As well as launching a diesel-powered new Movano, Vauxhall is now selling a Movano-e electric van. Priced from £57,913, the new Movano-e has a driving range of up to 154 miles per charge, will cost you nothing to tax and comes in a choice of two body sizes. It made its world debut at the 2021 Commercial Vehicle Show and is available to order now.
The introduction of the Movano-e means you will be able to buy an electric version of every Vauxhall van before the end of this year, by which point the all-electric Combo-e will also have joined the range.
Looks familiar…
That’s because the Movano-e is a version of the same van that’s already been announced as the Citroen e-Relay and Peugeot e-Boxer.
Sold as official products, these are actually converted to electric power here in the UK by a firm called BEDEO.
>> Find out more about the best electric vans on sale in the UK
Movano-e technical specs
Driving the front wheels through a single-speed transmission, the Movano-e has a 90kW electric motor that provides 122hp and 260Nm of instant torque.
That matches the power output of the entry-level 120hp diesel Movano, but falls someway short of its 300Nm of pulling power. We’re still expecting the Movano-e to feel zippy around town, as electric motors are extremely responsive at low speeds – but it may struggle a little fully loaded on motorways and/or steep hills.
Driving range and charging time
At the moment, Vauxhall has only confirmed a single lithium ion battery pack option, though the van’s Peugeot and Citroen cousins get a choice of two.
Vauxhall’s gone with the larger 75kWh pack size, giving the Movano-e a driving range of 154 miles per charge. The smaller 37kWh version was promising 72 miles of driving range per charge (weirdly one mile less than the Peugeot and Citroen), but is yet to be seen in the UK pricelist. The van launched with a slightly smaller 70kWh battery that came with a 139-mile range, but this was upgraded to the 75kWh version in May 2022.
Those figures are measured to the latest WLTP standards.
Vauxhall says that the Movano can get from zero to an 80% charge in a hour on a 50kW rapid charger, and take between six and 12 hours on a 7kW wallbox of the type commonly installed at homes and workplaces. If you have access to a 22kW AC charger then that should get you from 0-80% in four hours. Improvements to the 75kWh battery mean that this is half the time that the 70kWh battery took on the same type of charger.
Body sizes, variants and payload
The Movano-e comes in two bodysizes: L3H2 and L4H2.
The official maximum payload for the Movano-e is poor compared to its Citroen and Peugeot equivalents even. As it only has the heavier larger battery and there is no heavy-duty version it is limited to a lower payload – 710kg is the most you can carry in an electric Movano.
How does it compare to large electric van rivals?
The Movano-e joins a fast-growing sector of large electric vans, and does so with a competitive driving range at this point in time – certainly it should be able to drive usefully further than the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter and Renault Master ZE.
It’s also far better than the eSprinter for payload – but falls someway short of the 1,490kg maximum a Master ZE panel van can manage.
The Movano will also struggle versus other large electric vans including the Fiat E-Ducato – which promises up to 175 miles of driving range and 1,885kg of payload.
The Ford E-Transit is an even more compelling prospect, with claims of 196 miles of driving range, 269hp from its electric drive system and a significantly lower price, it makes the rival versions harder to justify.
How much does the Movano-e cost and when does it go on sale?
The Movano-e is on sale now and is priced from £57,913 in L3H2 specification and £58,813 in L4H2 spec – those prices are before VAT and with the UK government Plug-In Van Grant (PIVG) applied.
As with all 100% electric vans, the Movano-e will cost £0 in road tax and benefit-in-kind tax. Check out our guide to van tax for more info. Avoid the expensive public rapid-charging network, and running costs will be much lower than a diesel model, too – as our main electric van guide explains.
The Movano-e comes in the Dynamic trim level only, and comes with a reasonably generous amount of safety kit and standard equipment. Highlights include DAB radio with Bluetooth, rear park assist, a system that detects pedestrians crossing behind the van, and the Vauxhall Connect automatic emergency assistance system.
We’ll bring you a full Vauxhall Movano-e review as soon as we are able to.
