The E-Expert is Peugeot's take on a mid-sized electric LCV. Jonathan Crouch takes a look at the latest version.

Background

Peugeot has a history of electric vehicles going right back to 1941 and these days, every van model it makes can come in full-EV form too. Here's a revised version of the company's mid-sized LCV electric offering, the E-Expert. It doesn't have the unique dashboard display of the smaller E-Partner, but it is at least built completely by Peugeot, unlike the bigger E-Boxer model. As you'll probably know, this is a shared design, the same basic product also available as a Vauxhall Vivaro Electric, a Citroen e-Dispatch, a Fiat E-Scudo and a Toyota Proace Electric. That's a good thing as it meant a lot of engineering resource was poured into this product for its original 2021 launch. But more recently introduced mid-sized EV van contenders are catching up, hence the package of updates we look at here, introduced in Spring 2024. Is the E-Expert still worth a serious look from business customers looking to make the battery switch? Let's find out.

Driving Experience

Not too much has changed with the engineering of this revised E-Expert, but you can now only have it with the bigger of the two batteries previous offered - that with 75kWh. Peugeot has tweaked this so that it now takes this van 12 miles further than before - to a WLTP-rated total of 230 miles. That battery drivetrain is the same as with this model's Citroen, Fiat, Vauxhall and Toyota counterparts. There's not too much to adjust to when driving this full-electric mid-sized van. Turn the key in the ignition, then wait for the starting beep, then flick the gear toggle into Drive. There's a drive-mode selector that allows you to switch between 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport' modes. The 'Normal' setting restricts you to 109hp and will feel a bit like driving a lower capacity diesel. 'Eco' mode restricts you further to 81.5hp and reduces the power consumption of the air conditioning and other accessories. There's 136hp on tap and there are regenerative brake energy steering wheel paddles that allow you to plough extra energy back into the battery, offering more resistance while you're slowing down. This isn't one of those EV vans that impresses you with its startling acceleration. The rest to 62mph sprint takes 14.3s and top speed is just 84mph. A key factor behind the success of the combustion Expert has always been in the way it remains compact and wieldy in the manner of smaller, more car-like vans from the class below. This current generation model feels really wieldy around town and resists body roll well for an LCV of this size thanks to carefully chosen damper settings and a stiff EMP2 platform. Special wishbone filtering dampens the impacts of our country's terrible tarmac and the variable stiffness springs and shock absorbers deliver surprising levels of comfort whether the vehicle is loaded or unloaded.

Design and Build

The idea here is that, from the outside at least, almost nobody will know that you haven't selected a diesel-engined Expert for your company deliveries. Only the charging flap and the badge work give this electric model's environmental remit away. As with the combustion versions, there's a choice of short wheelbase 'Standard' or lengthier 'Long' wheelbase variants, but as with the other branded versions of this design, there's no high roof option with either powertrain. This improved E-Expert gets some subtle visual changes, including a redesigned front grille with the latest Peugeot emblem. Plusher 'Asphalt'-trimmed versions are set apart by LED headlights and body-coloured bumpers with 17-inch wheel trims. As before, there are low side protection strips and the solid front bumper integrates air inlets across the entire width of the vehicle, aiming to emphasise what Peugeot hopes is a robust appearance. In the cab, Peugeot has redesigned the dashboard for this facelifted model, mainly to incorporate a larger 10-inch touchscreen, which has an 'OK Peugeot' ChatGPT-assisted voice system. There's now a 10-inch digital instrument cluster too. Basically, this interior is pretty identical to the Expert diesel, though in place of the rev counter, you get an energy gauge for the battery. The gear lever meanwhile, gets replaced by a drive selector for switching between the various driving modes. The centre infotainment screen has a Power Flow option which shows you at any given time what's being powered by what. A fuel gauge is provided but of course the purpose here is to show the remaining battery capacity. The water temperature gauge from the diesel Expert is replaced by one showing energy consumption by the climate control system. As with other versions of this design, the interior isn't the most spacious you'll find in the segment and doesn't feel it, partly thanks to the high waistline. There's quite a low seating position (for a van), with plenty of seat and wheel adjustment. As usual in this class, a three-person bench seat is fitted and with pricier trim (or as an option), there's a Moduwork bulkhead flap so that longer items can be pushed through from the cargo area. That set-up comes together with a fold-down section for the centre seat that when flattened, doubles as a work surface. The dashboard is almost identical to that you'll find in the other versions of this design, which means that most functions are on the central touchscreen, though the climate controls are separated out below.

