LEVC VN5 van review

Introduction

If you’ve been to London at any point over the last two years, the face of the LEVC VN5 electric van will probably be familiar to you. That’s because it’s based on the TX electric taxi, and shares that machine’s front-end design. Rather than transporting commuters and tourists around city streets, though, the VN5 is designed to haul cargo instead – and all using electric power.

Just like rivals that include the Renault Kangoo E-Tech, Citroen Berlingo Electric and Nissan Townstar EV, the VN5 runs on electric power all of the time. Unlike those vans, though,the VN5 also has an ace up its sleeve for when its battery runs out of juice. That ace is a small, 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that can act as a generator for the battery. That engine never directly powers the car’s wheels, so the VN5 is, in fact, a range-extender van, making it a unique proposition for city-based drivers.

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Indeed, LEVC envisions the VN5 as being perfect for companies that are located close to major cities where clean air zones could make delivering to urban centres using a non-electric van prohibitively expensive.

And don’t go thinking that practicality has been overlooked, either; the VN5 can do most of what rival electric models can do, such as take two Euro pallets in its cargo bay. You can even load it from the side, thanks to its sliding door.

In this review we'll see if the VN5 has what it takes to be considered among the best electric vans on the market.

Read more: How we test vans

Overview

The VN5 is a flexible electric van that can go further and haul more than pure electric rivals, thanks to its range extender engine. If you can live with its high purchase price, it’s an excellent small van.

Pros

• Flexible range of up to 300 miles
• Comfortable and spacious interior
• Decent to drive

Cons

• High purchase price
• Interior quality could be better

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Performance & drive

What it's like to drive, and how quiet it is

The VN5 is powered by a single 148bhp electric motor that’s mounted at the rear and drives the rear wheels. It offers decent pace once you’re on the move, but you’ll find yourself pressing the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor to get a decent turn of speed away from traffic lights.

The 0-62mph sprint takes 13.2sec, but unlike some vans, the VN5 doesn’t run out of puff accelerating at higher speeds. Indeed, motorway overtakes are a breeze thanks to the van’s instant acceleration. Its top speed is capped at 80mph.

The regenerative braking effect isn’t so strong that you could drive the VN5 using only one pedal, like you can with some electric van rivals, but with practice you'll be reaching for the brake pedal less than you otherwise would. It's also worth noting that the Renault Kangoo E-Tech and Mercedes eCitan both offer three levels of braking to the VN5's two.

The VN5’s ride can be fidgety, especially on faster roads. And while the steering could be lighter, it is at least accurate so you don’t have to make any wheel adjustments mid-corner. Those elements mean it isn't as engaging to drive as the rival Ford Transit Courier or Kangoo E-Tech.

Where the VN5 fights back is with a tighter turning circle than any rival, which makes manoeuvring around tight city streets easier.

As with other electric vans, you won’t hear much from the VN5 when it’s cruising around on electric power, aside from a whine from the electric motor when you’re really pressing on. On the motorway, the absence of any engine sound heightens the wind and road noise, but the latter is never distracting. There is quite a din from the 1.5-litre petrol engine when it's running, though, which of course isn't an issue you'd face in any purely electric rival.

The VN5 has a WLTP-certified range of 61 miles on a fully-charged battery – which is substantially less than its electric van rivals – but with the range-extender engine also working to top that up, the range increases to 304 miles total.

The VN5 has three driving modes to help you maximise that range. Save mode switches on the range-extender petrol engine, burning fuel to keep the battery topped up, while Urban switches the engine off and allows the VN5 to draw energy solely from its battery for as long as possible.

Smart mixes the two, and in our experience does a good job of keeping the VN5 in purely electric mode around town, before switching the engine on at higher speeds.

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

The influence from LEVC’s owner, Geely, which also owns Volvo, is immediately apparent in the VN5. There’s the same portrait-oriented 9.2in touchscreen infotainment system, and the same gear lever and centre console buttons that you’ll find in most of Volvo’s road cars.

The infotainment system runs Volvo’s Sensus software, but it's a slimmed-down version that’s less graphically impressive and doesn't respond especially quickly to your inputs. It's also a shame that you have to use the touchscreen to do something so simple as changing the temperature – in the Kangoo E-Tech and eCitan, you get physical controls.

The VN5 comes with two USB charging ports and a 12V charging socket in a central cubby between the two front seats, so you shouldn’t have any problem with charging your devices.

There’s a decent amount of storage space inside the VN5, with a deep tray below the centre console with a rubberised mat, a deep cubby between the two front seats, and a recess in front of the front passenger for you to store your odds and ends. As well as there being two cup holders on the centre console, both of the door bins will take a couple of 500ml bottles.

The materials used inside the VN5 aren't up to the standard of the Kangoo E-Tech or eCitan, which use the same hard-wearing materials but include different textures to keep things interesting. At least the seats are comfortable and supportive, so even after hours at the wheel you shouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

Even the most basic VN5s come with six-way electric adjustment for the driver’s seat, so you should be able to find a good driving position quickly, and the seat, steering wheel and pedals are all well aligned.

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

Starting with passenger space, neither driver or front passenger should have any trouble covering long distances in the VN5. The interior is wide enough that won’t spend your journey rubbing shoulders with your passenger, and even taller drivers should have enough head and leg room. A central armrest wouldn’t go amiss, though.

Now, don’t go thinking that because of its hefty battery pack and range-extender engine, the VN5 can’t still carry enough to be useful. In fact, with a maximum gross payload of 830kg, the VN5 can carry comfortably more than its rivals. The loadspace measures 5.5 cubic metres, enough for two Euro pallets, and those pallets can be loaded from either the side or the rear thanks to the VN5’s side door.

There’s only one configuration of the VN5 for now, but LEVC says it’s been designed to be as easy as possible for aftermarket fitters to perform modifications such as installing racks and shelving inside for various business uses.

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

Here’s the rub: the VN5 is an expensive van, and you’ll pay far more than you would for one of its electric rivals. And when excellent rivals like the Kangoo E-Tech and eCitan are so much cheaper and amost as practical, we'd steer most businesses towards those instead.

At least if you can charge it up regularly, running a VN5 shouldn't cost you too much. CO2 emissions are rated at 21g/km, and fuel economy from the petrol engine at 314mpg. The VN5 can recharge in as little as 30 minutes using a 50kW charging point, and can use both CCS and Chademo connections. Using a 7kW wall charger, the total charge time increases to a little less than four hours.

It’s certain that the VN5 won’t leave you wanting for kit. The basic Business version comes with dual-zone climate control, the touchscreen infotainment system we mentioned earlier, two USB ports, keyless start and a DAB radio as standard, plus cruise control and an automatic emergency braking system that can recognise pedestrians and cyclists.

City models add a heated windscreen, front and rear parking sensors and a safety pack that includes lane-departure warning and an intelligent speed limiter, while range-topping Ultima models come with sat-nav, a rear-view camera and heated front seats.

The VN5 comes with a five-year, 150,000-mile warranty for the vehicle, and an eight-year, 150,000-mile warranty for the battery. Service intervals are every 25,000 miles.

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