Peugeot e-Partner electric van review (2023)

• Silent electric powertrain with plenty of punch
• Three driving modes to tweak the experience
• Real-world range may prove disappointing

The Peugeot e-Partner uses the same electric motor you’ll find in its sister vans, as well as the larger e-Expert. This makes it refined and good to drive, but you consider the driving range limitations carefully.

Peugeot e-Partner power and performance

That electric motor produces 100kW of power, the equivalent of 136hp. It sends that power to the front wheels, and is capable of 0-62mph in 11.7 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 81mph.

This makes the e-Partner marginally more powerful than the top-spec diesel model. And though it is down on torque with 260Nm versus 300Nm, the electric van feels more urgent, thanks to the characteristics of an electric motor. All the torque is available from standstill, giving the e-Partner genuinely rapid acceleration around town, which is where this van is really at its best.

No matter where you drive, there’s almost zero noise from the powertrain, and with a single-speed transmission it's far smoother than even the eight-speed automatic gearbox available with the diesel engine.

Despite a top speed that isn’t far above the motorway limit, there’s enough oomph for it to be comfortable at 70mph, so there are no performance issues to worry about on faster roads.

The problem is that when you do need to go faster, you'll find the driving range suffers considerably.

Peugeot e-Partner real-world driving range

There is no getting away from it: travelling on a motorway for even a relatively short distance severely impacts the e-Partner's driving range. At one point, we found ourselves at 50% battery and just 45 miles remaining - and this was in an empty van, using cruise control to avoid unintentional acceleration and Eco mode (see below) so performance wasn't affected by the heater. A loaded van will have even greater difficulties.

You might argue that this is a problem for all electric vehicles, and to a certain extent that's true. Urban driving suits them best of all, because speeds are lower, and the regular stopping and starting provides a constant source of energy to keep the batteries topped up. But we have driven other electric vans recently - most notably the Maxus e Deliver 3 - that seem to manage their battery power much more efficiently.

Now, it could be that the e-Partner is simply giving you the worst-case scenario at any point so you can plan your response better. But there is still a severe disconnect between what the driving range gauge promises when you first start the van and what it seems to be capable of delivering in reality that could surely be managed better. The difference between the claimed range and real life is substantial enough here to undermine trust in this burgeoning technology in a damaging way.

It also seems to be a particular problem for Stellantis vehicles, as we've experienced the firm's other electric vans and electric cars behaving in the same way.

Ride and handling

In much better news, if you’ve driven a petrol or diesel Partner you’ll feel comfortable behind the wheel of the e-Partner. In almost every respect they drive identically – you won’t notice the additional weight of the heavy battery pack unless you’re regularly cornering hard.

The electric version is quiet, thanks to the lack of engine noise, but then the conventional alternatives are hardly noisy either.

The suspension is comfortable and settled on the motorway and around pockmarked town roads, though can get a little fidgety on bumpier B-roads.

The light steering isn’t quite as pleasant, and can be a little twitchy on faster roads - a sensation that's enhanced by Peugeot's deliberately small, hexagonal steering wheel, which is supposed to make the vehicle feel more alert and nimble but can be a little disconcerting.

Still, it makes parking very easy.

Three drive modes

You’ve a few options when it comes to driving your e-Partner. You’ll find a few switches down where you’d expect to see a gearlever.

The first is a toggle switch to go between drive and reverse – simple enough. Alongside it you’ll find an indicator for which of those you’re in, flanked on the top and bottom by buttons for ‘P’ (park) and ‘B’ (brake). The latter activates regenerative braking, which uses the resistance of the electric motor to slow you when you take your foot off the accelerator. It’s not a particularly pronounced effect like it is in some electric cars, and won’t take you down to a full stop – but we preferred driving with it on.

There’s also a switch to go between the three drive modes, named Eco, Normal and Power. Eco mode restricts the electric motor to just 60kW (81.5hp) and even throttles back the air-conditioning, so it’s best saved for when you’re really worried about your remaining battery capacity.

Normal mode, which the e-Partner defaults to on startup, provides 80kW (109hp) of power, which is plenty for most applications. However, if you want the motor’s full 100kW, you need to go into Power mode, which Peugeot recommends using for uphill stretches, when heavily laden, or while towing.

• Well-made cockpit
• Flash digital dials
• i-Cockpit arrangement won’t be for everyone

We won’t bang on about the Peugeot e-Partner’s interior for too long as in most respects it’s absolutely identical to the regular Peugeot Partner.

