Suzuki e Vitara review

They say good things come to those who wait, and Suzuki has certainly been patient with releasing its first electric car. However, it’s finally here, and it’s called the Suzuki e Vitara. 

Understandably, you might assume it's simply a Suzuki Vitara with the engine ripped out and a big battery put in its place. However, that’s not the case. The e Vitara is a wholly new car, a dedicated electric vehicle (EV), with the Vitara name being used simply to give it some familiarity. 

Toyota has employed a similar tactic with the new Toyota Urban Cruiser – a car which, funnily enough, shares a lot of parts with the e Vitara. You could even call them twins. 

Rivals to the e Vitara are plentiful. There’s the Renault 4, which is based on our current What Car? Car of the Year, the Renault 5. Then there’s the Ford Puma Gen-E and Kia EV3 to contend with as well. No pressure, then.

How fast is it and which motor is best?

The Suzuki e Vitara has two different battery sizes to choose from, starting with a 49kWh version. We haven’t tried it yet, but it has 142bhp and a modest 0-62mph time of 9.6sec. 

The other battery is a 61kWh one. You can still get it in front-wheel-drive form and, if you do so, it has 172bhp and a 0-62mph time of 8.7sec. While it’s not quite as fast as a Ford Puma Gen-E, it delivers its power in a strong, smooth fashion, whether you’re pulling away from a junction or merging onto the motorway. 

If you want to give the Gen-E a run for its money, you’ll want the four-wheel-drive ‘Allgrip-e’ version with its extra motor. Total power is 181bhp and it gives you a slight boost in performance.

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

Whichever version you go for, the e Vitara is quite a comfortable thing to drive around in. The suspension is on the soft side but not so much that it begins to feel wayward over undulating roads. Instead, it strikes a good balance between body control and soaking up imperfections. 

Indeed, on a rather punishing back road, the e Vitara's suspension coped well, even though it tends to thump over really harsh bumps. Overall, it's impressive for an electric SUV of this size. It’s not far behind the Kia EV3 for ride quality, both of which feel a touch more absorbent on a poorly surfaced road. 

The e Vitara’s handling isn’t exactly what we’d call fun, but then country-road thrills aren’t really high on its list of priorities. Instead, you’ll find that the Suzuki’s body control and well-weighted steering are both perfect for making good and confident progress as travel from point-to-point.

What is on the e Vitara’s list of priorities, though, is rugged off-road ability. We tested the four-wheel drive version on a light off-road course, which included a slippery grass field, mud ruts and a steep incline. While it could do with a touch more ground clearance, it coped really well with each scenario. This was helped by its Trail mode (two-wheel drive cars get a Snow mode instead), which applies the brakes on the wheel with the least grip when activated. The hill descent control was a useful feature, too.

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

The e Vitara isn’t as quiet as a Kia EV3. You’ll notice a whine from the electric motor as you accelerate, plus some wind noise from the door mirrors at speed. There’s also a noticeable amount of road noise when driving on the motorway.

More positively, driving smoothly is very easy, thanks to a firm, easy-to-judge brake pedal. The power delivery is smooth and progressive, too. 

What’s the range and efficiency like, and how quickly can it charge?

The 49kWh version of the e Vitara has an official range of 213 miles, which suggests it’s better suited to town and city driving. Go for the 61kWh, front-driven version and range rises to 264 miles – that’s pretty much a match for the Kia EV3 Air Standard Range. The four-wheel drive version drops the range down to 245 miles, which is similar to the Renault 4. 

While the range is competitive, it’s worth noting there are versions of the EV3 that can travel much farther. The EV3 Long Range, for instance, can manage 375 miles officially.

With a maximum charging rate of 150kW, the e Vitara should take around 45 minutes to charge up from 10-80% with a fast charger. The EV3 will take around 29 minutes and the Ford Puma Gen-E 24 minutes. 

“The four-wheel-drive version felt punchy but not exceptionally so. I think I’d stick with the 61kWh front-wheel drive.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

You could argue that the Suzuki e Vitara is fairly conservative in terms of interior design. It’s smart but will it draw you into showrooms? Probably not. Interior quality is nothing special, either. Everything feels well screwed together, but there are lots of scratchy plastics present and, overall, it feels cheaper than the Kia EV3’s and Renault 4’s.

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

You sit quite high above the road in the e Vitara and the front windscreen pillars are helpfully slim, giving you a good view out of the front window and out at junctions. You certainly feel like you’re driving a proper SUV, rather than the Ford Puma Gen-E and Renault 4, which feel like hatchbacks with raised ride heights. 

Rear visibility is good on the whole, thanks to large rear windows that stretch fairly far back, but there is a thick rear pillar that limits your rear view. Thankfully, all cars come with a blind spot monitoring system.

