Maxus eDeliver 3 review

The Maxus eDeliver 3 could be the electric van that convinces you to go green – but before we get into why, you might well be wondering what Maxus is.

Well, it's a name that adorned a number of LDV-made vehicles over the years. Since the brand’s take-over by Chinese consortium SAIC, Maxus has become the lead name for the relaunched company.

Having acquired the Maxus name, SAIC set to work, launching the LDV V80 and LDV EV80 in quick succession, and also promising a pipeline of new models. The first to arrive was the e Deliver 3, an all-electric city van that stands out immediately for straddling the line between small vans and medium-sized ones.

You can also order the eDeliver 3 as a chassis cab that's 10mm shorter than the traditional van. There are two battery sizes available, and if you decide to upgrade to the biggest, the official range is up to 151 miles.

As electric vans have gradually become more mainstream, their styling has largely been toned down so that seeing one doesn’t cause you to do as much of a double-take as it once did. As such, it’s strange to the eDeliver 3's eye-catching look. Still, its plastic moulded wings and bonnet are a blessing for accident-prone van drivers.

The Maxus eDeliver 3 competes with small electric vans such as the Renault Kangoo E-Tech, Peugeot e-Partner and Citroen e-Berlingo, as well as mid-sized models that include the Mercedes eVito and Vauxhall Vivaro-e. Read on to find out how it performs...

How far will it go? That’s the first question any electric van driver will be asked, and you should be prepared to answer that question a lot if you drive a Maxus eDeliver 3. The answer will, of course, depend on which battery pack you choose – the 35kWh or 52.5kWh option.

The smaller battery gives you an official range of up to 99 miles, while the bigger one gives you up to 151 miles between charges. That’s less than the Citroen e-Berlingo (171 miles) and the electric version of the Nissan Townstar (177) can officially manage.

The eDeliver 3’s 121bhp motor will propel it from 0-62mph in 11.0sec in 35kWh form or 12.0sec with the bigger and heavier 52.5kWh battery. Figures for the chassis cab have not yet been confirmed by Maxus. That’s quicker than the e-Berlingo at 11.7sec.

Like most electric vehicles, the e Deliver 3 uses regenerative braking to recover energy as you slow down. If you have it in the highest setting, acceleration is especially peaky, with power arriving with a burst, then disappearing just as quickly when you lift off. The abrupt drop-off can be mitigated by selecting a lower energy recovery mode.

Braking is harder to judge when you set the regenerative braking to a higher setting, but it does help you to eke out the battery charge.

As for refinement, the e Deliver 3 isn’t very noisy, especially compared with traditional diesel-powered alternatives. Nonetheless, it doesn’t come close to the VW e-Transporter for serenity.

First impressions of the Maxus eDeliver 3's interior are quite encouraging. The plastic surfaces are broken up by the use of several tones and textures, giving it a modern look. Dig deeper, though, and you’ll discover that many of the plastics you touch the most – the indicator stalks, for instance – feel low in quality. 

There are also ergonomic issues, such as the trip computer being controlled by a button on the instrument cluster rather than from the steering wheel.

Storage isn’t plentiful either. The open glove box, narrow door pockets and trays leave you with few secure options.

Nor is the 7.0in infotainment touchscreen very good. It struggles to keep a radio signal and we had to reset it several times after switching menus. It can, at least, be controlled using buttons on the steering wheel, meaning you don’t have to take your eyes off the road as often.

The Maxus eDeliver 3 is only available in one wheelbase form, with 2910mm between the front and rear wheels. That's a rather odd size among electric vans – it's shoehorned between small vans such as the Citroen e-Berlingo and medium-sized models including the Vauxhall Vivaro-e.

The eDeliver 3’s loadspace is 2180mm long, 1665mm wide and 1330mm high, giving a volume of 4.8m³. That’s more than every version of the e-Berlingo, but significantly less than the entry-level Vivaro-e (5.3m³).

Maximum payload in the eDeliver 3 is 865kg in the 35kWh model and 905kg in the 52.5kWh version. That might sound the wrong way round, but it's not. Maxus has rather sensibly increased the gross vehicle weight of the higher capacity battery vans from 2310kg to 2460kg. For reference, the e-Berlingo can carry up to 800kg, while the Vivaro-e can lug up to 1226kg.

There’s a single sliding side door as well as twin rear doors. The cargo area floor is non-slip and there are six lashing point rings for securing items.

It might not be good to drive, nor quick to charge or very nice inside, but the Maxus eDeliver 3 is at least significantly cheaper than some electric vans. However, that budget appeal comes with undesirability: it's expected to lose more of its value over time through depreciation than rivals.

The eDeliver 3 comes with a five-year or 60,000-mile warranty (whichever comes first) plus a separate policy covering the batteries for eight years or 100,000 miles.

In terms of charging speed, the eDeliver 3 is limited to rates of up to 50kW. The Citroen e-Berlingo and the Vauxhall Vivaro-e can charge at double that speed (assuming you have access to a 100kW charger). 

On the plus side, Maxus gives you a decent level of equipment as standard. You get air conditioning, cruise control, electrically adjustable mirrors, heated seats and a multi-function steering wheel to control the 7.0in touchscreen. There are also automatic headlights, parking sensors and a reversing camera – features you’d pay extra for on many vans.

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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.