Mercedes-Benz eSprinter review

Make and model: Mercedes-Benz eSprinter
Description: Large delivery van, electric
Price: From £58,740 + VAT (plus options)

Mercedes-Benz says: “The UK’s most reliable van, as voted by the top 50 leasing companies for nearly a decade, leads the charge in the UK’s large van market with a new electric model that delivers more range, technology, safety, and uptime for fleet operators.”

We say: The Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is smooth, comfortable and feels very well built. If an electric large van meets your business needs, it’s a great choice.

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Introduction

This is the latest Mercedes-Benz eSprinter – the company’s large electric van. The first version was launched in 2019, but got a major upgrade in 2024. Despite the exterior looking almost exactly the same, underneath there were significant improvements.

As you’ve probably already guessed, the eSprinter is the electric version of the regular diesel-powered Sprinter. However, the new eSprinter version is based on a different chassis that’s specifically designed for electric power. Compared to the original version, this means a more efficient electric motor that now drives the rear wheels rather than the front, and bigger battery packs. The dedicated chassis and rear axle also allow Mercedes to offer the new eSprinter in a chassis cab version, which wasn’t previously possible.

There is a matrix of trim levels, lengths, heights and battery sizes to work your way through, but it means you should find a version that suits your needs.

Who is this van aimed at?

Based on the traffic in our local street, the target market appears to be Amazon. Apparently, the US home delivery giant operates about 500 eSprinters in the UK, as part of a fleet of about 1,800 electric vans across Europe.

In fact, it’s precisely operators like Amazon who are ideal customers for the eSprinter – urban delivery operators who return to a dedicated depot or base overnight, and are more interested in cargo volume than maximum payload (most Amazon boxes appear to be about 95% fresh air, for example).

Compared to the diesel Sprinter, the electric version obviously produces no tailpipe emissions so is exempt from congestion charges and ultra-low emission zone charges, while road tax is also cheaper.

For best use of a van like this one, you’ll need to have your own charging point available at the vehicle’s base of operations for maximum convenience and minimum charging costs. If you’re relying on public charging, it’s not going to be as viable a prospect.

Who won’t like it?

Operators who engage on longer routes or require higher payloads. Because of the extra weight of the electric version over the diesel equivalent, the eSprinter has a lower maximum payload – the entry-level L3 (longer) model can only carry a maximum of 497kg. While that’s still more than many operators will ever need, it’s considerably less than the equivalent diesel version, which can carry about 1,000kg (depending on specification).

If you have the smaller 81kWh battery on your eSprinter, driving range is around 160 miles. The bigger 113kWh takes that up to around 270 miles. In both cases, you get better range around town and less on A-roads and motorways, and you also lose range if you’re close to maximum payload. Again, that’s still more than most operators are likely to need each day, but won’t suit everyone.

Even a 160-mile range between charging is plenty for many operators, but if your business needs to carry goods over longer distances, you’ll have to factor in a charging stop somewhere along the way (or on the way back).

If your needs involve longer trips or higher daily mileage on a regular basis, a large diesel van is still likely to be more suitable for your needs.

What do you get for your money?

As with most van models, there’s a matrix of length and height combinations to choose from. Here in the UK, the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter does things by two – there are two battery sizes, two electric motor power outputs, two lengths, two body styles and two trim levels on offer. All up, there are 26 different specifications of eSprinter currently available.

The electric motor can be specified in either 100kW (136hp) or 150kW (104hp) form. Torque is the same for both at 400Nm. The motor on the updated eSrpinter drives through the rear wheels, which is different from the original version that drove through the front wheels.

The two trim levels are Pro and Select. Of the 13 panel van combinations, ten are in lower-level Pro Spec and three are top-spec Select, which adds about £3,200 + VAT to the price. The Pro versions get a fairly basic level of spec, with all the bits you expect to see in a new van today like a full-width partition between the cabin and the cargo bay, a ten-inch central touchscreen display with digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration and a reversing camera display, 16-inch steel wheels, plus heated seats. You also get all the same safety kit as the more expensive Select models, which is good.

The main extras on the Select are additional comfort and convenience features. These include a more comfortable seat with lumbar support and better head restraints, a leather steering wheel, cupholders, upgraded headlights with auto high-beam, and a charging package for your phone.

On both versions, there are plenty of optional extras you can pay for to configure your van exactly how you like it. Bear in mind, though, that if you delve too far into the options list then you’l be making an already pricey van even more expensive.

Pricing and specifications on any vehicle are subject to change at any time, so check the spec sheet before purchasing. If you’re looking at a used van, check that everything mentioned in the ad is actually on the vehicle – plenty of sellers will rely on generic model information without physically checking the vehicle for its exact specification.

