Vauxhall Movano van review

Our opinion on the Vauxhall Movano

The Vauxhall Movano is a versatile large panel van available in a wide range of body types as well as many different lengths and heights, so there’s bound to be a model in there that suits. It’s also well-equipped, especially when it comes to safety tech, and the Movano Electric has impressive range and performance. However, despite being a new model for Vauxhall, it’s based on an older platform and feels dated in some ways, such as the cabin and driving experience.

About the Vauxhall Movano

The Vauxhall Movano has changed a lot in recent years thanks to major buyouts in the automotive industry. Vauxhall (and Opel in Europe) previously offered a van called the Movano that was based on the Renault Master, but following its merge into the Stellantis group, the Vauxhall Movano is now based on a completely different platform.

These days, Vauxhall’s big van is a version of a group of models that includes the Fiat Ducato, Citroen Relay, Peugeot Boxer and Toyota ProAce Max (plus the US-only Ram Promaster). It’s not a brand-new platform, though. In fact, the old Movano used to compete with the same vans it now shares parts with. However, the Movano Electric does have a lot of up-to-date tech and there’s even a Hydrogen version coming soon.

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The Movano Electric uses a 110kWh battery with a 268bhp electric motor powering the front wheels, delivering a range of up to 263 miles depending on which version you choose. This version doesn’t have as many body options as the others, but there are still a choice of lengths and heights.

The diesel models have more versatility with body types, and there’s a manual or automatic gearbox option. The engine itself is a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel and it produces 138bhp or 178bhp, with 350Nm and 450Nm of torque respectively. There’s no weak link in the powertrain lineup, as even the entry-level vans are powerful enough.

Prices begin at about £34,000 (excluding VAT) for the panel van, or £47,000 if you’re considering a Movano Electric. You’ll need to choose from one of three lengths (called L2, L3 and L4) and three roof heights (called H1, H2 and H3). There are different gross vehicle weights, 3.5 tonnes and 4.25 tonnes, which Vauxhall terms N1 and N2 in the van’s specifications. You’ll need a commercial vehicle driving licence to drive the latter, if you passed your test since January 1997.

You can only get the Movano Electric in L3H2, L3H3, L4H2 and L4H3 sizes, but there is a “Glazed Van” model with windows and a Chassis Cab model for conversions. There’s only one ‘N1’ electric model in the range, so many will need that additional licence to drive. The diesel model is also available in Glazed and Chassis Cab variants, as well as in Tipper and Dropside (single- and double-cab) forms, from Vauxhall.

There’s only one Movano trim level and it’s called Prime. It comes with air conditioning, cruise control, electric twin door mirrors, twin rear doors and a single nearside sliding door. Diesel models come with a five-inch DAB radio screen with Bluetooth, while the Movano Electric gets a larger seven-inch screen with smartphone connectivity.

Options including a reversing camera, a larger infotainment screen, keyless entry and go, sat-nav and climate control are all available via a range of option packs you can choose when buying.

The smallest panel van in the line-up costs from around £34,000. This is a 138bhp diesel with a manual gearbox, and you can move up to an automatic (not available on all variants) for around £2,000. If you want a more powerful engine, you’ll need to go for the 178bhp diesel that only comes with an auto gearbox. It comes as a higher gross vehicle weight, L4H2 panel van or glazed van only. This model costs around £41,000.

Moving up from the base L2H1 model to L2H2, L3H2 and L3H3 sizes costs around £800 for each step (so the L3H2 costs £1,600 more than the L2H1 with the same engine, for example). The Movano Electric costs from roughly £47,000, so it’ll take quite a while to recoup that increase in cost via fuel savings (but it’s surely possible for some businesses). It is only available in L3H2, L3H3, L4H2 and L4H3 configurations.

Vauxhall is also promoting the availability of a hydrogen-powered variant, but it isn’t relevant to most buyers. That’s because there are only a handful of places across the entire country where you can even fill it with fuel, and it costs over £62,000 to buy.

Fuel economy is best in the smaller, lighter models as you might expect. The best average figure, according to official tests, is 44mpg and this comes in the smallest manual diesel van. Expect somewhere around 40mpg in most versions, aside from the largest ones that will creep down to around 24mpg at worst, according to the official stats.

