The DFSK EC35 is a brand new entrant into the electric van market. A small van on the outside – it’s less than 1.7m wide and only 4.5m long – but it offers as much load space as some medium vans and a payload of over 1.0-tonne, which is very healthy for such a compact vehicle.
It’s also keenly priced compared with other electric vans, as UK importers Innovation Automotive are targeting parity with conventional diesel vans. However, the EC35 is limited in terms of creature comforts, sophistication and safety equipment – especially as it has no electronic stability control. Driving range and speed may also fall below your expectations.
What is the DFSK EC35?
Both DFSK and Innovation Automotive may be unfamiliar to British buyers. DFSK is a Chinese brand that has previously appeared on these shores selling small vans with petrol engines – you may remember they had BMW-style grilles for a while. If the EC35 looks old fashioned, we can at least be glad the grille is its very own now.
Speaking of old fashioned, the EC35 is unusual as it uses a ladder-frame chassis. This is the sort of thing you only otherwise find under pickup trucks and the Iveco Daily – but it gives the DFSK a strong base to build from.
Another unusual factor here is that the EC35 is rear-wheel drive, with the electric motor mounted under the load area at the back of the van as well. Every other small van on sale is front-wheel drive, while the only rear-wheel drive medium van is the Mercedes-Benz Vito. This should be good for loaded traction – but we’ll come back to that in the Driving section of this review.
What is Innovation Automotive?
Innovation Automotive is a UK company that has been set up to import a wide portfolio of electric vehicles, and is positioning itself to help ease businesses through the transition from internal combustion to electric power. It plans to do this through direct sales, rather than via a dealer network.
This might seem a little smoke and mirrors, but core of the company’s senior management are ex-Mitsubishi, and they have a wealth of experience in the UK motor industry. It is also being quite clever in setting up the support network for the EC35 – for instance, the servicing will be carried out by Halfords Autocentres, so buyers are unlikely to have to travel far to get it looked after.
What’s the driving range of the DFSK EC35 and how long does it take to charge?
The EC35 comes with a 39kWH battery but a choice of two top speeds – and opting for the lower one dramatically increases the driving range per charge.
The standard model has a 62mph maximum speed and a 101-mile WLTP driving range. Go for one with a 50mph limiter, however, and the WLTP driving range increases to 166 miles.
Charging time is six hours on a 7kW wallbox (the most common type of home or business charger in the UK). Rapid charging at 40kW speeds is available as standard, however, which in combination with a suitably powerful charger (usually on the public network) can deliver an 80% charge in 60 minutes or 100% in 90 minutes.
DFSK EC35 rivals
There are quite a few small and medium electric vans to choose from now, lead by the Stellantis-built set of vans: the Citroen e-Berlingo, Peugeot e-Partner, Toyota Proace City Electric and Vauxhall Combo-e in the small van sector, and the Citroen e-Dispatch, Peugeot e-Expert, Toyota Proace Electric and Vauxhall Vivaro-e.
We’d highlight the Toyotas, particularly, as they’re available with up to 10 years of warranty coverage, but all of these vans offer impressive payload and driving range capability from established mainstream manufacturers – although the driving range in the real world often isn’t as good as it claims.
Availability of these electric vans can be a problem, however, as much of the UK allocation is being snapped up by large fleets – which is where a small player such as DFSK may be able to help smaller businesses improve their eco credentials. On a similar note, the Maxus e Deliver 3 is also worth a closer look.
>> The best electric vans you can buy now
Verdict: is the DFSK EC35 any good?
This review will take you through the pros and cons in more detail if you keep reading, but the short answer is that the DFSK EC35 certainly has a place in the British electric van market. While not cheap, it’s still comparatively affordable, and it offers a large load area for its size – a size that will certainly prove handy for nipping about in city traffic.
However, the driving range and performance is limiting, the material quality inside the cabin is well below rivals, and other vans provide much greater safety assurance.
Keep reading for our full DFSK EC35 review.
DRIVING
- > Not up to the standards of modern vans
- > Nimble enough, but you don’t want to rush it
- > Can struggle with hills, even unloaded
As a narrow van with a relatively high seating position, the DFSK EC35 will offer no surprises to anyone used to running around in the old Nissan e-NV200 electric van. And with wheels right at the corners and a tight 11m turning circle it is nippy enough around town.
