs featuring yellow GSE calipers. Oh and the electric power steering's been tweaked. There's also a new rear axle design, with an anti-roll bar that means roll stiffness is up by an enormous 189% compared to an ordinary Mokka Electric. In short, it's all been properly done.

Design and Build

Vauxhall hopes you won't mistake this GSE for any ordinary Mokka. That's certainly the idea behind the neon yellow exterior elements and the more aggressive front bumper with its contrasting GSE-branded black beam. You might also notice the lower ride height and the big 20-inch wheels with their yellow calipers. Surprisingly, there's no bespoke rear wing or rear diffuser but the back features black shrouding around the lower reflectors. There's a bespoke feel inside too thanks to sports bucket seats with alcantara inserts and contrasting green stitching. Plus a sportier steering wheel with flattened top and bottom sections. The 10-inch instrument and infotainment screens haven't been changed but Vauxhall has added extra performance features to show data like battery temperature, power and torque management, plus a G-Force meter. As usual with the Mokka's centre screen, there are clear 'widget'-style menus, 'Hey Vauxhall' voice recognition with ChatGPT functionality and wireless 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring. Obviously, it's all the same as any other Mokka further back. So there's no useful sliding bench mechanism to improve leg room for adults. That would be OK on a short to medium-length journey, but you wouldn't really want to be in the back for much longer than that. Boot space remains set at 310-litres - which is 40-litres less than the combustion version and a huge 150-litres less than the entry-level Vauxhall SUV EV model, the Frontera Electric.

Market and Model

You might be surprised to find that the Mokka GSE qualifies for a £1,500 government Electric Car Grant, bringing the near-£37,000 asking price down to a slightly more manageable figure of around £35,500. For reference, standard Mokka Electric models start from just over £31,000 (after ECG deduction). As for standard equipment, well we gave you a lot of the items in our 'Design' section. Other features in the standard spec include Intelli-Lux Matrix headlights with adaptive beam, plus front and rear parking sensors, a panoramic rear-view camera, power-folding mirrors and keyless entry and a 10-inch Multimedia Navi Pure Panel system featuring satellite navigation with electric vehicle route mapping and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. On the move, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go, Lane Positioning Assist, and Speed Sign Recognition work together to aid drivers, supported by intelligent features such as Lane Keeping Assist, Forward Collision Alert, Side Blind Spot Alert and Autonomous Emergency Braking. There's also a Drowsy Driver Detection system, Intelligent Speed Assist and an automatic headlight levelling set-up. Unique to the GSE are specific pages featuring performance data such as G-force display, acceleration values and battery management data. 

Cost of Ownership

This Mokka GSE is quite light for an EV of this size (around 1,600kg) but as we told you in our 'Driving' section, that doesn't stop its drive range from being on the low side (209 miles). The same could be said of the 100kW DC charging speed, this allowing the car to be replenished at a DC public charging point to 80% capacity in 30 minutes. Full AC charging from a 7.4kW home wallbox needs 7 hours 30 minutes, which you can reduce to 5 hours if you're able to use a three-phase supply and charge at 11kW. Plug into a domestic socket and you'll need a yawning 21 hours 45 minutes. At the time of this review in Autumn 2025, Benefit-in-Kind tax ratings for the Mokka GSE were pitched at 3% and this car has a first year VED road tax rating of just £10, with £195 payable annually thereafter. Like any other Mokka Electric, this one needs a service at the end of the first year or at 8,000 miles, after which it'll need garage visits every two years or 16,000 miles. For all Mokkas, there's an unremarkable, but potentially extendable, three year 60,000 mile warranty. And this EV model has the usual eight year / 100,000 mile battery warranty. Vauxhall's offering this Mokka GSE with what it calls an 'Electric All In' offer, including eight years of comprehensive roadside assistance, including emergency charging assistance. In addition to extended roadside support, Electric All In includes £500 credit which can be used towards either an Ohme home wallbox installation, Tesco charging credit or Octopus Electroverse charging credit. Customers can also take advantage of 10,000 miles' worth of free home charging when switching to the Intelligent Octopus GO home energy tariff.

Summary

It doesn't sound a particularly promising recipe this does it? Take what is possibly the market's most conservative small SUV, the Vauxhall Mokka. And borrow some basic fundamentals from what could be the market's least remarkable small electric SUV, the Vauxhall Mokka Electric. And from this confection somehow create a car that properly re-launches a significant performance sub-brand for one of Britain's most important car makers. Against all the odds though, we're impressed with what the Griffin brand has come up with here. Though there is a price to be paid for it, not only up-front but in drive range. Still, this is a much better interpretation of what a modern GSE-badged Vauxhall should be. It's natural habitat might still be the gym car park. But there's a potential for a proper work-out here.