Peugeot e-Boxer electric van review

Van makers having been weighing up (literally) the case for and against large electric vans for years. After all, it's hard to create a big vehicle that can carry a heavy payload and still have a useable electric range. More and more buyers want large electric load-luggers, though, which is why the new Peugeot e-Boxer is here.

The e-Boxer is the last of the Peugeot van range to be electrified, but while the smaller e-Partner and e-Expert are created in-house by the French car maker, the conversion of the Peugeot Boxer to run on a motor and battery was handled by specialist firm Bedeo.

It's heading into a market that's quickly filling up with rivals, too. The Renault Master ZE and Mercedes eSprinter have been on sale for some time, while the Ford E-Transit recently arrived to disrupt the electric van sector (and, indeed, the van sector as a whole).

Credit must be given to Peugeot for not simply giving us one version of the e-Boxer. There are two battery sizes and three body lengths available, all of which come with a standard high roof. Underneath, the e-Boxer is closely related to the Citroën e-Relay and Vauxhall Movano-e, which are also Bedeo conversions.

Keep reading the next few pages of this review to find out how the Peugeot e-Boxer compares with the best electric vans in terms of performance, interior quality, day-to-day usability and, of course, load-lugging ability. We'll also let you know whether it should be on you or your company's shopping list, and whether it provides a convincing case for more large van drivers to go electric.

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With the market for electric vans still in its infancy, manufacturers tend to offer just one power rating for their electric models, and it has become commonplace for that single motor option to sit in the middle of the diesel engine range.

With the e-Boxer, though, the engine has been replaced with a 121bhp motor. That sits closer to the entry-level diesel engines in the conventional Peugeot Boxer. Still, 121bhp is sufficient and seems to be an accepted benchmark.

The Fiat E-Ducato has the same motor and the Mercedes eSprinter gets a 114bhp one. Ford is so far the only manufacturer to buck the trend by providing two power outputs, with the E-Transit available in both 181bhp and 266bhp forms.

Of the two battery options Peugeot gives you, the larger 75kWh version has the longer official range, at up to 154 miles. The 37kWh officially manages 73 miles. 

It’s also worth noting that the e-Boxer can be had as a 3.5-tonne van or as a 4-tonner – both of which can be driven on a car licence. The benefit of having the higher gross vehicle weight van is that the heavy 75kWh battery doesn’t eat into your payload allowance, which is minimal on a 3.5-tonne van with the big battery. 

The e-Boxer's performance is spirited without being particularly impressive. As it's such a large van, there's a lot of weight to move, and while 192lb/ft of instantaneous torque does help get it goine, you won’t be racing any Teslas away from the lights. It's also speed limited to 75mph in 3.5-tonne form and 62mph as a 4-tonner. 

Compared with the E-Ducato, which has the same power output, the e-Boxer feels a little more restrained – almost as though it’s warming itself up with a jog before breaking into a full run. It really will feel like a big, slow van when you throw some weight in the back.

Electric vans are meant to be quiet, but the e-Boxer is a bit disappointing with its noisiness. It's front-wheel-drive, so more whine from the motor reaches the driver's ears than in the rear-wheel-drive E-Transit. There’s also more road noise as well as the sound of the wind forcing itself around the A-pillars and extra-large wing mirrors. It’s not disruptive, but it's louder than in the E-Transit and eSprinter.

The ride is comfortable for a big van with firm suspension, which is a bonus, and it's pretty adept at handling a twisty road. The heavy steering isn’t ideal if you plan to use your van mostly on town and city roads. 

The regenerative braking, which recoups energy to top up the battery, is moderate. You’ll notice a slight slowing down as you lift off the accelerator, but surprisingly there's no additional braking mode to increase the amount of energy you can reclaim. Instead you’ll have to rely on the conventional brakes, which seems a waste and is likely to be a consequence of the third-party conversion.

It’s worth pointing out that the interior of the Peugeot e-Boxer is based on a van that was launched in 2006.

That’s as much of an excuse as we will allow it, because while it's practical, with plenty of storage, it simply can’t match up to a more modern van. As in the regular Peugeot Boxer the seats are hard, the steering wheel position is too upright and the overall look and feel of it is dated, and not particularly ergonomic.

It's functional rather than flattering but it does the job, and because it was the subject of a third-party conversion, is also home to a few bolted-on extras. The push-button Drive, Neutral and Reverse buttons added to the dashboard are simple and effective, but they look stuck on (which the chrome effect surrounds are) and far from sophisticated.

That’s not the worst faux pas, though – there’s also something missing in the e-Boxer’s instrument cluster. As you'd expect, there’s a speedometer, but there’s also a fuel gauge, engine temperature and rev counter (with the needles removed) all still in their usual positions. That looks a bit ridiculous in an electric van. 

Space in the interior for the driver and passengers is plentiful, and so too is the amount of storage the large door bins and other storage features can take. The main storage spaces are on the passenger side of the dash, where there are two open compartments as well as a cupholder. Concealed storage can be found in the lower central part of the dash, where there's a large glovebox.

Smaller electric vans usually come in only one size, but most manufacturers of larger vans are coming round to the idea that one size does not fit all. That's why the Peugeot e-Boxer is available in three different lengths, labelled L2, L3 and L4.

The load volume ranges from 11.5m³ to 15m³, and the maximum loadspace length ranges from 3210mm to 4070mm. The internal height of the loadspace is 1932mm (all versions get the standard H2 roof height).

Payloads are a little more complicated, because the e-Boxer is available at two different gross vehicle weights – 3.5 tonnes and 4 tonnes. 

The L2 and L3 models are both 3.5-tonne vans and have payloads of 1070kg and 740kg, respectively. The big drop in payload capacity isn’t just down to the larger body size, because the L2 is only available with the 37kWh battery, while the L3 gets the 75kWh battery pack. All L4 versions of the e-Boxer have the 75kWh battery and are built on a 4-tonne chassis.

Buying an electric van is not cheap, and while the Peugeot e-Boxer is a third-party conversion done to a lesser standard than a factory option, it’s pricing is not for the faint-hearted. The starting price is slightly lower than for the Maxus E Deliver 9 and Mercedes eSprinter but significantly more than the entry-level Ford E-Transit. 

Running costs will depend on how you charge the van, and the e-Boxer is capable of taking a 50kW DC rapid charge. On a rapid charger, the battery level will top up from 0-80% in an hour, while a conventional 7kW home wall box will take around six hours to charge the smaller battery pack and 12 hours for the larger battery.

At this point, we would normally mention the vast amounts of safety systems that are fitted to modern vans, but because the e-Boxer is based on a particularly old model there isn’t much to report.

There’s a driver’s airbag and traction control as standard, but all the features you would find on a more modern van – lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking (AEB) etc – are missing from the standard kit. A Drive Assist Pack is available as an option, adding speed-limit recognition, smart beam headlights, Active Safety Brake, collision alert and a Lane Departure Warning system.

The e-Boxer is available in only one trim level, Professional, and includes air conditioning, rear parking sensors and heated electric mirrors as standard. There’s also a 5.0in touchscreen with DAB radio and sat-nav. The interior rear-view mirror has built-in information about the battery charge and your remaining range.

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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.