THRILLING OPEL CORSA GSE HOT HATCH WINS ‘GOLDEN STEERING WHEEL 2026’

 

 

Published 11th November 2026

 

At Opel, GSE stands for ‘Grand Sport Electric’ – or, to put it another way: goosebumps, speed and emotions. The new Opel Corse GSE is a further testament to this. The most powerful version to date of this small car bestseller has outpaced its rivals and won the ‘Golden Steering Wheel 2026’ award in the ‘Best Small Car’1 category. By winning this prestigious award at the 50th ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ ceremony, the Corsa GSE impressively underlines that it is taking Opel’s hot hatch tradition into an electrifying future, while also being a versatile everyday sports car for everyone. The Corsa GSE, impressed the ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ expert jury just as much as it recently sparked enthusiasm among media representatives and the public at its trade fair appearances at the recent Paris and Zurich motor shows.

 

“Our new GSE models represent the high-performance variants within Opel’s extensive range. They demonstrate just how exciting and dynamic electric mobility can be, whilst simultaneously appealing to all customers. We would like to thank the readers and the expert jury at AUTO BILD and BILD am SONNTAG for awarding a GSE model the ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ with the Opel Corsa GSE. This is clear proof of how our everyday sports cars impress and inspire,” said Opel CEO Florian Huettl.

 

“Opel is taking a bold step! The Corsa GSE brings genuine rallying DNA to the road. You can feel it through every bend while it puts a permanent smile on your face. This is how Opel evokes true emotions in an electric car. Our jury is rewarding this bold move with a ‘Golden Steering Wheel’,” said Robin Hornig, editor-in-chief of AUTO BILD.

 

Last year, the Opel Mokka GSE kicked off the GSE’s string of awards at the ‘Golden Steering Wheel’. It, too, was named ‘Best Small Car’. At this year’s anniversary event, the new Corsa GSE has now repeated this success impressively. After the readers of AUTO BILD and BILD am SONNTAG voted the hot hatch into the final, the all-electric everyday sports car underwent tough testing and strict evaluation of the ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ jury of experts at the DEKRA Lausitzring. The result: the Corsa GSE scored an impressive total of 4,261 points, securing its victory ahead of strong competition. It particularly outpaced the field in the assessment categories of launch behaviour, acceleration, power delivery and agility, while also impressing in areas such as overview, seating position and practicality.

Thus, the new Opel Corsa GSE combines the best of both worlds: highly dynamic sportiness with proven practical benefits. With a lowered chassis, Torsen limited-slip differential, 207 kW (281 hp) and 345 Newton metres of torque, the eye-catching high-performance version of Germany’s and UK’s most popular small car offers just as much electric power as the Mokka GSE. But the Corsa GSE flexes its muscles a little more. Because it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds – faster than any other current production Opel! Drivers can reach a top speed of up to 180 km/h on a clear German Autobahn. The performance is underlined by an active sports sound developed exclusively for the new Corsa GSE, which accompanies the driving experience depending on acceleration and speed. This makes the performance visible, perceptible and audible to the driver and passengers.

 

At the same time, the Corsa GSE is not only suitable as a fun-to-drive option, it also serves as an everyday car as well as it makes for a pleasant road trip companion. Like every electric Corsa, the hot hatch offers a load volume of up to 1,042 litres. Standard equipment details such as the heated seats and steering wheel as well as the 180-degree rear-view camera make journeys even more comfortable. And if Corsa GSE drivers want to power external devices this can be supplied from the vehicle battery thanks to the bidirectional onboard charger (V2L). 

The new Opel Corsa GSE is the latest in a proud series of Opel winners of the ‘Golden Steering Wheel’. Out of 90 new models, 27 finalists competed in 9 categories in the anniversary year. After the tests at the Lausitzring, the respective category winners were finally determined. In addition, the ‘Best Used Car’ and the ‘Best Classic Car – Golden Steering Wheel Winner’ were also announced this year.

 

The award, which is presented by BILD am SONNTAG in cooperation with AUTO BILD, is considered the ‘Oscar’ of the automotive industry. In 50 editions the brand with the Blitz has been recognised 23 times. Since 2020 alone, the trophy has gone to Rüsselsheim six times. Opel celebrated its first success in 1978, two years after the award was founded, with the Senator A taking top honours.

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* The fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures mentioned comply with the WLTP test procedure, on the basis of which new vehicles are type approved from 1 September 2018. This WLTP procedure replaces the European drive cycle (NEDC), which was the test procedure used previously. Due to more realistic test conditions, the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions measured under the WLTP are, in many cases, higher compared to those measured under the NEDC. The fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures may vary depending on actual conditions of use and on different factors such as: specific equipment, options and format of tires. Please contact your dealer for further information. For more information on WLTP click here https://www.wltpfacts.eu/.

** The fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures mentioned are determined according to the new test procedure WLTP and the relevant values are translated back into NEDC to allow the comparability with other vehicles. Please contact your dealer for the latest information. The values do not take into account in particular use and driving conditions, equipment or options and may vary depending on the format of tires. For more information on official fuel consumption and CO2 emission values, please read the guideline "Guideline for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions of new passenger cars" freely available in all point of sales.

*** The range and electric consumption figures mentioned comply with the WLTP test procedure, on the basis of which new vehicles are type approved from 1 September 2018. They may vary depending on actual conditions of use and on different factors such as: speed, thermal comfort on board the vehicle, driving style, vehicle load and outside temperature. The charging time depends in particular on the power of the charger on board the vehicle, the charging cable and the type and power of the charging station used. Please contact your dealer for further information. For more information on WLTP click here https://www.wltpfacts.eu/.

**** The fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and range figures mentioned comply with the WLTP test procedure, on the basis of which new vehicles are type approved from 1 September 2018. This WLTP procedure replaces the European drive cycle (NEDC), which was the test procedure used previously. Due to more realistic test conditions, the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions measured under the WLTP are, in many cases, higher compared to those measured under the NEDC. The fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and range figures may vary depending on actual conditions of use and on different factors such as: charging frequency, driving style, speed, specific equipment, options, format of tires, outside temperature and thermal comfort on board the vehicle. Please contact your dealer for further information. For more information on WLTP click here https://www.wltpfacts.eu/.

Please note: All information was accurate and up to date at the time of publication. Opel reserves the right to alter specifications at any time, which may affect the data shown. All figures quoted relate to the EU base model with standard equipment.