Should you buy one?

The answer to this question should be ‘yes,’ but it isn’t. The Vivaro Life Electric is smoother, more pleasant to drive and cheaper to run than its diesel twin, but it’s heavily compromised powertrain makes it difficult to recommend.

While we acknowledge that most people typically drive fewer than 20 miles per day, the Vauxhall’s real-world range of around 100 miles (admittedly in winter when it will be at its lowest) seems too far behind the competition.

If the larger 75kWh battery from the van version was available, it would be far easier to make the call, but as it is, the diesel-engined versions makes much more sense for a greater number of family car buyers.

However, if you have a burning desire to go electric and your budget can stretch to it (you’ll need a not inconsiderable extra £20,000), then the Mercedes-Benz EQV, with a near-200 mile range and even more luxurious fittings is the one to go for.

What we like

The space. There’s loads of it. And if you opt for the six-seat Ultimate model, it’s a very comfortable space to spend time in, even if a lot of it will spent waiting at a charging station replenishing the battery.

It’s surprisingly good to drive, too. It isn’t what you’d call fun, but it’s much better than the diesel model. It’s more planted in the corners and, because there’s more weight concentrated lower down in the van’s body, it doesn’t jig around on rough terrain which makes it more comfortable

What we don’t like

The range really is too small to be practical for family duties. We’d also have liked to see a little more distance between the dashboard of the commercial model and this passenger focussed variant.