Buyers can reserve the electric version of Vauxhall’s new Corsa supermini for just £500, the British brand has confirmed.

Dubbed the Corsa-e, the new model is the first of the revamped Corsa line-up to break cover, not to mention the most high-tech. Under the bonnet is a 134 bhp electric motor that’s powered by a 50 kWh battery to provide a 0-62 mph time of 8.1 seconds and a range of 205 miles.

According to Vauxhall, the newcomer is set to “normalise electric car ownership” and “appeal to a broad range of drivers who may not have previously considered an electric car”. To help with that, the French-owned, Luton-based firm says the Corsa-e can be charged to 80 percent of its battery capacity in just 30 minutes from a public rapid charger.

Vauxhall Corsa-e

And in another move designed to encourage take-up of the electric hatchback, Vauxhall is offering would-be customers the opportunity to reserve their vehicle for £500. The sum is fully refundable on purchase of the car, and the first 500 British customers to make their reservations will receive a free home charging kit on delivery.

When the order books open officially after the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the Corsa-e will come with a choice of two trims, both of which feature a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with satellite navigation, LED headlights and alloy wheels. An 11 kWh on-board charger, rear parking sensors and DAB radio are also thrown in as standard.

Vauxhall Corsa-e

Officially, though, prices start at £26,490, and that’s after the government’s £3,500 Plug-In Car Grant has been applied. Without that, the car would cost just under £30,000. But buyers will be offered the chance to finance the Corsa-e with a Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) plan, which will start at £270 per month. That’s based on a 47-month contract for a Corsa-e SE model with the optional Fizz Orange paint seen here. On those terms, the initial payment would be £5,549.40, while the final ‘balloon’ payment needed to secure the car outright at the end of the contract would come to £9,123.

But however you choose to finance a Corsa-e, you might well have to wait a while to get your hands on one. Full pricing and specification details won’t be announced until the car makes its official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and production won’t begin until January 2020.

Gallery: Vauxhall Corsa-e