Market and Model

Pricing for this E-Expert LCV now starts at around £36,000 (exc VAT and OTR charges) after deduction of the £5,000 Government Plug-in Van Grant and this LCV is available in 'Standard' wheelbase or (for about £800 more) in 'Long' wheelbase forms. There's a choice of three trim levels - 'Professional', plusher 'Asphalt' or top 'Sport'. With all spec levels, there's the option of a Crew Van body style with an extra row of seats; prices after grant deduction start from around £39,000. Across the range, only the bigger 75kWh battery is now available. All E-Expert van models are decently equipped. Base 'Professional' spec now includes a redesigned Mistral Black dashboard and a heated driver's seat as standard, while there's a 10-inch digital instrument cluster - plus a 10-inch centre touchscreen enhanced by the 'OK PEUGEOT' natural voice assistant, integrated with ChatGPT. Plusher 'Asphalt' trim adds Peugeot's 'i-Connect Advanced' infotainment system with TomTom 3D Connected Navigation. As for safety and security kit, well 'Professional' spec gives you the basics - a driver's airbag, electronic stability control, an alarm, a laminated acoustic windscreen and so on. But you'll need plusher 'Asphalt' trim to get a wider range of active safety aids like blind spot monitoring, traffic sign recognition and Lane departure warning. 'Asphalt'-spec models also get navigation, plus body-coloured bumpers, rear parking sensors, a leather multi-function steering wheel and a rear view camera, plus the 'Moduwork' fold-out seat with its seat back table and extra storage (an option with base trim).

Practicalities and Costs

As with the other versions of this design, the EV drivetrain doesn't affect the cargo area. Carriage capacity is unchanged over an ordinary diesel Expert, at 5.3 m³ for the 'Standard' version and 6.1 m³ for the 'Long' wheelbase variant. The only practical area where you really suffer with the electric model is in terms of maximum payload, which will be around 200kg down on what you'd get from the diesel. The payload is 1,226kg in the 'Standard' model and 1,000kg in the 'Long' version. Predictably, you won't be able to tow as much with an electric Expert as with a diesel one, but (unlike some rivals) at least it can tow - up to 1,000kgs. We gave you the driving range figure in our 'Driving' section - 230 miles from the 75kWh battery. The cost savings versus diesel model won't of course be as great as they used to be but they should still be substantial. At this vehicle's original launch before the electricity crisis, Peugeot reckoned that an operator would save around £100 a month compared to a 2.0-litre diesel Expert, based on covering 40 miles a day. Servicing costs will be lower as well, there's no road tax, Benefit-in-Kind tax is levied at 60% of the normal van rate and the e-Expert is exempt from the London Congestion Charge. The E-Expert is fitted with a 7.4kW onboard charger and can also be charged at up to 100kW on a DC rapid charger. Charging via a 7.4kW wall box will take over 11 hours. 11kW for faster charging is an option and will take seven and a half hours. If you find a 100kW DC rapid charger when you're out and about, you'll be able to get the smaller battery from near empty to 80% full around 45 minutes. A 13amp Type2 cable in a domestic socket will give you six miles of range per hour - and will need around 36 hours for a full charge.

Summary

If you already run Peugeot vans on your fleet, you want to make the EV switch and the LCV in question must be medium-sized, there aren't many reasons why you might not like this much improved E-Expert, provided you can justify the usual substantial EV asking price. Such as they are, the only other issues are those that relate to the other four badge-engineered versions of this design; the lack of a high roof option, the small compromises necessary over the diesel version's payload and a slightly cramped feeling in the cab. Otherwise, you'll feel properly in tune with the current environmental zeitgeist at the wheel of a E-Expert. The future, there'll be more sophisticated mid-sized electric Peugeot vans than this. But for the present, you might feel that this one suits your business needs just fine.