Vauxhall Movano Electric Review & Prices

The Vauxhall Movano Electric is Vauxhall’s version of this familiar-looking large panel van. If you’re getting a sense of deja vu, that’s because it’s mechanically identical to the Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer, Citroen Relay and the Toyota Proace Max - and their electric alternatives. All but the Toyota are part of the Stellantis manufacturing group - the same company that also owns Alfa Romeo and Jeep, among others.

It might also look familiar because the same basic van shell has been on sale since 2006 - though the Movano’s nameplate has only been affixed to it since 2021. Before that, it was a rebadged Renault Master. The Movano is a new, modern electric van wearing the clothes of an elder statesvan - it’s a bit like if Keir Starmer turned up in the House of Commons dressed as Churchill.

Changes from its contemporaries are minimal - the only difference is the badges, the front-end styling, some of the available trim levels and the dealerships you buy it from. Alternatives include the Ford E-Transit, the Mercedes eSprinter and the new Renault Master E-Tech - all of which promise strong payloads and long ranges.

Vauxhall Movano Electric: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 235 - 263 miles
Efficiency: 2.1 - 2.4 mi/kWh
Battery size: 110kWh
Max charge speed: 150kW
Charge time AC: 11hrs 45m 0-100% (11kW) 16hrs 40m 0-100% (7kW)
Charge time DC: 55m 10-80%
Charge port location: Behind passenger door
Power outputs: 279hp

The Movano is arguably the best-looking of the Stellantis vans. In contrast to the overly fussy treatment given to the Fiat Ducato, its front end looks smart and modern, and the newly minimalist Vauxhall badge doesn’t seem out of place.

As standard, you get steel wheels and unpainted black plastic bumpers, but you can upgrade if you prefer a smarter look at the expense of greater resilience to bumps and scrapes.

Where the Movano Electric shows its age most is in the cab. Though it’s fitted with up-to-date tech including a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster and a modern touchscreen, there’s no hiding the fact that they’re set into a dashboard that’s barely changed since 2006.

In contrast to the cab on the latest Ford Transit, it feels like the technology’s been forced in with a shoehorn rather than designed to be there in the first place.

There’s a reasonable amount of choice in the range - you can pick from two lengths and two body heights, plus a window van and a chassis cab. All versions get plenty of space and payload, though - a benefit of being on such heavy-duty, old-school underpinnings. The best models can carry a payload of over 1,400kg, which is impressive if not quite up to the heights of the Ford E-Transit.

All versions also come equipped with a mammoth battery and powerful electric motor. At 110kWh in capacity, the likely most popular L3 H2 model can travel up to 263 miles officially, and strong performance means that unlike some earlier electric vans you won’t struggle to keep up with traffic. In fact, you might give them a little surprise at the traffic lights…

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The Movano Electric comes in at a bit over £46,000 ex-VAT and after the plug-in van grant. It’s well worth upgrading to the 4.25t chassis, though, for less than £1,000 extra, as it doubles the payload and can still be driven on a standard car licence. The largest L4 H3 model still comfortably sits under £50,000, making it cheaper than a Ford E-Transit and much cheaper than a Mercedes E-Sprinter.

Powerful electric motor makes short work of driving in town or on the motorway, but it’s very bouncy without a load in the back

The first generation of Stellantis’ electric vans felt like they could barely get out of their own way - and it was even worse when they were fully laden. The latest models, though, including the Movano Electric, feature a powerful 279hp electric motor which is even more powerful than the one fitted to the Ford E-Transit.

Driving the front wheels through an electric vehicle’s usual single-speed transmission, it’s even easier than an automatic van to drive - just press and go, smoothly and rapidly. The Movano Electric certainly has more than enough shove to make motorway driving effortless, and it’s so quick off the line that you may well surprise some hot hatchbacks at the traffic lights.

It’s not so hyperactive, though, demanding quite a firm press on the accelerator to elicit a rapid response - desirable in a commercial vehicle that may well be carrying a heavy or delicate load.

There are four levels of regenerative braking, controlled by paddles behind the steering wheel. The heaviest of these won’t quite take the Movano Electric down to a full stop, so it’s not a totally one-pedal experience - but it does slow you rapidly to a near-walking pace.

What’s noticeable, though, is the suspension. It feels extremely heavy-duty, which is desirable for carrying big loads effectively but does mean the Movano Electric feels very bouncy when it’s unladen. It’s not quite as bad as in the lighter diesel models, but you’ll still wince over speed bumps and if you hit a hump in the road too fast you may feel the rear wheels almost lifting off the ground.

Plenty of room for cargo and high payloads, though it’s beaten by the Ford E-Transit

The Movano Electric, like all Stellantis’ large vans, features quite a small cab pushed as far forward as possible, maximising load space within the body length. That makes it very space-efficient so if maximum capacity is your goal, this is the van to go for.