Expert tips

• Good Apple CarPlay integration
• Heated windscreen works quickly
• Good level of safety kit as standard
• Optional extras can drive price up very quickly

What can you get in it?

The shorter version of the eSprinter is called the L2, which is about 5.9m long. The load bay is just under 3.4m long, providing a load volume of 9m³. The longer L3 pushed overall length by just over a metre, bringing it to about 7m. This is achieved by a 70cm increase in wheelbase (the length between the front and rear wheels) and about 30cm more behind the rear wheels. Load length grows to 4.4m, which increases maximum load volume to 14m³. Both versions have the same interior load height (just over 2m) and width (1.35m between the wheel arches)

By way of comparison, the Stellantis large vans (Vauxhall Movano Electric, Peugeot e-Boxer, Citroën ë-Relay and Fiat E-Ducato – as well as the Toyota Proace Max Electric, which is the same van) offer an extra 2.5-3m³ in load volume despite shorter lengths, thanks to higher roofline options. Make sure you carefully calculate your minimum length/width/height requirements before placing your order.

Maximum payloads range from 490kg (L3 length, 81kWh battery, 100kW motor, Select spec) to 1,273kg (L2 length, 81kWh battery, 150kW motor, Pro spec). By comparison, equivalent diesel Sprinters offer substantially more payload – 999kg to 2,479kg for the same lengths and trim levels. All of those numbers for both electric and diesel vans are broadly similar to the equivalent Stellantis vans.

All versions of the eSprinter come with 270-degree rear barn doors and a single sliding door on the left-hand side. An extra sliding door on the right is available for an extra £1,260 + VAT.

Expert tips

• Check your required dimensions and payload carefully before ordering
• eSprinter is longer than equivalent Stellantis vans but with slightly lower roof height and payloads

What’s the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter like inside?

Upon jumping behind the wheel, the first impression is of a very car-like driving position, rather than a bus-like arrangement found on some other large vans. As you’d expect, the view out front is panoramic but rearward visibility is very limited. The wing mirrors are suitably large but there’s no central rear-view mirror (because of the bulkhead) or camera replacement as found on some other vans – it’s available as an optional extra for £770 + VAT.

The central ten-inch widescreen touchscreen is generally very good. It’s easy to read and is well integrated with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In front of the dashboard are – unusually these days – a set of old-school analogue gauges with a small screen in between them. It looks like a Mercedes passenger car from about 2012, but it works well enough.

The steering wheel is shared with various Mercedes cars and is lovely to hold compared to thin plastic rims found in many commercial vehicles. Unfortunately, the controls on the wheel are absolutely awful to use. There’s a combination of physical buttons and haptic surfaces for swiping up/down/left/right. These are very difficult to use on the move, when simply trying to adjust the radio volume up or down is impossible to do accurately. Some other manufacturers are backtracking from these types of controls, and we hope Mercedes also throws them in the bin as soon as possible.

The seats are comfortable enough but nothing special. You get room for three, with the driver’s seat adjusting separately from the two-seat passenger bench. The Select trim levels get a ‘comfort driver’s seat’ upgrade over Pro models, which includes lumbar support. If you want electric adjustment or truck-style suspension seats, these are available at additional cost.

Bizarrely, the Pro models don’t get cupholders in the dashboard, which will annoy your employees. You can option them for an extra £40 + VAT, which just seems petty.

Expert tips

• Very car-like driving position compared to some other large vans
• Steering wheel lovely to hold but the buttons/controls are terrible
• Shallow overhead shelf above each sunvisor
• Heated seats good, but no heated steering wheel
• No central rear-view mirror or camera, which is disappointing in such a big vehicle

What’s under the bonnet?

The Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is powered by a single electric motor, with a choice of 100kW (136hp) or 150kW (204hp) power outputs, which drives through the rear wheels. Like all EVs, it has a single-speed transmission so there’s no manual option. Torque is strong at 400Nm, so it will still perform well while fully laden at maximum payload. And being an EV, the performance is available immediately rather than having to build up the engine revs like on a petrol or diesel van.

The motor is supplied by a choice of two batteries, the smaller being 81kWh in capacity and the larger one being 113kWh. These give a claimed driving range according to EU/UK government lab tests of 160 miles and 270 miles, respectively, although this will depend on your chosen specification. In real world driving, call it 120 miles and 220 miles and you should be safe.

What’s the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter like to drive?

The Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is designed for urban stop-start driving, and it does very well in this regard. Like any EV, it offers quiet, smooth and clean operation compared to a diesel van, which is pleasant for drivers as well as for everyone else around. Despite its enormous size, the eSprinter was fairly comfortable around local streets, but inevitably three-point turns and confined car parks are challenging to navigate.