Along with this, every e Vitara comes with front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera as standard, which is upgraded to a 360-degree camera if you go for Ultra trim. With these features, parking the e Vitara should be a doddle.

Is the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

Regardless of which trim you go for, you’ll find a 10.3in digital driver's display behind the steering wheel, alongside a 10.1in touchscreen. Both screens have sharp graphics and are easy to read.

In fact, when it comes to the infotainment system, the only thing letting the side down is the software’s slow reaction to your prods. Indeed, waiting for menus to react as you tap around quickly gets frustrating. Hopefully, that’s something that’ll change when the car goes on sale.

At least Bluetooth and sat-nav come as standard. Upgrading to Ultra trim adds wireless phone-charging and an Infinity premium sound system upgrade.

We also really appreciate that, while the infotainment system is entirely reliant on you touching the screen, you get physical controls for the air conditioning. That makes it far less distracting to make small changes on the move than in the Ford Puma Gen-E, which houses those controls within the touchscreen. 

“I like how Suzuki has positioned the digital driver’s display so it doesn’t get blocked by the steering wheel, no matter how you adjust it.” – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

How much space does it have for people?

When it comes to practicality, two six-footers will find that they have more than enough space in the front. Even with the Ultra’s sunroof, we found that there was plenty of head room spare, along with enough leg room and shoulder room to get comfortable.

In the back, things are similarly capacious. A six-footer will have a good amount of head room available, although not quite as much as you get in an EV3. Likewise, there’s a good amount of leg room on offer, but you can’t stretch out like you can in those cars. 

For a middle seat passenger, the slightly raised cushion means our 6ft 2in road tester could only just fit, with their head almost touching the roof. At least the flat floor allows for plenty of foot space.

Unlike the EV3 (and most small electric SUVs, for that matter), the e Vitara has sliding rear bench seats and tilting seat backs. This is really useful, especially if you want to trade passenger room for boot space or vice versa. 

How much room does it have for luggage?

Boot space depends on which trim you go for and where you’ve positioned the sliding rear seats. You see, the Ultra trim’s upgraded stereo system reduces boot space from 310-litres to 306-litres, with the seats slid all the way forwards. That should be enough space for a pushchair or a decent sized family shop, but isn’t hugely impressive compared with the e Vitara’s rivals.

For reference, the Kia EV3 has a 460-litre boot and the Puma Gen-E a comparatively cavernous 523-litre boot. All of those models will be better suited to anyone that has boot space high on their list.

Better news is that the e Vitara's rear seats are really versatile. Indeed, we’ve already mentioned that the rear seats can tilt and slide, but they also fold in a versatile 40/20/40 configuration. That’s really handy when it comes to loading long items into the boot, allowing you to fold just the middle seat down and not compromise one of the outer passenger seats.

“I think it’s a shame the e Vitara doesn’t have a larger underfloor storage area or a front boot. It would be quite a good way of adding some much needed extra cargo space.” – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

The Suzuki e Vitara’s starting list price is less than that of the Kia EV3, but similar to the Ford Puma Gen-E. The Renault 4 undercuts all of those rivals. 

The entry-level e Vitara, called 49kWh Motion, is decent for kit, getting things like 18in alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, automatic front windscreen wipers and sat-nav. 

Stepping up to the 61kWh Motion version is a good idea, though. As well as that extra battery range, it adds heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. 

There’s also Ultra trim, which is only available with the bigger battery (in both two and four-wheel-drive forms). In our view, it’s not really worth the premium, but in case you’re interested, Ultra adds 19in wheels, electric adjustment for the driver’s seat, adjustable lumbar support, synthetic-leather seat upholstery and a wireless phone charger. 

Is it reliable and how long is the warranty?

The e Vitara is too new to have featured in our 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey. Suzuki as a brand, mind you, managed a confidence-inspiring third-place finish out of 30 brands included – below Honda and Mini but above all other rivals ranked.

The warranty impresses as well. You have a three-year or 60,000-mile warranty as standard, but as long as you continue to service your vehicle at an official Suzuki centre, you’ll enjoy up to 10 years or 100,000 miles of warranty. Toyota and Lexus are the only other car makers that’ll match that. 

How safe is it and is it easy to steal?

The e Vitara was safety tested by Euro NCAP in 2025 and it scored four out of five-stars. The Renault 4 also received four stars. The Gen-E hasn’t specifically been tested, but when the regular Puma was tested back in 2022, it also received four stars.

For when those pesky crims come knocking, every e Vitara comes with an alarm and immobiliser. 

“Forgive me for sounding a bit like an advertisement, but a long warranty gives buyers peace of mind and I’m glad Suzuki gives you that.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Buy it if

- You want a competitive range 

- You prefer comfort to sportiness

- You want a long warranty

Don’t buy it if

- You want a big boot

- You like a plush interior

- You want an electric car with good tech

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