New Vauxhall Movano Electric review

One of the proudest boasts made about the new Vauxhall Movano Electric by its manufacturer is that it has wireless smartphone charging as standard. That’s a mark of how far the Movano Electric has come – because when the van it's based on first appeared, you couldn't even buy an iPhone.

You see, when Vauxhall was acquired by Stellantis, the Movano was based on the Renault Master. To avoid paying licensing fees to rival Renault, the firm started rebadging Citroën Relay and Peugeot Boxer vans instead – and so the new Movano Electric is now based on a 2006 model, rather than a 2010 one.

To partly offset that, the Movano Electric (previously known as the Movano-e) has had a significant facelift for 2024. It now has a much bigger battery and almost double the range of earlier versions, plus more power and a lower price.

In principle, then, it's a substantial leap forward over its predecessor, but there’s stiff competition out there. Rivals range from the Citroën ë-Relay and Ford E-Transit to the Mercedes eSprinter and Peugeot E-Boxer.

Read on to find out how we rate the latest Vauxhall Movano Electric against the best electric vans available...

One area where the latest Vauxhall Movano Electric really does well is in its electric range and performance.

There’s only one battery option, but it’s a whopping 110kWh unit, and that’s enough to give it an official WLTP range of 261 miles, which is among the best in its class. The Ford E-Transit promises up to 249 miles, while the Mercedes eSprinter can officially manage up to 273 miles.

It is, of course, only half the range of the diesel Vauxhall Movano but it does open up the option of a big electric van for users who travel long distances.

Our time in the van saw us return 2.3 miles per kWh – the equivalent of 225 miles from the 97.8kWh useable capacity. Not bad at all, although we only had 400kg in the back. An E-Transit returned exactly the same efficiency figure when we last drove one.

Power comes from a 268bhp electric motor – a huge increase of 148bhp over its predecessor. It also has 302lb/ft of instant torque, so it’s swift away from the lights even when fully loaded.

There are three driving modes, with the van starting up in Normal mode, which limits the output to 214bhp. You’ll get the maximum range in Eco, which limits power to 161bhp, while Power mode gives you the full 268bhp, but certainly not the full range (which in real-world driving is likely to be less than the quoted figure anyway).

The three modes provide a lot of flexibility, and Eco is fine for most urban applications. Irrespective of the driving mode, full performance is always available by stamping on the accelerator.

Drivers can also set four levels of regenerative braking using paddles behind the steering wheel, the most acute of which will slow the van to a near walking pace. It’s pretty intrusive at speed but is great for slow-moving traffic and almost allows for one-pedal driving.

The steering gets lighter at low speeds, making urban manoeuvring easy, but unfortunately the Movano Electric's dated underpinnings are still very apparent when you're on the move.

The steering is vague, and the ride is harsh, crashy and bouncy, feeling very unsettled on broken road surfaces. There’s also a lot of road noise fed into the cabin, and it sounds pretty boomy at speed. Other electrified large vans – such as the Mercedes eSprinter and the Ford E-Transit — are much sharper to drive.

Inside, you can see where Stellantis has spent money on the Vauxhall Movano Electric. It’s been massively revised, with a far more modern-looking fascia and higher quality materials, while the switchgear is chunky and well-damped.

There’s also a new 7in digital instrument display showing the remaining range and battery charge, with a 10in infotainment touchscreen covering all major controls, with TomTom navigation and voice control.

You can plug your phone in and mirror that, using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, allowing you to bypass the slightly clunky interface.

You’ll be comfortable with climate control, keyless entry and start, and a two-seater bench for a pair of passengers. And, of course, there’s the inductive wireless smartphone charging pad.

That’s all provided in the Prime trim level – the only trim available. Options worth considering include a dash-mounted mains socket ideal for powering items such as a laptop, and the Eat and Work seat, which turns the simple passenger bench seat into a folding work surface for eating or working on.

To help with parking your Movano Electric there’s a reversing camera included as standard. As an option, you can add a digital rear-view mirror, which shows a camera feed from the back of the van.

There’s plenty of space for the driver and two passengers, and a middle-seat passenger will be grateful that instead of a gearstick vying for space with their legs there's a dash-mounted gear selector. They'll be less impressed by the awkwardly placed cupholders, which are pretty much out of reach of the driver but in the way of the middle passenger's feet.

If you need to store more than coffee, there are 10 additional in-cab storage areas, including a big glovebox, a document clip and multiple lidded compartments on the dash.

It’s a huge – and much-needed – step forward inside that brings the basics of the Movano Electric up to par with rivals, even if it lacks the design modernity of a Ford E-Transit, a Maxus eDeliver 9 or the latest Renault Master E-Tech.

There are a few body options for the Movano Electric (although fewer than for the diesel Vauxhall Movano).The panel van comes in two body lengths and heights, plus there’s a chassis cab option to appeal to conversion companies.

At its biggest (L4H3), the Movano Electric's cargo volume is 17m³, which is significantly larger than the Ford E-Transit (15.3m³).

However, the heaviest payload option (in the L3H2) only reaches 1,460kg, around 300kg behind the eTransit’s best. Even then, there’s a slight catch – the most practical Movano Electrics have a gross vehicle weight of 4.25 tonnes, which means users with a regular car driving licence will need extra training.

Vauxhall will provide a 3.5-tonne version of the Movano Electric in L3H2 form, offering 13m³ of cargo volume but limited to a maximum payload of just 710kg – less weight than you can carry in a compact Vauxhall Combo Electric.

In panel van form, the load bay lengths vary from 3,705mm to 4,070mm, with a roof height of either 1,932mm or 2,172mm. All versions can accommodate loads up to 1,870mm wide, narrowing to 1,422mm between the wheel arches. That leaves plenty of room for four or five Euro pallets in the back, depending on the body length you choose.

Access is via twin rear doors that swing open to 180 degrees, with an optional extra extending to 270 degrees – helpful if you want to reverse right up to a loading bay. There’s just one side door on the van's nearside, with a second door relegated to the options list.

The Movano Electric's pricing sits in an interesting space. It costs significantly more than a diesel Vauxhall Movano but undercuts the likes of the Mercedes eSprinter while also trumping it on range.

You might wince at its roughly £20,000 premium over the diesel models, but that’s before a government grant that in the UK currently shaves £5,000 off the price. Running costs should be lower too.

"Fuel" savings could be significant, depending on how the van is charged. The Movano Electric's maximum charging rate is up to 150kW so a rapid charger can top it up from empty to 80% full in under an hour. That’s handy – but also expensive. If you can convince your drivers to plug in at home, off-peak rates could add 100 miles of range for little more than £3.

The one and only trim level, Prime, is well-equipped, and includes traffic-sign recognition, forward collision alert with emergency braking, drowsiness alert, lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control.

Blind-spot alert, rear cross-traffic alert, 360-degree parking sensors and a digital rear-view mirror are available as part of the optional City Plus Pack.

Every Movano Electric is backed by a three-year, 100,000-mile warranty, which is the same as you’ll find on the Citroën ë-Relay, the Fiat e-Ducato and the Peugeot e-Boxer. The Ford E-Transit doesn’t fare quite as well, with a 60,000-mile limit.

For the maximum warranty, there's Toyota's version of the van – called the Proace Max – which is covered for up to 10 years. There are some catches to beware of, but it might suit those expecting to keep the van a long time.

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