Maxus eDeliver 5 van review (2024)
The Maxus eDeliver 5 has a touch of style, but doesn't totally back it up with substance
PROS
- A stylish small electric van
- Much better cabin than the e Deliver 3
- Single spec comes packed with tech
- Much cheaper than the slightly bigger 7
- A budget ID.Buzz rival?
CONS
- Very poor cabin storage
- Some overly intrusive driver assistance technology
- Slightly odd sharp steering
- Doesn’t offer the personalisation of a Buzz
- Only available as a panel van
Summary
The Maxus eDeliver 5 is the latest in a long line of electric vans that the Chinese brand is bringing to the UK. As the number in the name suggests, this model sits between the company’s smallest eDeliver 3 and the mid-size eDeliver 7.
As students of the Maxus range will know, those two models fit fairly neatly into the conventional small and medium van classes, so it’s fair to say that the eDeliver 5 is slightly squeezed into the middle.
To justify its existence it needs something a little different to stand out, and the eDeliver 5 is hoping to attract buyers with a touch more style than the boxy 3 and more traditional 7. The two-tone model that launched at the 2024 CV Show has been, slightly cheekily perhaps, compared to the current king of the style-led light commercial vehicles, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz. Granted most of those comparisons were by Maxus and through implication, but the lines were drawn regardless.
The eDeliver 5 is a fair bit cheaper than the ID.Buzz Cargo, though, with prices starting at £34,000 (not including VAT). It also doesn't offer anywhere near as much in the way of customisation and personality than the VW, but the similarities are possibly there if you squint a bit.
What versions of the Maxus eDeliver 5 are there?
The eDeliver 5 has a simple range, with not too many versions to pick from. Maxus has stuck with just the one trim and only two body shapes, both the same length but one taller than the other.
There is a single battery – a 64kWh unit – and only the one 161hp motor on offer. The extra height has a notable impact on aerodynamics, so there is a pronounced difference in the electric range of the two models. The lower H1 can go for 208 miles between charges, while the taller H2 can only manage 190 miles, which is quite a drop for a bit more headroom.
What are the Maxus eDeliver 5’s rivals?
Being between two classes means that, arguably, the eDeliver 5 has more rivals than if it stuck to one of the conventional segments. This means that it could well be cross shopped with the best small electric vans and the pick of the medium class.
In the former, the likes of the Toyota Proace City, Renault Kangoo E-Tech and their respective close relatives are all contenders.
It would be a push to consider the eDeliver 5 as a direct rival to the Ford E-Transit Custom, but plausibly the higher model could offer similar practicality as the smallest Ford.
The closest rival in terms of pure size is the van that the eDeliver 5 would most like to be compared to – the Volkswagen ID.Buzz. You could buy two of the Maxus vans for the price of one VW, though.
Verdict: is the Maxus eDeliver 5 any good?
The challenge that the Maxus eDeliver 5 faces is that it is falls between two spaces in many key areas. It’s slightly smaller than many alternatives, but equally slightly bigger than others, which makes moving into one from direct rivals a bit trickier when you factor in the practicalities that are often involved with van ownership such as fitting things into the back.
It’s also slightly focused on style but not totally committed to the concept - you can get some wrapping for the exterior but not the range of personalisation that could be offered. It’s not as practical in the cabin as good van should be, and it doesn’t offer anything particularly clever in the loading bay.
It certainly shouldn’t be considered a budget alternative to the ID.Buzz – that two-tone colour scheme and style-over-function cabin is where the comparison ends. You can see what Maxus is looking to appeal to with the eDeliver 5, but in truth a more modern 3 with a wider range of body sizes would be a better offering. The 5 is neither here nor there in too many senses.
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- Over sharp steering
- Very intrusive safety systems
- Simple to operate
The Maxus range doesn’t do much in the way of sharing when it comes to things like motors and batteries, so the eDeliver 5 has a totally different setup to the vans either side of it in the range.
It comes with a 161hp motor paired with a 64kWh battery. This is a more powerful motor than the smaller eDeliver 3 but some way short of the 201hp that the eDeliver 7 provides.
It feels like a good fit for what is a relatively small van, though. Where the 7 has a tendency to spin its front wheels, the 5 feels more controlled. There is enough power there to nip away from the lights or press on for an overtake but not so much that feels gratuitous.
Intrusive warning systems
Normally we would deal with the safety systems in the dedicated section below, but it is arguable that some of them intrude on the driving experience to the extent that it is worth covering them here.
Perhaps the most unusual is the fatigue monitor, which feels a little Big Brother-esque in that it looks for signs of tiredness and warns you to a greater or lesser degree depending on how many you display. Think things like yawning and closing your eyes.
It obviously can’t tell the difference between a yawn or you opening your mouth for a longer period of time, so it is possible to kid it into thinking you are tired, should you so wish. Conversely, it is also possible to hide your tiredness with a bit of old-fashioned politeness – cover your mouth when you yawn and it is none the wiser.
More oddly, it will also pick up on the movements associated with smoking and will warn you if you do those – particularly odd if you are a non-smoker.
The around-view monitor has a neat trick, though – it uses a camera to show you the blind spot when you put an indicator on, so you can look out for vulnerable road users that you can’t see using your mirrors.
Sharp steering
The eDeliver 5’s steering is really quite sharp and reactive, which is a good thing at lower speeds. This means that it is a bit more responsive and easier to get into tight spaces with little input from the driver. It feels more accurate as a result.
