Vauxhall Vivaro Electric Review & Prices

The Vauxhall Vivaro Electric is, shockingly, the electric version of the Vauxhall Vivaro mid-sized panel van. It’s the sister van to the Peugeot E-Expert, Citroen e-Dispatch and Fiat e-Scudo, as well as the Toyota Proace Verso Electric, so opting for the Vauxhall is simply a case of whether you’re friendly with your local dealer, the price is right, or the trim levels are appealing.

As with most electric vans, the Vivaro Electric is a bit like that drawer full of really specific kitchen tools - really useful if your needs align with it, but a bit annoying and useless if they don’t. Electric vans are much more specialised tools than diesel ones.

As a mid-sized electric van, the Vivaro Electric’s main alternative - besides its large family of mechanically identical vehicles - is the Ford E-Transit Custom. However, you might also consider the stylish Volkswagen ID. Buzz Cargo, the wallet-friendly Maxus eDeliver 3, or the unusual hybrid-powered LEVC VN5.

The Vivaro Electric has all the usual upsides and downsides you’d expect from an electric van. The large battery pack does bring a long range of up to 230 miles in the best versions - slightly longer than the E-Transit Custom - but it impacts payloads.

Vauxhall Vivaro Electric: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 194 - 230 miles
Efficiency: 2.6 - 3.0 mi/kWh
Battery size: 75kWh
Max charge speed: 100kW
Charge time AC: 11hr 20m 0-100%
Charge time DC: 45m 5-80%
Charge port location: Front wing, left
Power outputs: 136hp

However, the benefits of super-low running costs as well as a very pleasant driving experience are good reasons to go electric.

The cab experience in the Vivaro Electric is just like that of the diesel, which is another mixed bag. On the plus side, it’s nicely built, with a reasonably slick touchscreen, sensible control layout and decent build quality. However, it can feel cramped - the dash is set very high, so you feel as though you’re looking out of a letterbox, and there isn’t much storage. It’s narrow for three to sit abreast, too.

Moving back, you get a useful load area without too much wheelarch intrusion, so loading’s easy - but it’s not as wide or tall as an E-Transit Custom’s.

Choosing your Vivaro Electric is easy. There’s just one motor and battery combination, pairing a chunky 75kWh battery pack with a 136hp electric motor. There are three trim levels to choose from and a few optional extras, but unlike the smaller Stellantis vans (Vauxhall Combo, Citroen Berlingo et al.) there are no features that meaningfully differentiate the Vivaro Electric from its sister vehicles.

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With the plug-in van grant and excluding VAT, the Vauxhall Vivaro Electric starts at just over £38,000 - a pretty respectable saving from the £45,000 Ford E-Transit Custom. A small cost upgrades you to the long-wheelbase model, while a six-seater crew cab costs about £2,000 over the panel van.

Trim levels start at Prime, which isn’t too sparsely-equipped. You might get steel wheels and black plastic bumpers and door handles, but you also get a 10.0-inch touchscreen display, six-way adjustable driver’s seat, air-conditioning, cruise control and remote locking plus rear parking sensors.

Step up to Prime and you get built-in navigation, the useful FlexCargo load-through bulkhead, LED headlights, wheel trims and painted bumpers plus a digital rear-view mirror and surround-view camera perfect for avoiding dings in the city. The range-topping GS, meanwhile, has a sporty makeover with alloy wheels and bespoke bumpers, dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery, keyless entry and wireless smartphone charging.

Just one motor and battery combination giving reasonable performance - but don’t trust the range gauge

The Vivaro Electric feels a lot like one of Vauxhall’s electric cars to drive, which makes sense considering the Vivaro diesel doesn’t feel much like a commercial vehicle either. If you’re expecting Tesla-style acceleration, though, you’ll be disappointed. With just 136hp on tap the Vivaro Electric pulls away smartly but soon feels breathless, and you’ll definitely need to plan moves when you’re driving quickly.

With a top speed limited to just 81mph, you won’t be doing many autobahn runs, either. The Ford E-Transit Custom offers up to 285hp, so the Vivaro’s output does feel a little mean.

What’s more frustrating is that in the ‘Normal’ drive mode, you don’t even get the full 136hp - you need to be in Sport for that, which also endows you with a hyperactive throttle response. Quite irritating.

However, like all electric vans, the Vivaro Electric is a joy to drive in town. With no gears to worry about, smooth and predictable power delivery and a glut of low-down torque you can really zip around. Visibility out of the front is okay - but not as good as it is in the Transit Custom due to a narrower windscreen. The door mirrors are pretty small, too, though there is the fantastic option of a digital rear-view mirror.

The Vivaro’s steering is nicely judged in terms of weight, and it grips well and corners keenly. An E-Transit is much more satisfying to drive, but the Vivaro Electric isn’t bad - it’s certainly nicer than the Maxus eDeliver 3, and it rides bumps in the road very well.

Can carry just (barely) over a tonne, which is useful - but the load area's smaller than an E-Transit Custom's

Dual sliding side doors come as standard, making loading a cinch as you can pile stuff in from both sides. The Vivaro’s rear doors open up to 180 degrees but stop at 90 first so you don’t need to worry about them opening into nearby vehicles.

The load area is pretty standard, but is shorter and narrower than a Ford E-Transit Custom’s by about 100mm in both dimensions. It’s unobstructed, though, with minimal intrusion from the wheelarches and quite an upright bulkhead.

