Iveco eDaily electric van review

The Iveco eDaily aims to bring zero-emissions credibility and the potential for ultra-low running costs to the large van market, as businesses of all shapes and sizes realise that electric motoring can work for, er, work.

The eDaily isn't alone in that, of course. Notable electric vans already on the road include the Citroën e-Relay, the Maxus e Deliver 9 and the What Car? Award-winning Ford E-Transit (among a few others).

To stand out from the crowd, the eDaily has a unique feature: you can add more batteries over time. You see, a company focusing on local deliveries, for example, might find that they only need a single battery module to begin with, then decide later that they need a longer range. With this model, a dealership can fit a second or third battery.

Elsewhere, the eDaily aims to bring many of the same advantages as the regular Iveco Daily. That means offering a vast array of sizes and configurations in the hope that there’ll be a variant to appeal to most businesses. They include a chassis cab, crew vans with seating for up to seven, and a minibus with capacity for up to 22 passengers.

There’s little to distinguish it from its diesel-engined sibling, save for some blue trim around the front grille and an eDaily badge on the lower bumper.

So how does the Iveco eDaily stack up against its rivals, and is it worth a spot on your shortlist? In this review we’ll cover what it's like to drive, what it’s like inside and how much it can carry.

And remember, we can help you find the best leasing deals through our free What Car? Leasing section, where you can get a quote for whichever make and model of car or van fits your personal or business needs.

Power in the Iveco eDaily comes from a single 188bhp electric motor. There’s a good amount of shove when you set off, but performance tails off quickly when you join faster roads out of town.

The motor draws its power from up to three 37kWh batteries. You can choose how many you need – the decision will depend on how far you need to travel on a typical day – then add more at an Iveco dealership later on.

With one battery, the official electric range is just 68 miles for the H1 height van in its longest form. The longest range, with three batteries fitted to the same version, is officially 186 miles. The Ford E-Transit can travel even further, with an official range of up to 196 miles. That rival electric van also feels faster, especially the 261bhp model, which practically scampers away at traffic lights. 

Iveco’s Driving Mode Selector enables you to drive the eDaily to prioritise either efficiency or power, with three levels of regenerative braking. If you regularly tow or plan to travel fully laden, you can activate peak power and torque for up to two minutes – useful for getting up a steep slope or overtaking.

Like the regular Iveco Daily, the eDaily benefits from a new steering setup that helps it to feel far more connected than previous Ivecos. It never feels like anything other than a heavy large van but there’s at least more heft to the steering. The e-Transit is even better, though.

Ride comfort, is significantly improved over previous generations of the Daily, and the eDaily does a good job of absorbing most of the lumps and bumps of UK roads. The downside is that its new rear suspension has increased ground clearance by 25mm, so items have to be lifted higher to get them into the van.

The eDaily has an almost identical interior to the regular Iveco Daily. That means the materials on offer feel robust rather than luxurious, but while plastics are not particularly exciting, the ones in the eDaily have at least been given a variety of textures and colours to help lift the ambience.

Getting comfy shouldn’t be a problem, with a steering wheel that adjusts for rake and reach, and supportive seats. A new City Mode button on the dashboard can reduce steering effort by as much as 70% in urban environments, and the wheel itself features more shortcut buttons for controlling the infotainment system.

Speaking of which, every eDaily gets a 7.0in touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard. It displays the feed for a reversing camera as well as showing sat-nav directions and giving you somewhere to display apps from your phone using Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring.

The system is smart, and has a built-in Amazon Alexa-style virtual assistant, called the Iveco Driver Pal, which can give you specific information about the status of your van. The infotainment system can be used as part of a wider tracking and monitoring system co-developed with Verizon. The software monitors fleets, which is said to help your business manage vehicle maintenance and route planning.

As an electric van the eDaily has some extra icons to show you which power mode or braking setting you’re using. In the driver display there's a battery level indicator instead of a traditional fuel gauge.

There are plenty of places to put odds and ends, including a large open-air compartment on top of the dashboard and a tray that can charge your phone wirelessly. There’s a slot on the dashboard where you can plug in an aftermarket radio (larger models can have a tachograph), and the glovebox and shelf above it are useful for storing smaller items.

Like the combustion-engined Iveco Daily, the eDaily is available in an almost bewildering array of shapes and sizes. Body sizes measure up to 20m³, while weights go up to 7.2-tonnes. The maximum payload is 4.6-tonnes – more than the Ford E-Transit can manage. (If you go for a version with a Gross Vehicle Weight of more than 3.5 tonnes, you’ll need a C1 category licence to drive it.)

Short-wheelbase vans have a total length of 5080mm with a 2610mm load length, while medium-wheelbase vans get two body options providing 3130mm and 3540mm load lengths. ​​​​​​

The two largest bodies (the longest measures 7540mm) are built on a 4100mm wheelbase, giving them very long rear overhangs. They provide internal load lengths of 4680mm and 5125mm.

Width is 1800mm for all models, while H1 roof height vans offer 1545mm of internal height, H2 models have 1900mm and H3 2100mm.

One sliding side door is fitted as standard, with a maximum width of 1200mm. Rear doors open to 270 degrees and have a height aperture just 100mm less than their respective internal height measurements.

Chances are that once you’ve navigated your way through all the various options, sizes and body types available on the Iveco eDaily, you’ll be able to craft an electric van to meet your needs. Whichever version you go for, don’t expect it to be cheap. You’ll pay more for an eDaily than you would for the more well-rounded Ford E-Transit and only slightly less than for the Mercedes eSprinter (which will hold greater badge appeal for some buyers).

If you can charge up your van at home or work, running costs should be low. The eDaily supports fast charging up to 80kW, which is slower than the E-Transit’s 115kW but still quick enough to add 62 miles of range in half an hour. A full charge for a single-battery version of the eDaily can take as little as an hour and a half from a 22kW charging point, or just short of five hours with three batteries.

Electric versions of the eDaily are available in the same equipment guises and with the same options as the Iveco Daily. That means the range kicks off with Equipment, Functional or Mission Van variants, and from there you can choose which trim level to go for. Entry-level Business models, for example, come with air conditioning, heated mirrors and cruise control as standard.

It’s worth noting that the eDaily is also available with a range of electric power take-off  (ePTO) systems. They allow you to power electrical equipment (lifts, cranes etc) with as much as 15kW available, and can be powered from the main traction battery if you’re connected to a power supply. The model comes with an an eight-year, 155,000-mile battery warranty.

For all the latest van reviews, news, advice, and videos visit our dedicated van section here

About the author

George Barrow is one of the leading van and truck reviewers, and is the UK’s only representative on the prestigious International Van of the Year jury. He has written about vans and commercial vehicles for the past 15 years, and can be found in titles including The Sun and What Van?, alongside What Car?.

Barrow is well regarded in the commercial vehicle industry, securing access to the latest models – and the people who made them – long before other titles.