The new Renault Trafic E-Tech electric van will go on sale in the UK in the second half of 2026 alongside its new sister vehicles the Goelette E-Tech and Estafette E-Tech. The three vans, which all share the same innovative platform, have all made their global public debut at the 2025 CV Show at the NEC in Birmingham.
The new Trafic is set to be the replacement for the current and comparatively short-lived Renault Trafic E-Tech, which only launched in 2023. Crucially it will not replace the diesel version of the medium van, which will continue to be sold up until the ban on internal combustion engine (ICE) vans in 2035.
Despite all being based on the same underpinnings, the trio are set to be appeal to different sectors of the market. The Trafic E-Tech is picking up where the old one will leave off, with a goal to appeal to a wide spectrum of buyers. This is being sold purely as a panel van and a crew van, as any converted version will be deemed to be a Goelette instead. The two vehicles are exactly the same from the B-pillar forwards, but the Goelette will be offered with a pair of box bodies and a dropside with more versions likely to follow on.
The point is, says head of product for the three vans, Alessandro de Rinaldis, that the Goelette will be produced in Sandouville alongside the rest of the vehicles. The idea being that it is a factory-built model rather than an after-market conversion. ‘We wanted to make the point with a different name that we are taking a step forward with customisation,’ said de Rinaldis.
The Renault Estafette is a totally different vehicle, however, with a much higher body, a walk-through bulkhead and a shutter-style rear door. This was previewed in concept form at the 2024 IAA commercial vehicle show. Renault said at the time that the concept was close to production in terms of its look and form, and so it has proved with the finished van very similar to that vehicle.
The Trafic, Estafette and Goelette trio are the product of a partnership with Flexis, a company founded by the Renault Group, Volvo Group and logistics company CMA CGM Group. They are designed to cater largely for the urban delivery market and will also be sold by Flexis under its own branding.
All-new Renault Trafic panel van
All three vans sit on a new platform that is designed in a ‘skateboard’ style that allows for lots of flexibility and different body styles to sit on top. The platform has the battery fully integrated and sitting under the vehicle’s floor, while all three are rear-wheel drive although an all-wheel drive model is a likely future addition.
The Trafic will come in two lengths, L1 measuring 4.87m and L2 coming in at 5.27m, with the wheelbase also stretched by the same 40cm. Both are 1.92m wide, as are the Goelette and Estafette. This is shorter and narrower than the outgoing Trafic E-Tech, and the loading capacity has shrunk slightly as a result. The smaller model offers 5.1m3 while the L2 matches the current Trafic’s 5.8m3 loading area.
It’s designed for urban manoeuvrability, with the initial versions all 1.9m high to make it under the majority of city height restrictions. It also has a turning circle that is 10.3m, which is the same as the Clio supermini, says Renault.
All versions of the van get a mixture of practicality and style on the outside, with the lower half of the exterior clad in protective black cladding. This will be the case for all versions at the start, however, Renault says that it will offer colour packs in the future for those who want a more stylish approach lower down. Renault says it has worked hard on the shape of this to ensure it is not a simple flat and boring surface. Higher up, however, there is a strong look to the headlights, while the central Renault logo is illuminated on a commercial vehicle for the first time.
Estafette E-Tech designed for delivery
The Estafette takes its name from a 1960s Renault van and designed for big companies wanting to do lots of deliveries every day – up to 110 Renault says.
It is based on the same skateboard platform but is much taller than the new Trafic at 2.6m high. It makes use of this height by featuring a door in the bulkhead that allows a 1.9m driver to walk from the cabin to the loading bay without stooping and without exiting the vehicle. Another handy feature that Renault has created is the door handle, which is designed to be operated using your elbow so drivers can shut the van while they have their hands full with a large box, for example.
At 5.27m long and 1.92m wide, it is still comparatively compact – that makes it narrower than the current Trafic and between the L1 and L2 versions in terms of length. The interior loadbay is 9.2m3 in size. The windscreen of all three vans features three large glass areas to further aid visibility around town. Other features include a single-piece rear roller door, running boards on either side to aid getting in and out and a sliding side door.
Renault Goelette – a converted Trafic by another name
The Goelette is also named after a historic Renault light commercial vehicle – one sold for 10 years from 1956. That version was designed to be easy to convert and the modern vehicle follows in a similar vein. Slightly confusingly, this is not entirely a different vehicle – from the B pillar at the back of the cabin forwards. This is the Trafic, with the same interior and front end as the panel van but a variety of different rears.
It will be offered in several versions to start off with: a chassis cab, two sizes of box van and a crew cab that can take up to six passengers, with more set to follow. It will be built on the same production line as the other vehicles, with no third-party converters involved. However the chassis cab is designed to allow other companies to fit what they want on the back, which will allow backs such as refrigerated units or tippers to be fitted.
Highly specced interior and modern design
The interior of the Trafic and Goelette are fundamentally identical to one another, although with the latter getting a little less colour and flair to reflect a more entry-level approach. The Estafette’s cabin is much the same, but with the main features set slightly higher.
The main dashboard is in a tube shape that runs the full width of the cabin. It gets a closed glovebox, open storage areas on the top of the dash and elsewhere around the interior. There is also extra space at the base of the windscreen.
The interior is dominated by two large digital displays, the first being a 10.0-inch instrument cluster and the second a central 12.0-inch screen that is angled towards the driver. The latter features a navigation system that is optimised for commercial vehicles, which means it factors in the van’s dimensions and weight. This should mean it will avoid unsuitable routes with low height barriers or bridges with weight restrictions.
It will also come with a range of Google services, with apps allowing you to do things like pay for parking, access your music or, more usefully, check your emails.
The trio will also come with a dedicated software operating system designed by Ampere. This has been designed to allow converters to integrate their own operating system into it, which will also delivery firms to send route information with comments and specific features such as a fridge back to be controlled through the system.
It will also allow for regular and remote updates to be sent to the vehicle. Theoretically this will let Renault to upgrade the vehicle with new functions throughout the van’s life, which will, it says, boost its value over time and result in lowering operating
What battery and range will the Renault Trafic come with?
Renault will offer all three vans with a choice of two batteries, a 60kWh and an 91kWh option. The electric range of the former is good for around 350km (217 miles) in the Trafic while the latter will get you up to 450km (280 miles) in the same van.
More crucially, though, Renault is equipping the trio with 800V fast-charging technology, which is a first for the brand. This will allow the batteries to be topped up from 15% to 80% in less than 20 minutes on an appropriate DC charger.
How much are the new Renault Trafic, Renault Estafette and Renault Goelette and when can I buy one?
It is too soon for precise pricing, but Renault has said that it intends to be ‘competitive’. However, de Rinaldis wouldn’t say whether this would see the Trafic priced along the same lines as the likes of the Ford E-Transit Custom or if it would take a similar approach to the Renault Master E-Tech, which undercuts the competition and the smaller Transit Custom.
In terms of launch dates, all three are set to go on sale in the second half of 2026.
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