There are some options, such as the spare wheel and reversing camera, that we would like to see on the standard equipment list. It feels a bit stingy not to include them when they are so useful to keeping you and your drivers safe and on the road.

Electric range, battery life and charge time

The Movano Electric has up to 263 miles of range on a single charge in the lightest models, dropping to around 230 miles in larger variants. This gives you an idea of how much the range will drop with a heavy load on board: the more you carry, the fewer miles you can drive. Your driving type will make a big difference, too, as driving on the motorway saps range significantly.

The 110kWh battery pack has a usable capacity of 97.8kWh and can charge at up to 150kW, which means it can charge from five to 80 per cent in 55 minutes at a public rapid charge point, which is good compared to rival products. It’s a bit slow to charge at home or work via a 7.4kW single-phase charger, since the battery is so large. It takes about 17 hours to fill the battery from empty to full, which is more than an overnight job.

All versions of the Vauxhall Movano are spacious. The entry-level model, which is called L2H1, has 10 cubic metres of space available, which rises to a total of 11.5 cubic metres in the higher-roofed L2H2. Move up to the longer L3H2 model and it increases again to 13 cubic metres. The even-larger L3H3 and L4H2 versions both have 15 cubic metres and the maximum volume is 17 cubic metres in the biggest L4H3. 

This is bigger than the largest version of the Ford Transit which tops out at 15.1 cubic metres. The biggest version is matched by the Mercedes Sprinter (17m3) and of course all the other vans on this platform including the Peugeot Boxer and Fiat Ducato are exactly the same size as the Movano.

The base model has a 3,450mm wheelbase, which increases to 4,035mm for both the L3 and L4 lengths as the extra length for the largest model is made up using extra bodywork rather than extra length between the axles. Total lengths range from 5,413mm for the L2 to 5,998mm for the L3 and 6,363mm for the L4.

As for heights, the lowest model is 2,254mm tall, moving up to 2,522mm in the H2 high-roof model and 2,760mm in the tallest H3 version. All models are 2,050mm wide if you ignore the mirrors, which might make some inner-city width restrictors and car parks an impossibility. There’s quite a big step to get into the Movano, but once you’re inside you can stand up straight (unless you’re very tall), so loading up should be easy enough.

Payload capacities start at just 710kg, which is for the smallest Movano Electric. This is a bit of an outlier, though, as other versions of the EV have up to 1,460kg capacity - it depends if the van comes with the heavy-duty suspension (called N2 on the spec sheet). Diesel versions have payloads that range from 1,145kg to 2,115kg, so there’s plenty of hauling capacity there.

Certain models can tow 2.25 and others go up to three tonnes, while all the electric vans in the range have the same braked towing capacity of 2,400kg. 

Thanks to the fitment of airbags for the driver and both passengers, plus autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, the Vauxhall Movano is up-to-date with the latest safety standards for commercial vehicles. 

Traffic sign recognition and lane assist are also included as standard but strangely, a reversing camera isn’t. This is something we’d like to see fitted to all large vans, as they can be quite difficult to reverse safely in busy areas, but at least it’s a relatively inexpensive option to add. It’s a similar story with the spare wheel: it’s not quite a safety feature but isn’t included as standard and could make a big difference if you do get a puncture, so is well worth adding if you can.

All of the Movano’s stablemates (including the Citroen Relay and Peugeot Boxer) got the same five-star overall rating from crash test experts at Euro NCAP. Breaking down the scores, you’ll find a 78 per cent score for safe driving, a 64 per cent score for tech, and an 80 per cent score for post-crash safety. 

The diesel engines available in the Movano are the same as in the Fiat, Vauxhall, Citroen and Peugeot versions of this van, and even the Toyota Proace Max uses them (with an up-to ten-year warranty in that case, although Vauxhall only offers three years as standard). This is the same with the electric motors in that version, and all should be dependable, especially the EVs.

The warranty covers you for up to 100,000 miles, and there’s eight years of additional cover for the battery in the electric model, covering it for loss of capacity up to 70 per cent of its original figure.

Even though the Vauxhall Movano is on a completely new platform for the brand, the construction itself is not new. It’s a bit confusing, but you just need to know that while the van looks new, it feels dated to drive. The Ford Transit or Renault Master are more modern-feeling from behind the wheel, and more comfortable too.