The few changes are obvious to see. The first is around the gear selector – instead of a gear lever or automatic transmission dial you find a toggle switch with a few other controls. Somewhat frustratingly, even though these controls could have been relocated, they remain on the same ‘pod’ as the standard van’s, which severely impacts legroom for a potential third passenger in the double passenger seat.

Another variation is that most models are fitted with a digital instrument cluster – a real rarity for a van. This has clear graphics and looks good too, it’s a very nice touch. It’s also useful that it can display useful info like which of the driving modes you’re in or sat-nav directions.

Those dials are set into Peugeot’s i-Cockpit dashboard, which places the gauges high up, over the top of a shrunken steering wheel. It’s undeniably an acquired taste compared with the more conventional layouts in its sister vans, but it’s easier to get used to in this than in Peugeot’s passenger cars where more people tend to struggle to find a comfortable driving position.

Like the diesel version, the crew van offers seating for five. It is an excellent and very flexible setup though, as you can fold the second row totally flat and then slide the bulkhead forward to maximise the space in the rear. The downside is that you don't get side windows so the rear passengers don't get much of a view. This is to avoid any chance of it being classed as a car for tax purposes.

• Low running costs
• More expensive to buy than diesel
• Should prove reliable, but only three-year warranty

Despite rising electricity costs, running a Peugeot e-Partner should prove very cheap to run – once you’ve factored in the hefty purchase price. Even with the UK government grant available for electric vans, you’ll end up paying several thousand pounds more for the e-Partner than you would for the most powerful automatic diesel.

Running costs will rise sharply if you rely on the public charging network, which can be pricey. But home or business electricity costs, especially on cheap overnight tariffs or supplemented by solar panels, can bring it right back down.

The e-Partner’s range should be sufficient to allow you to do your day’s work and then replenish overnight – remember, Peugeot reckons 80% of its users average less than 124 miles a day, well within the van’s 171-mile maximum range. You can also use the infotainment system or companion app to schedule charging for the cheapest times.

Peugeot e-Partner servicing

Service intervals are set at the same as the diesel vans, so you’ll need a service every 25,000 miles or two years. These are variable intervals in theory, but with no engine oil to degrade it’s less likely the van will ask for an early service.

Similarly, electric vans should prove slightly cheaper to service than combustion equivalents – the regenerative braking helps to prolong the life of the braking systems and the tyres, while there are fewer fluids to check and change.

Peugeot e-Partner warranty

Most of the e-Partner is covered by the standard Peugeot warranty of three years or 60,000 miles.

However, the battery is warranted separately to retain at least 70% of its original capacity for eight years or 100,000 miles.

All well and good, but you could choose the Toyota Proace City Electric, and get a basically identical van that's covered for up to 10 years as long as it's serviced by Toyota.

Peugeot e-Partner standard equipment

The e-Partner was originally available in a choice of two trims in the UK: Professional Premium and Asphalt Premium. These were then renamed Professional Premium+ and Asphalt Premium+ although the only major difference is that the Moduwork load-through bulkhead is now only offered on the Asphalt Premium+ where it was on the lower of the two trims previously.

Peugeot e-Partner Professional Premium+ standard equipment:

• Air-conditioning
• Cruise control
• Carpeted cabin
• Electric, folding door mirrors
• DAB radio
• 8” infotainment display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Front fog lights

Peugeot e-Expert Asphalt Premium+ standard equipment (in addition to Professional Premium+):

• Automatic wipers
• 16-inch alloy wheels
• Multi-flex passenger seat (including load-through bulkhead)
• Body-coloured rear bumper, side rubbing strips and exterior door handles
• Satellite-navigation
• 10.0-inch digital instrument display
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Rear parking camera

The e-Partner is based on a proven set of components that sees service across Peugeot’s range of passenger cars and vans, and with fewer moving parts electric vehicles do tend to be inherently more reliable than their more complex combustion-engined cousins.

We’ll update this page if we have any reports of the e-Partner’s reliability, positive or negative. If you've got one, let us know how reliable it's proving via the Parkers feedback email address.

• Lots of safety kit available…
• … but most is still optional
• Standard alarm

The Peugeot e-Partner might be expensive but you’ll still have to shell out extra if you want the latest safety kit. Only one airbag comes as standard on the panel van (the crew van gets lateral and passenger bags) with a front passenger airbag available for £200 or a full set of curtain, side and passenger airbags for £490.

You also need to pay extra for the Safety Pack or Safety Pack Plus, which are the only way to get autonomous emergency braking or lane keeping assist.

The MPV version of the conventional Partner van, the Peugeot Rifter, scored four stars in its Euro NCAP crash test back in 2018.