But compared to a modern rival such as the Toyota Proace City Electric, driving one of these does feel like stepping back in time.
What’s the performance like?
The EC35 is powered by a 60kW electric motor, driving the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission. That’s equivalent to just 80hp, much less than any other current small electric van. And while it does also offer 200Nm of torque, which makes initial response to your right foot quite lively, this lack of oomph soon shows itself at higher speeds or when steeper hills are involved.
Travelling uphill, even unladen, feels somewhat perilous in fact, as you sit there hoping it isn’t going to slow down even more than it already has. And though there wasn’t much difference with a 250kg payload added, taken to the maximum 1,015kg it can theoretically legally carry, we’d be worried about making it up at all. Although that is purely speculation without trying it.
On the flat, the EC35 will quite easily reach 60mph, so in that respect, performance isn’t likely to be a problem around a typical city centre, where the response at lower speeds is quite good. Similarly, braking is stable, even with the small wheels and skinny tyres, if not particularly sharp.
Different to many other electric vans, there isn’t a huge amount of regenerative braking effect from the electric motor, either. So coming off the accelerator feels like you’re rolling in neutral rather than slowing down.
What’s the DFSK EC35 like to drive?
Throw in a few corners, and you’ll be circumspect but not necessarily worried. The slim tyres and the low-tech-but-strong rear leaf-spring suspension are the limiting factor for grip, but you’ll quickly know if you’re trying to go too fast as the front of the van will soon start to struggle to turn into the bend.
Feedback through the steering wheel is vague at best, so judging this is as much about experience as it is physical sensations. The amount the van leans over during sharper cornering gives you a clue – it’s probably for the best that the steering isn’t super direct.
All told, it’s a far cry from the modern, car-like feel of every other new small van on sale, and an example of an area where you will need to adjust your expectations and the way you drive. If the zero emissions electric part of this package is compelling enough for your business then it will be easy enough to live with, but you will be making a compromise.
Ride comfort is likewise liveable but not at a modern level, with a choppy sort of back-and-forth motion when travelling in a straight line and a tendency to skate over mid-corner bumps.
What about the lack of electronic stability control?
We tested the van in wet and greasy weather conditions on a challenging test route at the UTAC Millbrook proving ground and had no issues driving repeated circuits safely. And of course, plenty of older vans don’t have this safety feature, either.
However, electronic stability control (ESC) is there for emergencies, and to drive a new van without it is exceptionally unusual these days – and it’s only possible for DFSK / Innovation Automotive to sell one because the EC35 is going through Small Series Type Approval rather than the large-scale process mainstream vans have to meet.
How important this is to you may depend on where you drive and how much you trust your drivers.
INTERIOR
- > Feels cheap and flimsy inside
- > Doesn’t rattle but there’s lots of wind noise
- > Comes with a good heater, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
The cab of the DFSK EC35 is accessed by upright handles that are easy to operate, even if they feel a little flimsy. As with the rest of the van, the passenger space is narrow, but there’s plenty of room for two people – and although the seats don’t go back massively far and the steering wheel is fixed in position, the way the dashboard is cutaway in front of you should mean there’s a reasonable legroom for even taller drivers.
The plastics feel hard and scratchy, and therefore – inevitably – cheap. The panel gaps and exposed screwheads add to the general ambience of having been built to a price, but the actual assembly process seems to be fine, as nothing on the low mileage examples we’ve driven so far was rattling inside. You do get quite a lot of wind noise at speed, though.
There are two large cupholders, which area a bit of a stretch away but still useful, plus narrow door pockets and a small glovebox. Not a huge amount of storage space.
How comfortable is the DFSK EC35?
While we didn’t have any particular issues with the fixed steering wheel (which is not the same as saying you won’t), the instrument cluster did seem a long way down, so looking at it is a bit like staring into a tunnel – takes a bit of getting used to.
As do the instruments themselves, which are more conventional than you’ll find in many electric vans – including a crazy analogue rev counter that isn’t really helpful for anything.
There are aren’t a huge number of creature comforts, but you do get a large – aftermarket – touchscreen infotainment system that has DAB radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is useful. As are the rear parking sensors and reversing camera.
