Road Test


VAUXHALL VIVARO ELECTRIC


Vauxhall Vivaro Electric L1 GS


Price (ex VAT) Price range (ex VAT)


Gross payload Load length


Load width (min/max)


Load bay height Load volume Loading height


Rear door aperture £57,050 **


£40,355 –57,050 **


1,000kg 2,512mm


1,258mm/ 1,636mm


1,397mm 5.3m3


613mm


1,282mm x1,220mm


Side door aperture 935mm x 1,241mm Gross vehicle weight


3 3,025kg


Braked trailer towing weight 1,000kg Residual value Cost per mile


Engine size/power Torque


Gearbox Warranty


Service intervals Insurance group Price as tested


4


24.2%* 81.3p*


100kW (136hp) electric motor


260Nm 1sp


3yrs/100,000mls 2yrs/25,000mls 35E


£57,800


* After 48 months/20,000mls p.a - source – KWIKcarcost


** Basic price before VAT, On The Road Costs, and government Plug-in Van Grant


Options Two-coat metallic paint


Spare wheel


£650 £100


heads as a rip-snorting V6 petrol Ford Ranger Raptor pick-up. That is something Volkswagen has demonstrated to great effect with its uniquely-styled ID. Buzz Cargo, and Vauxhall has clearly taken note. While not having the stand-out looks of VW’s offering, with a rear roof spoiler, a front lower spoiler, extended side-sill mouldings, and black 18in alloys, its Vivaro Electric L1 GS is guaranteed to attract plenty of attention in high streets across the UK.


A


Such cosmetic enhancements also help the battery-powered Vivaro stand out from the rest of the Stellantis pack. The global automotive behemoth owns Citroën, Peugeot and Fiat Professional as well as Vauxhall.


Economies of scale being what


they are, Vivaro is also available as the Citroën Dispatch, Peugeot Expert, and Fiat Professional Scudo. The exterior styling, equipment levels and powertrains available may differ a little from one to another, but if you take away the badges, they are at heart all the same vehicle.


That vehicle is additionally sold by Toyota – and with a particularly attractive 26 WhatVan? October 2023


s well as being environmentally- friendly, electric vans can potentially turn just as many


warranty – as the Proace thanks to a joint venture between Stellantis and the Japanese giant.


Vivaro Electric is marketed in entry- level Prime and mid-range Pro trim as well as in GS guise, with two different overall lengths – L2 (5,309mm) and L1 (4,959mm) – and one roof height. Available too is an L1 platform cab. Customers can specify either a 50kWh or a 75kWh battery pack. The former gives you roughly 200kg more payload capacity, but less range. GS is sold solely in L1/75kWh guise and is considerably more expensive than its stablemates. Taking care not to scrape its shimmering paint finish or dent those big alloys, we decided to put Vauxhall’s fancy offering with its three-seater cab through its paces. Here’s how we fared.


Load bay Twin rear doors plus a sliding door on both the nearside and offside provide access to the cargo area. The back doors can be swung through 90°, and through 180° if you release the user- friendly door stays, and the inside edge of the nearside door pillar features a 12V power point.


The full-height solid steel bulkhead accommodates a hatch close to the


1 Picture Key


1. Big alloy wheels are included in the deal


2. Metallic paint finish will cost you extra


3. Side skirts make Vivaro Electric GS stand out


4. Fog lights are included in GS spec


2


floor which provides a load-through facility under the FlexCargo banner. It means that extra-long items can be slid under the passenger seat rather than left to stick out through the rear doors. Simply opening the hatch gives you an additional 432mm. Going further and folding the outboard passenger seat upwards and backwards against the bulkhead as well lengthens the load floor by a generous 1,162mm, to 3,674mm. It allows you to push pipes and planks all the way into the passenger footwell. Half-a-dozen floor-mounted cargo tie-down points are fitted in the load area, and the cargo bed is protected by a tailored wooden cover. Protective panels provide the doors and sides with some defence against scratches and scrapes but the (admittedly slim) wheel boxes look vulnerable, and the entire cargo area would benefit from being timbered out. Good to see that Vivaro Electric boasts a braked towing weight of up to


www.whatvan.co.uk


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