Ford's E-Tourneo Custom could well be the definitive super-large full-electric MPV. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Background

The Tourneo Custom dates back to 2013, but that first generation version was less MPV and more glorified minibus. The second generation model - this car - that arrived in 2023 was a much more car-like proposition, even though it remained resolutely based on Ford's mid-sized Transit Custom van. An LCV which by then had gained a full-electric E-Transit Custom variant. That meant the Tourneo Custom could offer that battery drivetrain too, creating the E-Tourneo Custom model we're going to look at here. Like all current Ford commercial vehicle-based designs, it shares all its engineering with comparable Volkswagen models, in this case the competing Volkswagen e-Transporter Shuttle. But there are some specific Ford touches here you might really like. And apart from that Transporter clone, there's really nothing else quite like this big MPV in the segment.

Driving Experience

All E-Tourneo Customs use a 71kWh battery and in this mainstream form, it energises a 218PS electric motor. That motor drives the rear wheels via the usual single-speed EV auto gearbox and is fitted directly to the vehicle's rear floor, removing the need for a dedicated subframe, plus it's rotated 90 degrees to maximise load space and reduce weight and complexity. From launch, the van and MPV versions of this EV Ford were the first-ever electric vehicles to use (as standard) vapour-injected heat pump technology to heat and cool the cabin. It's a system designed to deliver improved energy efficiency for optimum driving range. So it's slightly disappointing to find that this E-Tourneo Custom's quoted driving range figure of 202 miles is some way below the class standard. We've talked about this E-Tourneo Custom's electric motor: it is at least an eager thing, developing a 415Nm torque figure that might give the traction system a work-out on a slippery winter morning. And that figure, by the way, remains the same if you choose the uprated 285PS version of this motor that's available on the rare sporting 'MS-RT'-spec model at the top of the line-up (though with that version, drive range falls to just 165 miles). With all E-Tourneo Customs, there are four driving modes - 'Eco', 'Sport', 'Slippery' and 'Tow/Haul'. The power surge in 'Sport' is fun for a bit (and gets you to 62mph from rest in about 7s) but you really don't need anything more than the restricted forward thrust of 'Eco' for regular day-to-day use. If you've driven a few of the latest large MPVs and you're taking the back road home in this one, it'll soon become clear that this is the best-handling People Carrier in the segment; body roll and traction are both top-notch for an MPV. But whether that'll be important enough to offset that slightly restricted range figure is another question. As for brake regen, well you can increase that with an 'L' button on the gear selector stalk; or there's a full '1-Pedal' setting in the centre screen menus that can very nearly bring the van to a standstill when you come off the throttle.

Design and Build

You're going to have to know this Tourneo Custom model pretty well to notice the BEV-specific exterior differences over the combustion models, but if you do, then you'll pick up this electric version's bespoke E-badged front grille panel with Ford's 'coast-to-coast' LED light strip across it's top frame. Taking a seat inside up-front clues you into whether you've an eight or nine-seater version of this model; with the nine-seater, the single front passenger chair we have here would be replaced by a more van-like two-person bench. Differences over an E-Transit Custom van are slight - but people-moving operators might not object too much to that. The instrument screen is 8.0-inches in size, with a central digital speedo and drive assist graphic. Infotainment's taken care of by this 13.0-inch SYNC 4 display, angled towards the driver for ease of use, which is powered by a 5G modem for superfast connectivity to the Ford Pro tech stack. All well and good but the reason you choose a big MPV like this is for passenger space, so consider that. You can specify twin manually-sliding side doors in powered form if you wish. And they pull back to reveal a vast rear cabin with six individual and sliding seats - two rows of three - all mounted on a track-based rear seating system. You can have the second row conventionally facing forward. Or turn them around to face the seats behind. What about luggage space? To access it, you've to cope with this heavy van tailgate which when raised in this L1 model reveals between 514 and 787-litres of space up to seat back height - it'd be 632 to 999-litres in the L2. If you were to take the third row seating out, your capacity up to seatback height in this L1 would be between 1,515 and 1,735-litres, depending on 2nd row position; or between 2,064 and 2,285-litres in the L2.

