The Vauxhall Vivaro-E arrived on Vanarama Van Expert Tom Roberts’ doorstep last week, so we asked him to give us his first impressions ahead of the full Vanarama Roadtest video review going live. So, here’s what Tom thought about Vauxhall’s entry into the electric medium van sector.
The delivery driver smiled knowingly at me when he delivered the Vivaro-E. His smile seemed to say: “You look like the sort of person who’s going to enjoy this van.” His smile wasn’t wrong. In a nutshell, the Vauxhall Vivaro-E is the best electric van I’ve driven to-date. It may not be a ground-up electric van, but it delivers where it counts & doesn’t compromise.
People say that electric vans are in their infancy - & they’re right - but there are some clear peak-performers already pushing their way to the front of the crowd. The Vauxhall Vivaro-E is one of them.
Tom’s Love For The Spec
Simple things make me happy & when it comes to electric vans I always think about the range, payload, warranties & charging times. The Vivaro-E does not disappoint on any of them & here’s what I mean:
Range: The 2 battery sizes - 50kW & 75kW - offer substantial ranges in their own rights. The 50kW battery offers 143 miles & the 75kW provides 205 miles. Either one works for me & when you consider that some electric vans available right now are only providing 90-odd miles as standard, you can see why the Vivaro-E already has a natural advantage.
Payload: The 50kW battery version is capable of carrying up to 1226kg - excellent - & the 75kW version can carry 1002kg - again, excellent. When you consider that the diesel version of the Vivaro has a top payload of over 1400kg, you can see the Vivaro-E doesn’t make too much of a compromise. In fact, I’d be so bold as to say you won’t miss those 200kg - but that’s just me.
Warranties: You get the standard manufacturer warranty with the Vivaro-E, but the battery packs are covered by an 8-year warranty! That shows real confidence in the tech & I say that’s always a good indication of the reliability tests Vauxhall have clearly carried out.
Charging times: On a rapid charging point, you’ll be able to charge the 50kW version to 80% in 30 mins & the 75kW version in 45 mins! These times are not massively different to a lot of other electric vans, but when they’re put together with the 3 sections above it’s just the icing on the cake.
Tom’s Love For The Marketing
When a manufacturer lets their marketers loose on a new vehicle, sometimes they smash it with their stats. Let’s start small - Vauxhall says this vehicle will drop your maintenance costs by 30% because it has less moving parts & wears brakes slower than a standard fuel Vivaro. That’s a great message - it’s simple & makes perfect sense.
However, they also asked someone to work out that by driving a Vivaro-E you would save emitting a daily 9.5kg of CO2. So far, so normal, but they also worked out that it’s roughly enough CO2 to fill 347 children's party balloons (based on a daily mileage of 40 miles). I’m as stunned as you are. I never knew I needed this stat… is this going to be a normal thing we get from manufacturers now?
Tom’s Takeaways
The Vivaro-E is the best electric van I’ve driven to-date. That’s my chief takeaway. If you’re considering moving to an electric van, the Vauxhall Vivaro-E is the one I’d choose to lease. That’s not to say there aren’t others you could go for, but when it comes to medium vans it really can’t be beat right now.
Lease it, love it, feel the joy & check my full Vanarama Roadtest video (when it hits our YouTube channel & social feeds) for even more information about this excellent van.
If you enjoyed this blog, check out this one about 2 other electric vans, the Maxus eDeliver 3 & the Nissan ENV200. You can also check out our special offers on vansguaranteed to give you a new lease of life.