Speaking of bulkhead, available from mid-spec Pro models (or as an option for the entry-level Prime) is a useful load-through bulkhead called FlexCargo which allows you to pass longer items underneath the double front passenger seat. Pro trim also adds a 12V socket to the rear, but it’d be nice to see a 230V socket as well to allow the use of the van’s traction battery to power tools, like you get on the E-Transit Custom.

Internal and external measurements

Exterior dimensions (M/XL)
Exterior length: 4,981mm/5,331mm
Exterior width with mirrors: 2,204mm
Exterior width without mirrors: 1,920mmmm
Exterior height: 4,981mm/5,331mm

Interior load length (M/XL)
Van
To bulkhead: 2,512mm/2,852mm
With passthrough: 3,674mm/4,024mm

Crew cab
To bulkhead: 2,017mm/2,365mm

Interior loading width

All versions
Max width: 1,636mm
Between wheel arches: 1,258mm

Interior loading height
Max height: 1,397mm

Rear door aperture height/width
All versions: 1,220mm/1,282mm

Side door aperture height/width
All versions: 1,241mm/935mm

Vauxhall Vivaro Electric towing capacity

No ambiguity here - every version of the Vivaro Electric can tow 1,000kg. That’s rather less than the 2,300kg capacity of the Ford E-Transit Custom, but it will accommodate a small trailer or piece of equipment.

Vauxhall Vivaro Electric payload

The best version of the Vivaro Electric can carry just over a ton - that’s the Prime or Pro panel van in either its M or XL wheelbase forms. A 1,001kg payload is ever so slightly less than the Ford E-Transit Custom or Renault Trafic E-Tech, but it’s not bad, and much better than the Mercedes eVito.

Payload drops to between 915 - 940kg for the crew cab models.

Slightly cramped, but with good levels of equipment and build quality

Six-way adjustment with lumbar support is standard for the driver’s seat of the Vivaro Electric, so it’s quite easy to get comfortable. However, taller drivers will find that the seat doesn’t quite go back far enough for long legs - the bulkhead limits rearward movement and means the cab is quite cramped. This isn’t an issue in the crew cab models.

Width-wise, it’s slightly narrower than a Ford E-Transit Custom, so sitting two on the double front passenger seat will also be a bit of a squeeze. And unlike the Ford, the Vivaro’s gear selector remains on a protruding pod rather than attached to the steering column, so robs a bit of knee-room too.

Storage is mixed. There’s no glovebox, per se - there’s a hole in the dash, but otherwise the largest bit of covered storage is on the dash top, which is large enough for documents. Otherwise the rest of the storage is uncovered, and though the door bins are very roomy the cupholders aren’t - they’re small, and there’s only two of them.

Build quality feels good. Materials are hardwearing rather than plush but there’s a general sense of solidity, and the design is largely sensible - you get a full panel of climate controls, shortcut buttons for some of the safety aids and an easy-to-use steering wheel and digital dial panel.

All versions of the Vivaro Electric get a 10.0-inch infotainment display which has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus two USB-C ports to help keep gadgets juiced up. This has a few labyrinthine menus, but once you’ve set it up you won’t need to dive into them too often.

As with all electric vehicles, running costs depend very much on how you choose to charge up. If you charge your Vivaro Electric from a commercial or domestic supply, especially at cheaper night rates, then you have the potential to score a full charge for less than a fiver - making it very cost-effective indeed.

However, public charging can be extremely pricey, and the Vivaro’s large, 75kWh battery means you could easily spend in excess of £50 on a full top up from the fastest chargers.

It’s worth noting that the Vivaro’s maximum charge rate of 100kW means there’s little benefit to seeking out super-fast units, so it’s better to opt for cheaper ones where you can find them. You should be able to top up to 80% in less than an hour.

In terms of range, Vauxhall claims up to 230 miles is possible from the very best Vivaro Electric, with most of the panel vans promising between 210 - 220 miles on a full charge. In reality, this is a pipe dream, and you should set your sights on a number closer to 160 miles - not bad by any stretch, and representative of the class with their hardworking roles and brick-like proportions.

However, the Vivaro’s range gauge is particularly frustrating - it defaults to the maximum possible after every charge, rather than displaying a realistic figure. This means you can’t really trust it for the first 30 miles or so.

Electric vans don’t benefit from low road tax in the same way as electric cars, and have to pay the same yearly rate as a diesel van.

The diesel version of the Vauxhall Vivaro scored Gold in Euro NCAP’s 2024 test of commercial van safety equipment - showing that its autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist and the like all function as they should. This is pretty reassuring.

Vans aren’t crash-tested by Euro NCAP, but the passenger variant of the Vivaro did score five stars - however, this was way back in 2015, and the test procedures have changed drastically since. You should at least be buoyed that the Vivaro Life shares much of its underpinnings with other Stellantis passenger cars, and in more recent crash testing many of them have returned four and five-star ratings.

An alarm is only standard from Pro upwards, but deadlocks are fitted to all models.

During our time with the Vivaro Electric we did suffer a charging issue whereby the vehicle wouldn’t accept a DC charge - leaving us stranded. Putting that aside as a freak incident, though, the Vivaro Electric does use proven components that are common to a huge number of Stellantis electric vehicles - let alone four other models of electric van.

The diesel versions of these vans are proving to be reliable workhorses too, with few complaints from owners.

Service intervals for the Vivaro Electric are every two years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first. Meanwhile, warranty cover is a rather mediocre three years in length, although it does cover up to 100,000 miles. The battery is warranted separately up to eight years or 100,000 miles.

However, opt for the Fiat e-Scudo and you can upgrade your warranty to five years or 125,000 miles, while regular servicing with Toyota will see your Proace Electric afforded up to ten years of warranty cover. So there are better options here.