Item: Citroen Berlingo Electric
Rating: 3
Author: What Car? Team

Citroen Berlingo Electric

Citroen e-Relay

Citroën e-Berlingo Van

Citroën e-Dispatch

Fiat E-Ducato

Ford E-Transit

Ford Transit Custom PHEV

Maxus e Deliver 3

Mercedes eSprinter

Nissan e-NV200

Peugeot Partner Electric

Peugeot e-Boxer

Peugeot e-Expert

Peugeot e-Partner

Renault Kangoo ZE 33

Renault Master ZE

Toyota Proace City Electric

Toyota Proace Electric

Vauxhall Vivaro-e

Volkswagen e-Crafter

Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Costs & verdict

Despite the new Berlingo diesel van having being on sale for some time now, an update to the Berlingo Electric isn't expected until 2021.

The up side of the&nbsp;Berlingo Electric&nbsp;being somewhat outdated, though, is that it costs as little as 60% of the price of newer rivals. As with all electric vans, there's also&nbsp;no road tax to pay, and if you’re operating within a clean air zone there may be additional savings on entry fees.

Citroën claims the Berlingo Electric will cost less than £2 to run for 40 miles, making it roughly two-thirds cheaper than a diesel alternative.

For all the latest van reviews, news, advice, and videos visit our dedicated van section&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/class/vans">here</a>.

With its batteries positioned beneath the floor, the Berlingo Electric has a lot of evenly distributed, low-down weight. That means it feels really sharp to drive, even considering that it's based on the previous-generation Berlingo, which dates back to 2008.&nbsp;

The newer diesel-powered Berlingo is without doubt a much better vehicle all round, but the Berlingo Electric doesn't suffer as much from&nbsp;the overly soft suspension and jelly-like body control of the older model.&nbsp;

The 49kW motor won’t set your world on fire, but it's lively enough to get you places – helped by the absence of gears. In fact, the Berlingo Electric is slightly more powerful than its main rival, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/kangoo/van/review/n18460">Kangoo ZE</a>, although the Berlingo Electric doesn’t have as much range as the Renault.

To make matters worse, you're&nbsp;unlikely to achieve anything close to the official figure of 106 miles; around 80 miles between charges is a more realistic figure. Rapid charging is included as standard, though, so&nbsp;a brief top-up of around 30 minutes will take the battery up to around 80%. If you’re using a standard 3kW household charger, replenishing the batteries will take eight to 10 hours.

Citroën has always been one to push the envelope, whether it be with unusual designs or experimental technologies. Years ago, it pioneered energy management to improve fuel economy in its humble Berlingo van by making the alternator more efficient and recovering small amounts of kinetic energy.&nbsp;

This was an early indication that harnessing wasted energy was on its radar and that a battery Berlingo was a possibility. And&nbsp;when the Citroën Berlingo Electric and its <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/peugeot/partner-electric/van/review/n20151">Peugeot Partner Electric</a>&nbsp;twin&nbsp;arrived, they certainly helped popularise the concept of small battery-powered vans.&nbsp;

Now every manufacturer is rushing to install batteries&nbsp;into their small vans, though, so is&nbsp;the Berlingo Electric&nbsp;still able to slog it out with rivals such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/kangoo/van/review/n18460">Renault Kangoo ZE</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/nissan/e-nv200/van/review/n20139">Nissan eNV200</a>?

Well, with its batteries located under the floor, there is no compromise to the Berlingo Electric’s load space, meaning it has a capacity of up to 3.7 cubic metres. Power is provided by a single 49kW motor that returns an official range of 106 miles.&nbsp;

Just one trim level is available, too, making the Berlingo Electric one of the most straightforward line-ups of any van range.

