New Citroen e-C3 van will be a cheap 'n' cheerful option for business from April

Citroen has confirmed it will introduce a van version of the all-electric Citroen e-C3 supermini in a bid to attract buyers who might have bought the now-discontinued Ford Fiesta van  or Vauxhall Corsavan vans. With the e-C3’s VAT removed and the maximum Plug-in Van Grant applied, the e-C3 van could cost from as little as £15,035.  

The e-C3 van is set to go on sale in mid-April ahead of first customer deliveries in late summer, and will have very few rivals beyond the £14,995 Dacia Spring Cargo and their respective passenger car equivalents. The e-C3 van will sit below the E-Berlingo, E-Dispatch and E-Relay, but above the dinky Ami Cargo in Citroen’s line-up.

The e-C3 van will come only with a 44kWh battery; the 33kWh unit also offered in the supermini will not be available in the van. While the regular 44kWh e-C3 hatchback tops out at 199 miles of range, the van – without rear seats and potentially with less sound deadening – will hit 200 miles precisely. Charging speeds remain the same, with a maximum rate of 100kW allowing for a 20 to 80 per cent top-up in 26 minutes. There will also be an onboard 7.6kWh charger.

Designed mainly for urban delivery drivers, the e-C3 van has a maximum payload of 494kg with a load volume of 1.2m². We also expect to see a new mesh bulkhead to separate the loading bay and the cabin, plus blanked-out rear windows. 

Trim levels haven’t been announced, although we expect a base-level ‘Plus’ version. We do know the van will retain the e-C3 passenger car’s 10.25-inch central touchscreen featuring wireless smartphone connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a DAB digital radio and Bluetooth. 

The e-C3’s 111bhp motor mounted on the front axle will also be carried over, meaning the van will match the car’s 10.4-second 0-62mph time, although the top speed is 2mph lower at 82mph. 

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