• Good rear passenger space, even in third row
• Huge boot
• Sliding rear doors improve accessibility

Practicality is the e-Rifter’s raison d’etre, so it comes as no surprise that its boxy van-like body shape means it’s easily one of the most versatile family cars you can buy.

In standard length, the e-Rifter comes with plenty of space for five adults thanks to a wide cabin, high roof and three individual rear seats.

Go for a seven-seater with the longer body and headroom is very impressive in the third row, but the lack of a footwell means those in the back will have their knees quite high in relation to their body, even if there’s plenty of room for legs when compared with more traditional seven-seat MPVs.

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Boot space and storage

You’ll find plenty of cubbies inside the e-Rifter, although some aren’t quite as well thought out as they could be. Go for the five-seat e-Rifter and boot space on offer is 774 litres, trumping pretty much every other five-seat MPV on sale. Fold the rear seats down and this expands to a total load capacity of 3,000 litres.

Choose the seven-seater and boot space with the first two rows in place weighs in at 1,050 litres, while folding the middle row down frees up 3,500 litres of space. With the car in seven-seat mode, boot space on offer is 209 litres up to the parcel shelf, making it quite tight if you’ve got a full complement of passengers and luggage.

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To boost usability, the e-Rifter’s middle row of seats fold completely flat into the floor, while the front passenger seat will also tumble forwards to allow for extra-long loads to fit into the cabin. The third row of seats in the XL can be folded forward or removed completely. They are rather heavy, though.

The contents of the boot are covered by an easily removed semi-rigid parcel shelf on Standard models, which can also be installed at a lower height. Long models get a retractable fabric one instead. Accessing the loadspace can be via a large top-hinged tailgate, or a separate opening glass screen where there’s less available space.

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Is it easy to park?

All e-Rifters come with a reversing camera and rear parking sensors as standard, with front parking sensors optional. Standard models are relatively compact, but you’ll need a big parking space for a Long. It’s also pointing out that both are wider than similarly priced cars and SUVs, although you soon get used to that.

Safety

• Four-star Euro NCAP crash-test score
• Lots of safety kit comes as standard
• Should prove to be a safe family car

The Peugeot Rifter should turn out to be a very safe option thanks to a healthy list of standard and optional safety equipment. Certainly it received an acceptable four-star rating – as did its Citroen and Vauxhall equivalents – when tested by Euro NCAP in 2018.

WATCH: Peugeot Rifter MPV Euro NCAP crash test

The Rifter also comes with three Isofix child seat points; offering something many other MPVs and family cars don’t offer.

A full complement of airbags is standard, while various driver assistance kit is available, including adaptive cruise control, Advanced Grip Control, lane-keep assistance, blindspot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking, driver attention assist, self-parking and traffic sign recognition.