New Vauxhall Corsa-e Anniversary Edition is a modern Vauxhall Nova

• Limited to 1,000 units in the UK
• Red and tartan accents inspired by Vauxhall Nova
• Available to order online from £31,000

When the first-generation Vauxhall Nova first arrived in 1982, it would have been hard to believe that just 40 years later its successor, the Corsa, would become the UK’s best-selling car – let alone that it would get a fully electric variant. Nevertheless, the new Vauxhall Corsa-e Anniversary Edition has arrived to celebrate four decades on sale, with plenty of retro-inspired details and an usual free gift.

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Limited to just 1,000 units in the UK, the new Vauxhall Corsa-e Anniversary Edition is available to order online now, with prices starting at £31,000. The Corsa-e offers much of what makes the combustion-engined Corsa so popular, however, now with a fully-electric powertrain that provides up to 222 miles of range.

Vauxhall has taken several steps to evoke the spirit of the original Nova in the Corsa-e Anniversary Edition. The new car features an exclusive new paint shade called ‘Record Red’ – evocative of the Nova’s original ‘Carmine Red’ launch colour. There is also a contrasting black roof, which is symbolic of the black bumper cladding often seen on cars in the eighties, and a set of equally black 18-inch alloy wheels.

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On the inside, previous Nova owners will be familiar with the Anniversary Edition’s red and black tartan upholstery. This is accented by a commemorative plaque on the dashboard, signalling the car’s one of 1,000 status. 

Speaking of tartan, the Vauxhall Corsa-e Anniversary Edition comes with a rather unusual free gift. The majority of new cars may come with a bunch of flowers or even a tank of fuel (especially helpful today with such exorbitant fuel prices); however, the Anniversary Edition is paired with (no pun intended) two sets of tartan socks. These match the seat patterns of the original Nova as well as the new car and can be ordered in small and large sizes.

Regular versions of the Vauxhall Corsa-e start from around £27,000, and the Anniversary Edition does more to justify its higher price tag than simply some cosmetic tweaks. As standard, the limited-run car gets heated seats and steering wheel, blind spot monitoring, electrically folding door mirrors, all round parking sensors and a reversing camera.

Like all Corsa-e models, the Anniversary Edition also benefits from adaptive LED headlights, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, a digital instrument cluster and a seven-inch central touchscreen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity. Standard 100kW fast-charging allows drivers to charge up their Corsa-e from 10-80% in just 30 minutes when connected to a compatible public charger.

Looking to go electric on a budget? Check out our list of the top 10 cheapest electric cars