The heater is also very powerful, and features a proper range of adjustment, which is more than you can say about the Maxus e Deliver 3.
Fundamentally, it’s a little poor inside for the price. So again, this is something to factor in when considering how important the electric drive is to your business.
RUNNING COSTS AND VALUE
- > Available to buy from £20,999+VAT
- > Five-year warranty
- > Halfords Autocentres handling the servicing
At launch in March 2022, the DFSK EC35 is priced at £20,999 – that’s plus VAT but including the discount from the UK government plug-in van grant. Cheap for an electric van, but whether it’s cheap enough for this electric van is, perhaps, a slightly different matter.
You are not really getting something that’s equivalent to a mainstream model here, but you are getting a lot of load space in a small vehicle – and one that should prove inexpensive to run. Not only do electric vans cost less per mile than diesel in terms of fuelling costs, tax and servicing costs are typically lower, too. Then there are the increasing number of Low and Ultra Low Emission Zones to consider.
For reference, the Toyota Proace City Electric has a starting price of over £32,000 at the time of writing.
DFSK EC35 warranty info
Importers Innovation Automotive are selling the DFSK EC35 with a five-year / 75,000 mile warranty – with the battery covered for eight years / 100,000 miles.
The five years is better than average, but the 75k distance limit is below average, though that’s perhaps less likely to be an issue for an electric vehicle mostly doing urban journeys.
DFSK EC35 servicing
The service intervals for the EC35 are one year or 15,000 miles – whichever comes sooner.
There is no dealer network, as Innovation Automotive sells directly to buyers, so a servicing arrangement has been worked out with Halfords Autocentres. Initially 51 of these have been set up to look after the EC35, but there are over 400 in total, so should it be necessary this number can be increased.
In theory, you won’t have far to travel. And many of them are open seven days a week, which is more than you can say about a lot of main dealer service centres.
DFSK EC35 roadside assistance
This is provided by the AA and you get three years of cover included in the asking price.
DFSK EC35 standard equipment
There is only one trim level and aside from the 50mph/62mph maximum speed, the only options are accessories rather than factory-fit items.
Here are the highlights of what’s included:
- > Air-conditioning
- > 6.8-inch touchscreen infotainment with Bluetooth, DAB, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and reversing camera
- > Rear parking sensors
- > Central locking
- > Dual sliding side doors
- > Rear tailgate
- > Bulkhead with ‘glazed observation port’ (aka a window)
- > Light and headlining in cargo area
- > Electric front windows
- > Electric power steering
- > Full-size spare wheel
- > Type 2 charging cable
The reversing camera and rear parking sensors are a deliberate move to try and reduce damage repair costs.
SAFETY
- > No modern safety kit
- > Alarm costs extra
The only safety item listed on the DFSK EC35 spec sheet is a driver’s airbag. That’s it. There are no active driver aids or anything more sophisticated than that. This is a simple van for people who are comfortable with that approach, rather than a modern vehicle with all the bells and whistles.
As for security, an immobiliser and central locking are fitted as standard, with an alarm available as an accessory.
Check out our van security guide if you need to take further anti-theft measures.
RELIABILITY
We’ve no data to go on here, as DFSK has only just entered the UK van market in March 2022.
As an electric van there are fewer moving parts than you get in a diesel or petrol model, so theoretically fewer things to go wrong. As mentioned previously, this is also a very simple vehicle, so there’s no much in the way of fancy kit to fall over, either.
However, DFSK’s build quality is an unknown factor at this stage.
BEST FOR YOU
With only a single variant available, it’s not so much a question of which EC35 is best for you as whether or not this vehicle is suitable at all.
The plus points include the relatively low cost of entry into electric van ownership, the reasonable warranty and the useful servicing support from Halfords. The load space and payload rating are decent, too.
The negative points are the performance, driving experience, sense of quality and lack of safety equipment, which are all way below what we’ve come to expect from new vans. This makes the EC35 hard to recommend compared with the best mainstream rivals.
Still, if the priority is shifting to electric power and the driving range the EC35 offers fits within your needs, the other aspects of this van become secondary characteristics that you could probably live with. Even so, the limited performance and safety levels would, for us, remain a concern.
Also read:
>> The best electric vans you can buy now
