THE fifth generation Vauxhall Corsa saw a marked improvement in styling, handling, on-board technology and all-round appeal and now the Griffin-badged car maker has raised the bar further by introducing an all-electric version.

The five-door model looks dynamic in its appearance with its athletic styling, including dark tinted rear windows, a black roof and front pillars, IntelliLux LED Matrix headlights, LED front fog lights, high gloss black B pillars and roof spoiler, chrome window trim and 17-inch bi-colour alloy wheels to complete the look.

Move inside and there is a wealth of technology to explore with all the mod cons we demand these days. Creature comforts include a multimedia navigation pro system with 10-inch colour touchscreen, 2D or 3D mapping and European coverage, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker sound system, a seven-inch digital cluster display, electronic climate control and Vauxhall Connect.

When it comes to performance, the Corsa-e delivers on all counts with a 100kW (136ps) electric motor and a healthy 260Nm of torque on tap. The car certainly has plenty of spirit and can sprint from 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds and onto a top speed of 93mph.

With its low centre of gravity, the road holding is nice and grippy and the instant bursts of acceleration means overtaking slower moving farm traffic is an easy task. The Corsa-e is beautifully agile around town with light steering which is ideal for weaving through the congestion. And it feels quite mature on the motorways too.

There are drive modes called Eco, Normal and Sport that alter the way in which the car behaves with Sport livening up the responses quite considerably, but Eco helps you eke out more range.

Our Corsa-e, in range-topping Elite Nav, was priced at £31,160 after the Government's plug-in car grant of £3,000 had been deducted. So it's not exactly cheap, but to be honest, venturing into EV-car-buying territory rarely is.

The vehicle has a maximum range of 209 miles on a full charge. However, you will see that range plunge at a worrying rate if you clock up lots of motorway miles driving at 70mph. But when fizzing around town, the limit drops much slower and extra miles can be recouped thanks to the regenerative braking.

Comfort levels are good with nice firm and supportive heated seats, plus room in the back for a couple of youngsters.

The boot size is fine for a city car with a capacity that ranges from 309 litres to 1,118 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat. In addition, storage options include a compact glovebox, practical door pockets, a small central cubby box, pockets in the seat backs and a tray by the driver's right knee.

The Corsa-e boasts plenty of safety kit with the likes of lane departure warning with lane assist, speed sign recognition, blind spot alert, a driver fatigue system, automatic emergency city braking, high beam assist with anti-glare, Isofix fittings on the rear outer seats and a full suite of airbags.

Charging the Corsa-e from a 7kW domestic wallbox takes seven and a half hours from zero to 100 per cent, or 30 mins from 15 to 80 per cent on a rapid 100kW charger.