It’s arrived a year later than initially expected, but we now finally have official pricing and specification details for the Mercedes eVito electric van. What’s more, we’ve driven it in the UK as well – read our full Mercedes-Benz eVito review for more details
The first medium-sized electric van to hit the mainstream UK market, the eVito is an official Mercedes-Benz product and not a third-party conversion of any kind. It comes in a choice of trim levels and body sizes, but offers what many may considered to be a rather too limited driving range.
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How much does the Mercedes eVito cost?
Pricing for the entry-level eVito Pure starts at £39,895 for the smaller L2 model and £40,415 for the larger L2 version.
If you prefer the extra specification of the Progressive trim line, the price starts at £41,600 for the L2 and £42,120 for the L3.
All those figures exclude VAT – but they also don’t include the UK government’s electric vehicle grant. The eVito qualifies for this, which means a saving of as much 20% off the list price, up to a maximum of £8,000.
If our maths is right, this means the range has a potential starting price of £31,916 once the grant is taken into account (and before you add any options, and so forth).
That looks like a potentially tempting figure to us.
What’s the different between the eVito L2 and eVito L3?
The L numbers refer to the length of the body – with the L3 being longer than the L2. This sees load volume increase from 6.0 cubic metres to 6.6 cubic metres.
What’s the payload rating of the eVito?
Both versions have a generous 3,200kg (3.2-tonne) gross vehicle weight rating, but this means the larger van has a lower payload as the basic van weighs more.
As such, while the eVito L2 can carry up to 923kg, for the eVito L3 maximum payload falls slightly to 898kg.
Their kerbweights are 2,277kg and 2,302kg, respectively.
How much standard kit do you get?
The eVito Pure is loosely based on the diesel equivalent, but comes with a few extra items of standard kit (items in bold below). Highlights include:
- Heated door mirrors with electric adjustment
- Twin sliding side doors
- Wood load floor
- Mercedes Pro Connect
- Heated drivers seat
- Air-conditioning
- Vehicle tracking system
- Four metre charging cable
Upgrade to the eVito Progressive, and you also get:
- Body-coloured bumpers
- Full wheel covers
- Front foglights
- Headlight assist
- 75mph speed limiter
- Upgraded stereo
- Lumber support
- Electric folding door mirrors
In addition to this, the eVito’s version of Mercedes Pro Connect (a three-year subscription to which is standard on both versions) includes a pre-conditioning function for the air-conditioning – useful for setting the temperature before you disconnect the charger – and shows you nearby charging stations. In addition to its usual functions.
What’s the driving range?
The eVito is powered by an 85kW electric motor (equivalent to around 115hp) with 300Nm of torque. We’ve driven it on several occasions already, and it’s very pleasant, with genuinely quite lively front-wheel drive performance (there is no rear-wheel drive variant).
However, its official driving range is quoted as ‘an average’ of just 92 miles – which realistically means more like 70 miles for most people, and that’s if you avoid high-speed motorways. This is not a straight replacement for a diesel model.
Charging takes six hours on a three-phase charger (considerably longer if you’re limited to a standard three-pin plug).
As this suggests, it’s best usage case is for short-haul operators with a highly predictable daily driving distance, probably in an urban area. It makes most sense to charge it overnight or between shifts – stopping to top it up on the go does not look at all practical.
Is the eVito good value?
We’re pleasantly surprised by the pricing – it’s remarkably similar to a Ford Transit Custom Plug-In Hybrid, and we’d typically expect a full-electric vehicle to cost more than a part-electric equivalent.
And while the Transit Custom PHEV is capable of over 300 miles between refuelling stops thanks to its on-board petrol engine, so is more practical for operators with more varied journey distances, it can only manage around 30 miles on electric power alone.
Which suits you best will come down to kind of work and driving you do.
Are there any other rivals?
We’re expecting an electric Volkswagen e-Transporter in 2020 – though this is being built for VW by somebody else – as well as electric versions of the Citroen Dispatch / Peugeot Expert / Toyota Proace / Vauxhall Vivaro family, and the new LDV e Deliver 3 (a purpose-built electric van).
If you’re looking for another mid-size electric van that’s on sale now you’ll have to turn to third-party converters – for instance the newly announced high-volume version of the Nissan e-NV200 from the Bevan Group.
When can I buy an eVito?
It’s available to order from Mercedes-Benz van dealers now.
Also read:
>> The Parkers guide to electric vans
>> Mercedes-Benz e-Vito review
