The problem

The Opel/Vauxhall Corsa Electric and Peugeot e-208 are basically the same car under the hood and older model years of these can come with a problematic onboard charger (OBC). This is really the one thing to check before buying one of these, imho otherwise great, cars.

The OBC is used when you charge directly on a regular power outlet, a wallbox or a slow charging station to convert the AC power these put out into DC power that the battery can accept. Fast charging stations do not use the OBC but load DC directly into the battery.

There are two different kinds of OBCs: 1-phase and 3-phase. All you need to know is that the 3-phase OBC charges faster and was therefore often ordered.

Now, for approximately the model years 2019-2023 problematic 3-phase OBCs by “Mahle” were used in these cars. The OBCs get very hot in operation and will eventually break, meaning you can only charge at fast charging stations from that point onwards. No wallbox, no power outlet, no slow charging stations.

I highly advise you to check the OBC before buying a Corsa or e-208 to make sure you’re not setting yourself up for a 3000+€ expense in the not too distant future.

What to check

The OBC can be found under the engine hood. This video with timestamp shows where it’s located. You’ll want to inspect the label and/or embossing on the OBC’s metal case and find a “Mahle”, “VMAX” or “MetaSystem” label there.

“VMAX” is the new and unproblematic 3-phase OBC that the “Mahle” OBC was replaced with in new and existing cars. “MetaSystem” is a 1-phase OBC that is not known to have any problems. There might be other 1-phase OBC variants but I’m not aware of any.

If you find a “Mahle” label there, this car is a ticking 3000+€ timebomb and you’ll want to have the seller replace the OBC or give you a massive discount to account for the failure of this component in the not too distant future.

Of course, you should also test slow and fast charging before buying in any case.

I still enjoy my Opel Corsa every single time I step into it and I hope this post can contribute to you sharing that feeling!