Electric vans – what’s on sale and what’s coming soon?

Described as a “radically reimagined urban utility vehicle”, the electric van from British start-up brand Arrival has been touted for a few years but is apparently set to start low-volume production before the end of 2022. Build rate should then ramp up in 2023.

To be built in Bicester, Oxfordshire, the catchily-named ‘Van’ is intended to be the first in a range of Arrival electric vehicles, including a bus (called ‘Bus’) and a mini cab (called ‘Car’).

The first of the Stellantis brands on our list, Citroën has an all-electric alternative to match all three diesel-powered vans in its range, including the compact ë-Berlingo, mid-sized ë-Dispatch and large ë-Relay panel vans.

There is one more electric commercial model coming soon, although it’s not a van in any sense. The Ami Cargo is a quadricycle with added rear storage space that is ideal for small businesses that want to handle inner-city commutes on a budget. As it’s not a car by law, it doesn’t have to meet the same safety standards as a van, which is certainly worth bearing in mind.

Fiat Professional is another Stellantis marque that offers a choice of electric power alongside diesel and/or petrol versions of its vans.

In addition to the mid-sized E-Scudo and large E-Ducato vans which have both been on sale since last year, Fiat has announced in recent months that an electric version of its Doblo small van will be available to order soon – a van that is basically identical to the Citroën e-Berlingo, Peugeot e-Partner and Vauxhall Combo-e.

Considering Ford’s status as the dominant brand in the LCV market, it is fair to say that the company has been slow to capitalise on the growing demand for electric vans.

The E-Transit large van is newly on sale in the UK, and will be joined next year by an electric version of the UK’s bigest-selling vehicle, the Transit Custom.

Battery-powered Transit Courier, Tourneo Custom and Tourneo Courier models are expected to follow in 2024.

Iveco has been selling its Daily large van since 1978, and has offered the latest generation with an electric powertrain since 2016.

However, the Daily Electric has been removed from sale in recent months, as the manufacturer gears up for the release of a new version of its only electric van, which is expected to arrive later this year.

The famous London Taxi Company announced its commitment to an all-electric future when it re-branded back in 2017, and as the manufacturer is now owned by Chinese automotive giant Geely, the new-look London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) is using the resources of its parent company to pursue its electrified ambitions.

Besides its electric taxi, LEVC has been selling its VN5 electric van since the end of 2020 – a more expensive proposition than other electric vans of its size. Being a niche brand, we’re not expecting any larger or smaller vans to join the family anytime soon.

Quick to capitalise on growing electric van demand in its home country of China and abroad, Maxus has been producing electric LCVs since 2014, and has eight different EV commercial models in its current worldwide range.

Here in the UK, the compact eDeliver 3 and the large eDeliver 9 are available for purchase, and Maxus has announced that its new electric T90EV pick-up and MIFA 9 people carrier will start to appear on British roads from the start of next year as well.

A brand that has recently ramped up its electrified offering, Mercedes-Benz plans to become an electric-only brand in the next decade, and this strategy applies to its van division too.

The company has offered electric versions of the mid-sized Vito since 2020. More recently, Mercedes-Benz introduced the eVito-based EQV people carrier to the UK market, and an electric version of its larger Sprinter van arrived a few months into 2022. The compact eCitan (which is based on the electric version of the Renault Kangoo) will arrive at later this year.

This one is pretty niche. The Morris Commercials JE is an unashamedly retro-styled delivery van inspired by the classic Morris J-type van.

First revealed nearly three years ago, the project is already running a year late thanks to Covid and its knock-on effects. But Morris says that deliveries will be starting later this year.

Its fair to say that Nissan was ahead of the curve when it introduced its e-NV200 electric van to the UK market in the middle of 2013 – a model that would go on to be the best-selling electric commercial van in Europe by 2016.

Now Nissan is looking forward to the launch of its successor, the Townstar. Directly competing against the Citroën e-Berlingo, Peugeot e-Partner, and Vauxhall Combo-e, electric versions of the new compact van are scheduled to arrive at the end of 2022.

Like its Stellantis sibling Citroën, Peugeot now sells three electric van models, all based on the brand’s diesel-powered range that is still on sale.

The e-Expert mid-sized van has been on sale since 2019, and the compact e-Partner and large e-Boxer both arrived in 2021, all sharing the same foundations as their counterparts from Citroën, Fiat and Vauxhall.

Renault has offered an electric version of its Kangoo small van for years, with an all-new generation due to arrive in the UK in coming months.

The company also sells a commercial version of the electric Zoe supermini for small businesses, which has a decent battery range but a dismal Euro NCAP safety rating.

Though not part of the Stellantis family, Toyota’s van range in Europe consists of rebadged medium and small vans from Citroën/Fiat/Peugeot/Vauxhall as part of an ongoing partnership agreement.

Adding to the Proace Electric and smaller Proace City Electric currently on sale, Toyota and Stellantis recently announced that they have expanded their partnership to include a new large van, but this is expected to arrive sometime in 2024.

Currently the face of Stellantis’ LCV operations here in the UK, Vauxhall offers the same three electric vans as its fellow family brands.

The mid-sized Vivaro-e is currently the UK’s best-selling electric LCV in 2022, while Vauxhall also offers the smaller Combo-e and larger Movano-e models. There are also people mover versions of the Vivano and Combo EVs.

Volkswagen had been selling electric versions of its Transporter panel van up until this year (through a partnership with a third-party converter), but that has now made way for the head-turning ID. Buzz, which is available as either a people carrier or ‘Cargo’ panel van.

Although orders of this new model haven’t started arriving just yet, it is selling out in several countries across Europe.