Manual versions of this generation of the Berlingo have a cramped as well as drab interior, but the electric van doesn't require a&nbsp;floor-mounted gear lever, so there's a little more space for the driver’s left knee and for a passenger in the centre front seat.&nbsp;

The covered storage area on top of the dash and two open compartments in the centre provide the bulk of the storage, and there are well-sized door pockets and useful under-seat space.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The only trim level available is Enterprise, which gives you air conditioning, Bluetooth, cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, a trip computer and the Multi Flex passenger seat, which adds extra storage space.&nbsp;Although this is a high level of kit for an electric van, it’s still below that of a diesel&nbsp;for the same money, which we’d expect to also come with sat-nav and a DAB radio.

Citroën is probably most famous for its quirky design, and the latest cars from the brand live up to this tradition, featuring paintwork-protecting ‘Airbumps’ and eschewing the sporty looks favoured by most rivals.

Indeed, Citroën tends to keep away from sportiness altogether and instead tries to put comfort first.

Value (but not cheapness) is also key to the appeal of most Citroëns. And the company’s range includes everything from small hatchbacks (such as the C1 and C3) to big, family-friendly seven-seaters (the Spacetourer and Grand C4 Spacetourer).

The C3 Aircross SUV is another of its popular models, while a larger C5 Aircross is planned.

CITROEN

BERLINGO CV

A cost-effective route into electric van ownership, but its limited range and&nbsp;ageing interior don’t do it any favours.

Citroën Berlingo Electric

The conventional-engined Berlingo range is pretty versatile, and the Berlingo Electric offers a similar number of size and load options. There are two different lengths available: L1, which can transport lengths of up to 1800mm, and the larger L2, which can move 2050mm.&nbsp;

Thanks to the Multi Flex seats, you can also create another 1200mm of usable length by folding the front passenger seat forwards and and pivoting the mesh bulkhead to one side. As a result, the total load volume&nbsp;is 3.7m3 for the L1 and 4.1m3 in the L2.

The width across the van is 1620mm, and there’s only one roof height with 1250mm of space. Despite all of the batteries, payloads remain moderately high, with a maximum of 636kg for the smaller van and 552kg for the larger one.

True, that’s not as good as in the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/nissan/e-nv200/van/review/n20139">Nissan eNV200</a>, which can move 752kg and has a load volume of 4.2 cubic metres, but the Berlingo Electric is roughly the same as the standard <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/kangoo/van/review/n18460">Kangoo ZE</a>, which can move three cubic metres and has a 640kg maximum payload.

The Citroën Berlingo Electric is a cost-effective route into electric van ownership, but its limited range and ageing interior don’t do it any favours. The new diesel version is more comfortable and better all round, so you should consider that instead if you don’t need to go electric. It’s one of the best in the small van market.

Electric Van

Small Van

Citroen Berlingo Electric review

Fill out our 2022 Reliability Survey - and win a prize!

Alfa Romeo Giulia

Volvo XC60

Nissan Ariya

Fiat 500

Hyundai Ioniq 5

Honda HR-V

Dacia Jogger

/news/complete-the-2022-what-car-reliability-survey-for-the-chance-to-win-a-prize/n15554

New car deals >>

site ribbon config

Review of Citroen Berlingo Electric interior by the expert What Car? team. Compare in car entertainment system, driving comfort and visibility with similar cars.

Manual versions of this generation of the Berlingo have a cramped as well as drab interior, but the electric van doesn't require a floor-mounted gear lever, so there's a little more space for the driver’s left knee and for a passenger in the centre front seat. ,The covered storage area on top of the dash and two open compartments in the centre provide the bulk of the storage, and there are well-sized door pockets and useful under-seat space.  ,The only trim level available is Enterprise, which gives you air conditioning, Bluetooth, cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, a trip computer and the Multi Flex passenger seat, which adds extra storage space. Although this is a high level of kit for an electric van, it’s still below that of a diesel for the same money, which we’d expect to also come with sat-nav and a DAB radio.

New car deals >>

Citroen Berlingo Electric review

Toyota Proace City Electric

Vauxhall Vivaro-e

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

What Car? has a buying service

Quick search

Tools & services

Legal bits

Information