Cheaper than a hybrid and with an ECO label, now you can have a Opel Corsa Hybrid from 99 euros a month

Opel continues its electrification offensive across all segments, which will give the brand an electric model in every one of its ranges this same year, 2024, and will present only all-new fully electric models from 2025. But combustion engine versions still have a lot to say in this strategy, especially if they receive a helping hand in the form of partial electrification, even if it is “light”.

And in this regard, Opel is betting on its Hybrid versions, which are not full hybrids as such, but adopt mild hybrid 48-volt technology. The first to arrive are the Corsa Hybrid and Grandland Hybrid, which are already at dealerships; and from June, although orders have already opened, there will also be Hybrid MHEV 48V versions of the Mokka and Astra.

The alternative to diesel: fuel consumption reduced by up to 1 l/100 km and ECO label

During a day in Madrid we got behind the wheel of the new Corsa Hybrid, on a route where we could verify how well the Hybrid MHEV 48V technology works, and how mild hybridisation is a good alternative to a full hybrid system when it comes to offering a vehicle with the DGT’s ECO label and consumption reductions that can reach up to 1 litre per 100 km, mainly on urban routes.

Indeed, the small Corsa Hybrid can travel fully electrically for up to 1 km at speeds of up to 30 km/h when manoeuvring, in car parks or when driving at low speed. If conditions are favourable, almost half the time you drive in the city the vehicle runs in fully electric mode, because the battery is constantly recharging and does so very quickly. The sensation is not the same as when you drive a “proper” HEV full hybrid, such as a Renault Clio E-TECH Full Hybrid, or a Toyota Yaris Hybrid, although it comes very close: there is additional thrust when accelerating that makes driving very pleasant, and starts in electric mode with the combustion engine switched off, as well as manoeuvres or low-speed driving using electrical energy and taking advantage of the energy recovery system, or the possibility of coasting with the engine off -up to a speed of around 140 km/h- save a great deal of fuel.

And how does the MHEV technology of Opel work? Well, like any other mild hybrid MHEV, it is not something new, and has been available for some time from many brands. Here, a 48-volt electric motor, with 21 kW (28 CV) of power and a maximum torque of 55 Nm integrated into the transmission, works as a generator during deceleration or braking phases to recharge a small 0.89 kWh gross lithium-ion battery, and can propel the vehicle on its own in certain driving phases -manoeuvres, low-speed driving-, as well as assisting the combustion engine, which is a 3-cylinder 1.2 Turbo. The eDCT6 gearbox is newly developed, a dual-clutch transmission also electrified, which works very well both in manual mode -using the paddles on the steering wheel- and in automatic mode. Opel offers two power versions of the Corsa Hybrid: with 100 CV or with 136 CV.

The offer: a Opel Corsa Hybrid from 99 euros a month

Although it is initially announced as valid for one month, Opel’s offer for the new Corsa Hybrid is tempting: from 99 euros a month. Of course, in these cases, it is always advisable to read the small print. And that small print says that the price of the Corsa Edition 1.2T XHL Hybrid eDCT6 with Edition trim, which is 21,550 euros -with the current offer, buying through Opel Store-, drops to 19,550 euros when financing the purchase on the following terms: a deposit of around 4,880 euros must be paid, followed by 36 months of 99-euro instalments, and a final payment of 14,900 euros.

As for the price of the different versions, it is worth knowing the following, always using the prices in force on the brand’s configurator at the time of writing this article. The Corsa 1.2 Hybrid with 100 CV is offered in Edition and the sportier GS trims, the difference between the two being 2,000 euros. For the same Edition trim, the 100 CV Hybrid version costs around 3,200 euros more than the version without mild hybridisation with the same power and manual gearbox. It may well be worth it, considering that you get the ECO label, an engine that is more pleasant to drive and uses less fuel thanks to the electric assistance, and the dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Furthermore, the 1.2 three-cylinder engine in the Hybrid already comes with chain-driven timing, instead of a belt.

Finally, the 136 CV Corsa Hybrid is paired only with the GS trim, and in this case, compared with the 100 CV, the price difference is only 500 euros, so there is no need to think twice: if you choose a Corsa Hybrid GS, the best option is the most powerful one.

Opel Corsa Hybrid – Image gallery