Normally a steering system will dial back the responsiveness as a vehicle gets faster, but the Maxus still feels pretty quick to react at higher speeds. It’s not debilitating, but it does feel slightly different to the general trend. The result is that you need to be a bit more gentle with it, as a little input might have you turning a little quicker, and in a more lurching manner, than you would expect.
The driving modes are fairly simple and controlled by a button on the steering wheel that cycles through Normal, Sport and Eco. Where some electric vehicles choose to make a very pronounced difference between the three, this is less the case in the eDeliver 5.
You can tell the difference between the varying levels of power on offer, but there is no huge step change between the three modes. Even if you go from one to another in order you don’t feel a huge change between them.
- Smart dashboard look
- Poor cabin storage
- Hardwearing materials
The cabin in the eDeliver 5 is a slightly strange mixture. It combines a degree of design-led features with hard-wearing materials but the end result is an interior that doesn’t really commit one way or the other.
The dashboard is smart looking, with some nice little features on the doors and in front of the passenger, while the central screen looks modern. There are a few shortcuts for features such as the heating and windscreen defroster, but sadly no physical buttons below the screen.
The materials are an odd combination of tactile and low-rent. The section directly under the screen on our test vehicle was already showing a few scratches for example, while the steering wheel is a hard-wearing plastic that wouldn’t feel out of place in an entry-level workhorse of a commercial vehicle.
Down low, the floor is also covered with a material that seems designed to be hosed down. It’s practical, but doesn’t exactly look smart.
Poor practicality
The biggest issue with the cabin is the low level of practicality, though. There is not a decent storage compartment to be found anywhere. The doors don’t even have pockets on them – they have to make do with elasticated nets. There aren’t any spaces on top of the dash, with or without lids, and there isn’t even a glovebox. There are two cupholders on the central dash, down below the screen.
There is a space under the passenger seat for the charging cable, but again that hasn’t got any form of securing it in place. The one thing you do get is a space up above your head, but there is no door on that either so be aware of what you put up there.
Space for people is a little better. There are three seats, and the middle passenger gets a decent amount of legroom, which is improved if those cupholders are folded away. This is aided by a floor that is pretty much flat, and a lack of physical parking brake or gear shifter – the latter is controlled by a stalk by the steering wheel.
Tall drivers might find it a little trickier to get comfortable, though, as the seat doesn’t go that far back until it hits the bulkhead.
- Attractive starting price
- Simple model range
- Not many options
Getting a full breakdown of costs for a Maxus vehicle can be a bit trickier than with other manufacturers, but the brand has revealed the starting price and the basic details of what equipment the 5 comes with.
It will kick off at around £34,000 (not including VAT) which is slightly more than the smaller and more basic eDeliver 3 but more than £10,000 cheaper than the not-much-bigger eDeliver 7. On that basis alone it looks decent value.
It’s worth bearing in mind that it is less flexible than the 3 – the smaller van is one that can be converted to have different backs, whereas the 5 is only being offered as a panel van so they aren’t like-for-like equivalents in that sense.
There will only be the one trim and the two heights to choose from, with few options on offer so buying one will be simple.
Maxus eDeliver 5 range
The Maxus comes with just the one battery – a 64kWh unit. This results in an official 208 mile range. Maxus claims that it supports DC fast charging, although it doesn’t state what speed. It does say that it should take around 40 minutes to get from 10-80% of charge. A full 5-100% charge on a 7kW charger will take 7.5 hours.
Maxus eDeliver 5 warranty
The eDeliver 5 gets the standard Maxus warranty of five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Maxus eDeliver 5 standard equipment
A single trim means that it’s quite simple to pick which eDeliver 5 to go for. The standard kit includes the following:
- 3 inch centre screen with MP5, USB and Bluetooth connections
- Wireless Carplay and Android Auto
- Double sliding side doors, rear double opening with 180-degree opening
- Air conditioning
- Keyless start
- Tool kit
- Rear trailer hitch
- Full-size spare wheel
- LED headlights and taillights
- Wood floor in loading bay
- Four lashing hooks
- Electronic parking brake
- Vehicle-to-load charging up to 6.6kW
- Heated front seats
The only notable option is the Internet of Vehicle (IOV) capabilities which brings navigation/voice control and telematics. To be honest the screen and its mannerisms isn’t the biggest selling point of the eDeliver 5 so we’d get Apple Carplay or Android Auto working and stick with those.
Maxus doesn’t have a huge history in the UK in its most recent form, which means we can’t go back over decades of data, but what there is seems encouraging. There are very few recalls for the brand’s models, and only the one for the most recent eDeliver 9. There are none for the smaller eDeliver 3 and 7, although the latter is very young.
- Lots of systems
- Some handy, some intrusive
- Plenty of airbags
The Maxus’s safety systems make their presence known, so much so we discuss them in the driving section above, but it is far better that they exist than they don’t.
There are some driver warning systems that might irritate, and a few that are unlike those from any other van brand right now – the ones that monitors your yawning or if you are smoking are the stand out.
Other safety kit includes:
- Front and side airbags for driver and passenger
- Rear parking sensors
- 360-degree camera
- Forward collision warning
- Automatic emergency braking
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lane departure warning
- Lane keep assist
- Speed limit information
- Automatic high-beam lights
Which MAXUS eDeliver 5 is best for me?
This is very simple – it’s a choice between two heights. If you are buying this van for its style then arguably the lower model is a bit snazzier, but there isn’t anything else to differentiate the two.