The old architecture is feeling its age and there’s a lot of noise in the cabin from the tyres and wind around the mirrors. The diesel engines are rattly and noisy too, which you don’t often get in modern vehicles. Of course, the Movano Electric doesn’t suffer there, although it’s still not exactly silent inside thanks to the wind and road noise.

The suspension is designed to cope with heavy loads, so the diesel Movano models are pretty unpleasant when there’s nothing in the back. However, the electric version always carries its batteries around, loading up the suspension and improving comfort significantly.

Although there are some issues with visibility around the A-pillars, the Movano isn’t too intimidating to drive. Rearward visibility is good from the big twin door mirrors and you sit quite high up. However, it’s a big van and there are always going to be places where it feels rather big, such as in car parks and city streets.

Performance is strong in all models. The 138bhp and 178bhp 2.2-litre diesel engines are both torquey and feel strong enough to carry heavy cargo. The manual gearbox isn’t very nice to use, so we’d go for the smooth automatic gearbox option if given the choice.

The Movano Electric is the most powerful van of the lot, and thanks to the instant torque of the electric motor it feels pretty fast when the van is unladen. It’s very nippy at low speeds, but feels less so on the motorway as the motor runs out of steam a little.

Town driving, visibility and parking

You might need to consider that all versions of the Movano are very large. If you need access to a tight car park, for example, you should check the dimensions at the bottom of this page before you buy, as it might not actually fit. Tight city streets are not where this van feels most at home, although the electric model is great for traffic jams.

You might want to add the reversing camera from the options list as it helps a lot with rearward visibility when moving around a tight space.

Motorway driving and long-distance comfort

There is a lot of wind and road noise in the Movano at high speed no matter which model you choose, and the diesel models have a bit of engine noise thrown in as well. Economy here is best in the combustion versions, but these models are uncomfortable when not laden over the many bumps and joints in our motorway road network.

There are handles to help you hop up into the high cabin of the Movano, but once you’re in there’s a commanding view out. Taller drivers might feel a bit uncomfortable behind the wheel, as there’s not a huge amount of space there since the cabin is pushed quite far forward.

There’s lots of space for two passengers in the front (a single passenger seat version is available, too) and there’s plenty of headroom as well. High-roof variants have extra carrying space over the cab but you need to access it from the cargo area, so there’s no extra in-cabin storage there despite the extra height.

There are two large glove boxes, large door bins, space under the seats and a shelf above the windscreen. Storage is a strong point throughout the cabin and there should be plenty of room for stuff you need quick access to on a daily basis.

The dashboard itself looks okay, but most of the materials in the cabin are hard-wearing plastics that look a bit more dated than those in some rival vans such as the Transit. It’s what you expect in a big van like this but it doesn’t help to reduce noise in the cabin and looks dull.

Infotainment, sat-nav and stereo

All Vauxhall Movano versions come with a five-inch DAB radio screen, except the Movano Electric as this has a larger seven-inch unit instead, along with a digital instrument display. You can get a ten-inch screen with smartphone connectivity and sat-nav on the options list for around £1,500. It’s great if you can afford to add it, but many users will find their phone, mounted to the dash, will do just as good of a job as the built-in systems.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are excellent to have if you drive regularly, though, and they help make the cabin feel a lot more modern. We like the digital dash in electric models too, as it also makes things feel more up-to-date and has all the info you need for driving displayed clearly.

The Movano is at its best in electric guise, but it’s not easy to recommend to a wide market. It suits those doing shorter, local trips most, although the 263-mile range is good enough for longer trips as well. It takes quite a while to charge at a normal charge point, and public rapid chargers are quite expensive to use regularly. The diesel is better for most buyers but it’s a rattly engine - although it delivers decent economy for long trips. If you need a van for long-distance hauling this will be the one to go for.

Alternatives

The closest rivals for the Movano are the Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer, Citroen Relay and Toyota Proace Max. These are all exactly the same van with a different face, and different specs and prices. The Toyota is most notable as it has a longer warranty, but isn’t as versatile with fewer variants available.

Other rivals include the Volkswagen Crafter and MAN TGE twins, the Mercedes Sprinter and the Ford Transit. These vans feel more upmarket than the Movano but also cost a bit more, and don’t have as much carrying capacity. The best van in this class right now is the Renault Master, a good-value van that’s efficient and good to drive.