Road-Tripping Paris in the Electric Vauxhall Grandland

Taking on a rapid cross-channel journey to Paris in the Vauxhall Grandland Electric, our writer shares the highs and lows of a 24-hour dash to drop off a student for a year abroad. Preparation required a few lessons: the bootlid isn’t steel (magnetic UK plates won’t stick), and a French Crit’Air emissions sticker is mandatory for low-emission zones even in an EV—best bought directly from the official government site for €5.11 (about £4.40) rather than scam sites charging £40. After packing the large boot and setting the Intelli-Lux headlights—which adapt to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic so no deflectors are needed—the journey started with an evening LeShuttle crossing from Folkestone. The Grandland, described more as a tall estate car than a traditional rugged SUV, took the autoroute’s 130kph (81mph) limit in stride, though efficiency took a hit, dropping average economy from 3.5mpkWh to 3.3mpkWh and pushing range below 200 miles, accompanied by some wind and road roar and a need for steering correction in crosswinds. After an overnight stay in Amiens, an early morning top-up at a nearby supermarket preceded the drive into Paris, navigating the Périphérique and tight underground parking designed for Twingos. On the return leg toward Calais, finding reliable fast chargers proved trickier than previous trips to Bordeaux: promised 300kW stations at a major shopping centre were out of service, forcing a stop at a 150kW unit where the Vauxhall—capped at a 160kW maximum charging rate—peaked at 120kW, taking over an hour to add 55kWh. Opting for a couple of brief top-ups instead of another long wait, the EV covered nearly 700 miles across two days, bringing the driver home far less exhausted than expected.