All models come with a full-height steel bulkhead as standard, which you can add glazing to or remove altogether. The rear doors open to a handy 270 degrees and there are various options to clad the load area.

Internal and external measurements

Exterior dimensions

Exterior length (L2/L3/L4): 5,413mm/5,998mm/6,363mm
Exterior width without mirrors: 2,050mm
Exterior height (H1/H2/H3): 2,254mm/2,522mm/2,760mm

Interior load length (L2/L3/L4)

At floor: 3,120mm/3,705mm/4,070mm
At mid-height: 2,914mm/3,555mm/3,920mm

Interior loading width

Maximum: 1,870mm
Between wheel arches: 1,422mm

Interior loading height (H1/H2/H3)

Maximum: 1,662mm/1,932mm/2,172mm

Rear door aperture height (H1/H2/H3)

All versions: 1,520mm/1,720mm/2,030mm

Rear door aperture width:

All versions: 1,562mm

Side door aperture height (H1/H2/H3)

All versions: 1,485mm/1,755mm/1,755mm

Side door aperture width

All versions: 1,250mm

Towing capacity

All versions of the Movano Electric can tow up to 2,400kg braked, which is highly impressive - an E-Transit can only manage 750kg. Do bear in mind that the driving range will suffer drastically if you’re towing, though.

Payload

Vauxhall Movano Electric payloads vary slightly depending on the body size you’ve chosen, but they range from 1,385kg for the largest L4 H3 model up to a maximum of 1,460kg for the L3 H2 model. The lone version with a 3.5-tonne Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) can only carry 710kg - the rest of the range has a GVW of 4.25t, giving them much more useful payload to play with.

That’s not quite as impressive as the Ford E-Transit, which can carry up to 1,758kg in its best form, but it’s still much improved over older electric vans and should be enough for all but the most demanding users.

New technology feels out of place in what’s quite an old-fashioned, cramped cab

The main complaint about the Movano Electric’s cab is the size. It’s very cramped for tall drivers, with seats that don’t go far enough back and are awkward to adjust, especially for height.

A staunchly old-school driving position where you sit very upright doesn’t really help, either. Long-legged drivers will find that the pedals seem to be underneath them rather than in front of them.

The Movano’s seat is also quite firm without very much lateral support in bends. A Ford E-Transit and Mercedes eSprinter are both much more comfortable. At least the double front passenger seat is quite wide and roomy, and you can fold down the centre section to provide a table and a clipboard. The middle passenger doesn’t get much space for their feet, though, as there is a pair of cupholders on the floor.

As standard, you get a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster which is clear if not particularly configurable. There’s also a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, but our test van was upgraded to the 10.0-inch display. It also got automatic climate control and a wireless phone charger, so there’s no shortage of tech providing you spec the van carefully.

In terms of storage you get multi-level door bins with plenty of space, a good-sized glovebox and a trio of cupholders.

The Movano Electric’s large battery endows it with an impressive WLTP range of 263 miles in the best version. During a week covering mixed mileage, we found 200 miles to a charge to be easily achievable, though this figure will go down if the van’s heavily laden.

That’s an impressive number, with Ford’s E-Transit claiming a maximum of 196 miles per charge and a more real-world figure of around 120. That is with a much smaller battery, however - the Movano’s vast capacity is needed as it’s rather less efficient, at least on paper, than some of its alternatives.

That will affect you more if you’re publicly charging the van. It can top up at a useful rate of 150kW, giving you a 0-80% charge in less than an hour - so a meaningful amount of range can be added on a lunch break, for example. Most of these vans will probably be charged overnight at a depot, though, which is where they’ll be most cost-effective.

Euro NCAP doesn’t crash test vans but it does test their advanced driver assistance features. When it put the Movano Electric to the test in 2024, it awarded it Gold - one down from the top-rung platinum, indicating that its autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assist and other safety systems work well as they’re intended to function.

All versions get airbags for the driver and both front passengers, plus a rear-view camera. A digital rear-view mirror is available, helping with your view behind, and you can also get blind-spot monitoring and front foglights with a cornering function.

Security features are basic but you do get keyless entry as standard, with separate locking for the cab and the load area. The van does unlock with a truly ear-splitting beep, however. An alarm is also fitted as standard equipment.

The Movano is based on a van platform that predates the iPhone, so most issues are likely to have been ironed out. The electric motor and battery are new, but early signs are promising - there have been few reported problems across all of the various brand variants.

Warranty cover is three years or 100,000 miles, which is about average - Toyota’s Proace Max offers up to ten years of cover if serviced in line with requirements, and Fiat has a five-year warranty for a small upfront fee, so the Vauxhall is trailing on that. Service intervals are set at every year or 16,000 miles, which is shorter than the equivalent diesel.