The eSprinter feels relatively car-like in its driving position and dashboard layout – other large vans have a driving position more like a bus or truck. Much of the switchgear is also shared with Mercedes-Benz passenger car models, so it all feels high quality.

It’s smooth and quiet to drive, with immediate response to throttle input. You’re not going to win any traffic light drag races, but you’ll easily keep up with the usual cut and thrust of urban driving. And thanks to the high driving position, you have a great view of everything that’s going on ahead of you.

At urban speeds up to about 50mph, the eSprinter is very quiet with relatively little wind or road noise. Once you get up towards the national speed limit, you start to hear a lot more of both, although the motor is still very quiet. Being such a long vehicle, it soaks up bumps and potholes pretty well, although there’s a bit of bounce from the suspension when the cargo bay is empty. This settles down when you have a decent amount of weight on board.

As with all new vehicles, the EU-mandated speed warning beeps and bongs are annoying, but unfortunately they’re now fitted to pretty much every new vehicle thanks to the latest EU diktats. You can easily disable them all from a dedicated link on the central touchscreen, but you have to do it every time you start the van. Every. Single. Time. And that will inevitably get very annoying in a multi-drop environment, so most drivers will simply end up ignoring the constant cacophony of warning sounds or turning up the radio to drown them out, which rather defeats the purpose of having them at all.

Expert tips

• At 30-50mph, range predictions are accurate
• Above 50mph, range drops quickly and faster than predicted on screen

Charging the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter

As standard, the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter comes with the usual Type 2-to-Type 2 cable for connecting to a wallbox or slow charger. The cable eight metres long, which is more generous than most standard EV cables – but then it needs to be, since the L3 eSprinter is seven metres long. Mind you, the charging point is in the nose, so you’ll still probably need to park forwards in a charging bay rather than reversing in.

As with most EVs these days, you don’t get a Type 2-to-Type 3 cable for connecting the van to a standard three-point plug. Mercedes doesn’t list one on the options list, either, but even an 81kWh would take an age to charge via a normal wall plug. The 113kWh would be even slower.

As standard, the eSprinter comes with an 11kW on-board charger for charging at a home or workplace wallbox, which gives a full charge (0-100%) time of 8hrs30mins for the 81kWh battery and 11hrs15mins for the 113kWh batter. You can upgrade this to 22kW if you have access to three-phase electricity, which will bring the full charge time down to 4hrs30mins and 6 hours, respectively.

If you’re out and about, the eSprinter can fast charge at up to 115kW at public chargers. It will give you a charge from 10-80% of 34 minutes and 42 minutes for the two battery types – beyond 80%, charging on all EVs will slow down to protect the battery, so all manufacturers will quote to a maximum of 80%

Expert tips

• Charging point is in the large Mercedes star in the grille, so parking nose-first into charging bays is essential
• 11kW on-board charger as standard, 22kW available if you have access to three-phase power

Verdict

Electric vans are slowly growing in acceptance and popularity, although they’re still massively outsold by diesels at the moment. In the large van sector, almost every major van brand now has an electric option and they’re generally very good vehicles – if they meet your usage requirements.

The Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is surprisingly good to drive, and certainly better than the five variations of the Stellantis large van. Although a giant van is never going to feel particularly agile, it was agreeably comfortable and quiet, which is key if you’re spending all day working from the van. If you can charge it on-site or at home overnight, you’ll also benefit from substantially lower running costs.

The base-spec Pro looks better value than the higher-spec Select, and most of the main extras are available at extra cost individually if there’s anything specific you want. In fact, the Mercedes has a lengthy options list, which is great for configuring a vehicle to your precise needs, but there’s quite a bit of stuff on there that is standard on other vans.

Making the switch from a petrol or diesel van to an electric version is a big consideration for any business. There will be a learning curve and you’ll have to think differently about how you manage your vehicle to ensure it meets your business needs. But there’s no doubt that electric vans are becoming a big thing for urban and last-mile deliveries. If you’re ready to make that jump, the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is an excellent choice for urban operators. For out-of-town work, it may not be so convenient. Do your sums carefully to ensure it meets your working requirements.

Similar vans

Citroën ë-Relay | Fiat E-Ducato | Ford E-Transit | Iveco eDaily | Maxus E Deliver 9 | Nissan Interstar EV | Peugeot e-Boxer | Renault Master E-Tech | Toyota Proace Max Electric | Vauxhall Movano Electric

The large electric van market is growing rapidly, with most major LCV brands in the UK having something to offer. Note that the Citroën, Fiat, Peugeot, Toyota and Vauxhall models above are basically the same van with some cosmetic and minor trim differences. Likewise, the Renault and Nissan models are basically the same van underneath different front-end styling.

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