2026 Opel Astra Hybrid

The Astra has never looked this good, and it finally drives like it knows it

How good does the new Opel Astra look? We are completely sold, a genuine 10 out of 10. The design is sharp, the proportions are spot on, and in the metal it simply works. Our only real gripe is the colour palette: beyond this Kult Yellow and the Athletik Blue, the choices are a little dull. But there is far more to the Astra than a pretty face, and Opel has quietly made its Kadett successor, a name it has used for 35 years now, one of the most likeable cars in the class.

Design: the best-looking Astra in years

The facelift is subtle but effective. The main change is the grille, which now carries an illuminated Opel logo, and if you squint you can just about make out the shape of a compass in it. The proportions and stance do the rest. Opel has even leaned into its own history with the new wheel designs, named Rekord, Kadett and, slightly awkwardly for the times, Pentagon. It is a handsome, confident thing that needs no help standing out.

The facelift is really about the headlights

Tellingly, Opel does not make the facelift about engines or plug-in news. Instead it wants you to notice the Intelli-Lux HD lighting, with more than 50,000 light pixels per headlight. The system does not dazzle oncoming traffic, throws a wide, clear beam down a dark road and picks out pedestrians at the roadside more clearly. The beam is constantly adjusting, to the point where it can feel like watching a Pink Floyd light show. It is genuinely clever, though the cynic in us cannot help wondering what it will cost to fix if those pixels start failing one by one.

Interior: real buttons and seats that get it right

Inside, Opel has done the sensible things well. There are real physical buttons for the important controls, which is far from a given these days, and the seats are excellent, complete with a cut-out that Opel describes, rather more elegantly, as an ergonomic feature to relieve the coccyx. In Ultimate trim you also get the Pure Panel Pro screens with an extended head-up display, wireless charging, a heated vegan-leather wheel, a heated windscreen and eight-colour ambient lighting, so it feels properly equipped.

Powertrain: a smooth, frugal mild hybrid

We drove the Hybrid 145 automatic, a mild-hybrid setup pairing a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo with a small electric motor for 145 hp and 230 Nm, driving the front wheels. Its best trick is refinement: the handover between electric and petrol running is barely perceptible. Better still is the efficiency. We averaged around 5.0 litres per 100 km, which for a car this size and this usable is genuinely excellent. One of the Astra's real strengths is that this is only one of three options, alongside a plug-in hybrid and a full EV, all in the same handsome body.

Driving: nippy, easy and refreshingly sensible

On the road the Astra feels nippy and eager, with a good, natural driving position that not every rival still bothers to get right. The mild-hybrid tech is smooth, the controls are logical, and there is a small but glorious detail: you can switch off all the nagging mandatory safety systems in one go by holding the shortcut with the car icon, and everything drops away at once. After years of fighting these systems menu by menu, that alone made us smile. It is an easy, unintimidating car to just get in and drive.

Price and trims: the Ultimate adds up

The catch, if there is one, is price. Our fully loaded Ultimate, with essentially everything on it, nudges towards €35,000, which is a lot for an Astra. The kit list justifies much of it, but it does push the car into serious company. If you want the look and the efficiency without the full bill, the lower trims will make more sense.

AutoNext Verdict

The Opel Astra has quietly become one of the most complete cars in its class, and this facelift only sharpens the case. It looks fantastic, it is frugal, it drives with a light, eager ease, and crucially it still treats you like an adult, with real buttons, a proper driving position and a one-press escape from the safety-system nagging. That combination is rarer than it should be.

The Intelli-Lux headlights are the clever party piece, and the choice of three powertrains means there is an Astra for almost everyone. It is, in short, a genuinely top car.

Our only reservations are minor: a colour range that could be braver, and an Ultimate price that creeps close to €35,000. Shop the trims sensibly, though, and the Astra is very easy to recommend.