Vauxhall Ampera review

Overview

The Ampera is a plug-in range-extended petrol-electric car, recorded as Hybrid in RoadMatch's broad fuel categories rather than a pure battery EV. This review selects the UK September 2013 Electron specification with four seats. A battery supports electric-led local journeys, while the petrol range-extender allows travel to continue without immediately finding a charger. RoadMatch has not personally road-tested it; our original buying analysis draws on Vauxhall's period tables, later manufacturer context and independent assessments. The design can make sense for an owner with convenient charging and occasional longer trips, but thirteen years of age make battery evidence and specialist support decisive. It is a specific ownership solution, not a magical high-economy answer to every budget question.

Exterior and interior

The low body and dark head lamp surrounds give the Ampera a recognisable appearance, different from the similarly aged mainstream Vauxhall hatchbacks. Its cabin combines two displays with a glossy, touch-sensitive centre console whose controls need a stationary trial. Electron adds navigation and upgraded audio over Positiv, but the attractive equipment list does not make every material premium or every digital function modern. Check the seat trim, screen readability, charging menus and ordinary demisting controls. The contrasting interior inserts may appeal to some buyers and feel busy to others. Inspect the low front apron for contact damage rather than treating scraped rubber as proof of an entirely harmless history. The car's unusual character should invite careful inspection, not replace it.

Practicality

The Ampera has four individual seating positions, with battery packaging occupying the centre space that might otherwise form a fifth seat. An advert describing it as a normal five-seat family hatchback is therefore unsuitable evidence. Vauxhall's later retrospective quotes 310 litres of boot space, while period independent guides commonly use 300 litres; that measurement discrepancy is disclosed rather than presented as extra room. Try your actual bags and child restraints, and inspect the folding rear seats and luggage cover. A large hatch opening helps, but the battery-related floor and low roof shape still limit bulky loads. It can work well for a couple or a four-person household with modest baggage, but it should not appear when the questionnaire requires five usable seats.

Driving experience

The Ampera's main appeal is easy electric-led progress without the obligation to stop charging on every longer journey. Its selector behaves like an automatic, though the multi-mode transaxle is not a conventional stepped gearbox or an ordinary belt CVT. Independent assessments disagree in emphasis about ride quality but consistently make the drivetrain concept central; our character judgement prioritises urban convenience and ingenuity over sporting engagement. Try electric running, petrol-supported operation and low-speed braking on a varied permitted route. Understand the drive modes from the handbook rather than using unfamiliar settings experimentally. A quiet initial drive is insufficient to reveal every fault, and a Sport label does not make the car a hot hatch or erase the mass of its complex powertrain.

Performance

The September 2013 manufacturer specification rates the electric propulsion unit at 150 PS or 111 kW, approximately 148 bhp. The petrol engine's separate 86 PS figure must not be added as if both maxima produce a new peak-output claim. Vauxhall lists 8.7 seconds from zero to 60 mph, an endpoint that must not be relabelled as 62 mph simply because secondary sources do so. Ordinary response should be progressive and warning-free, but battery state, temperature and operating mode matter to the test conditions. Check the car in both electric-led and petrol-supported use with seller permission. Performance here supports relaxed everyday transport, not a recommendation based on repeated launches or an assumption that all electrified cars feel equally sporty.

Fuel economy

The striking period 235.4 imperial mpg figure is a weighted plug-in laboratory result combining charged and discharged tests, not the fuel economy of running on petrol alone. We deliberately leave the simple mpg matcher field unset rather than give this car an unfair advantage over non-plug-in alternatives. Vauxhall advertised a typical electric range of 25–50 miles when new; the top end recorded here is historical context, not a guaranteed 2013 battery's present capacity. The sensible financial comparison separates purchased electricity, petrol and your actual charging frequency. Our budget explicitly assumes half the annual mileage uses each energy source. Without convenient charging, the clever concept may lose much of its cost advantage, and dashboard mpg alone can conceal the electricity already paid for elsewhere.

Reliability

A specialist inspection is central to a defensible Ampera purchase. Ask who can diagnose and repair the model locally, then request high-voltage, charging and coolant-system reports interpreted by someone with relevant experience. Test cabin heating in electric operation, the charge-port mechanism, petrol start and normal transition between energy modes. A replaced battery or charger needs an invoice explaining supplier, specification and remaining support, not merely a verbal assurance. Check the twelve-volt battery, brakes, leaks and underbody condition alongside the unusual drivetrain. Low mileage does not prevent age-related degradation. Our reliability score is limited-confidence editorial guidance, not a measured failure probability. The purchase only makes sense when condition, parts availability and an appropriate separate repair reserve are credible for this specific car.

Safety

The official historical Euro NCAP document concerns the Opel/ Vauxhall Ampera 1.4/electric in left-hand-drive form assessed in 2011. It is relevant generation context, not a new test of this right-hand-drive 2013 Electron or a direct comparison with modern protocols. No rating, scores, images or test prose are reproduced. The UK period table identifies stability control and restraint equipment, but used condition needs independent checking. Inspect belt function, warning-light sequences and the quality of any repairs, and arrange proper child-seat fitting. Run the government recall lookup and request Vauxhall's VIN-specific completion confirmation. Charging-system safety also requires undamaged approved equipment and an appropriate electrical installation; a seller's improvised cable or casual household-socket assurance should not be accepted as a substitute for competent advice.

Technology and features

The exact UK Electron equipment list confirms heated seats, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera, with navigation and upgraded audio distinguishing it from Positiv. Those functions should all be demonstrated because repairing a specialist older installation is not always straightforward. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not established by the factory Bluetooth or USB equipment and remain conditional on a separately verified retrofit. Test your phone, calls and music without assuming the old navigation's connected services still operate. Check the supplied charging lead against the actual port and intended infrastructure; this is not a modern CC S rapid-charging EV. The car's displays are useful for understanding energy flow, but their apparent sophistication does not guarantee modern compatibility or continuing software support.

Running costs

Our 14 October 2026 purchase allowance of £5,000–£9,000 is a planning estimate rather than live stock or a guaranteed valuation. For 8,000 annual miles we assume 4,000 electric miles at a billed 3.0 miles per kWh and £0.30 per kWh, costing about £400, plus 4,000 petrol miles at assumed 40 mpg and £1.50 per litre, about £680. Add a rounded £150 tax allowance and £650–£1,450 for routine service, MOT and consumables to reach roughly £1,900–£2,700. Confirm actual tax and personal insurance rather than copied groups. Finance, depreciation and major repairs are excluded. Recalculate for your real electric-mile share, because regular charging is the key to affordability rather than the original weighted mpg headline.

Advantages and disadvantages