Market and Model

As we drove this car in Summer 2026, prices were starting somewhere near the £57,000 mark for this E-Tourneo Custom. The vehicle is being sold by 'Ford Pro', the Blue Oval brand's commercial vehicle division and there's a choice of short or long wheelbase body shapes, the lengthier one requiring an extra £840 from you. Either way, there are two seating packages; the 8-seater we tried (with single front seats); or a nine-seater, which has a two-personal front passenger bench. For the volume 218PS powertrain we tried, there's a very wide range of trim levels - 'Zetec', 'Titanium', 'Titanium Luxe', 'Titanium X' and 'Titanium X Luxe' and 'Active', with prices up to around £66,000 as we compiled this review. If you can afford around £10,000 more than that top figure, at the top of the line-up, you can also have sporty 'MS-RT' and 'MS-RT Luxe' variants fitted with an uprated 285PS motor. But they use the same 71kWh battery as you'll find in all other E-Tourneo Custom models. It's also worth mentioning that Ford also offers a more basic minibus-style version of this same design, the Transit Custom Kombi, which can also seat up to nine. However, at the time of this test, one of those wasn't saving you much over this Tourneo model.

Cost of Ownership

The E-Tourneo Custom, as we told you in our 'Driving' section, has a 71kWh battery which based on use of the most frugal 'Eco' drive mode has an officially-rated driving range of up to 202 miles. To give you some class perspective, the Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric, the Citroen e-SpaceTourer and the Peugeot e-Traveller can each travel about 219 miles between charges. This Ford's 'one pedal' brake regen driving system can keep the battery topped up as you journey on. And there's a 'Trip/Energy' section of the instrument screen via which you can monitor your ongoing frugality. If you don't need a lot of EV mileage, bear in mind that Ford offers an alternative PHEV petrol/electric version of this model, which has an 11.8kWh battery offering 31 miles of EV range. The E-Tourneo Custom, as we told you in our 'Driving' section, has a 71kWh battery which based on use of the most frugal 'Eco' drive mode has an officially-rated driving range of up to 202 miles. To give you some class perspective, the Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric, the Citroen e-SpaceTourer and the Peugeot e-Traveller can each travel about 219 miles between charges. This Ford's 'one pedal' brake regen driving system can keep the battery topped up as you journey on. And there's a 'Trip/Energy' section of the instrument screen via which you can monitor your ongoing frugality. If you don't need a lot of EV mileage, bear in mind that Ford offers an alternative PHEV petrol/electric version of this model, which has an 11.8kWh battery offering 31 miles of EV range. DC public charging can take the battery from 10 to 80% capacity in 39 minutes. Ford has designed the charge profile to 'frontload' the energy, which allows a 125kW fast charge to add 23 miles of range in just 5 minutes for quick top-ups. At home, AC charging this Ford takes 10.1 hours using a single-phase 7.4kW wallbox - or 6.7 hours using a three-phase 11kW wallbox.

Summary

Apart from its platform-engineered Volkswagen e-Transporter Shuttle cousin, there isn't anything quite the same as this E-Tourneo Custom if you want an EV in the super-sized part of the large MPV segment. The Stellantis brand alternatives are cheaper - but not quite as practical. The Chinese Maxus model rival isn't a proven quantity and beyond that, you're looking at paying an awful lot more for luxury you probably don't really need. We're disappointed in this Ford's EV driving range. But it's as well engineered as Blue Oval brand models usually are, with excellent refinement and class-leading standards of ride and handling. We like the clever optional features too, like the neat tilting steering wheel and the 'Pro Power Onboard' system for charging external devices. This has always been the kind of People Carrier Ford has been very good at - and sure enough, the E-Tourneo Custom is a very complete product. For it to stay that way though, in a fast-changing EV market, an awful lot more in terms of battery technology is going to be required.