Volkswagen Transporter BEV offers up to 8 seats and 196 miles of range

The new Volkswagen Transporter recently went on sale in diesel-powered Shuttle and Kombi form – and now you can add pure-electric power to the mix with the new BEV Transporter.

Aimed at taxi companies, tradespeople and families with three or four children, the Transporter in Shuttle TDI diesel form starts at £48,775 for the entry-level Life edition, rising to £55,135 for the Style trim. The all-electric Transporter Life starts at £56,129 while the Style is priced from £62,957. 

Volkswagen claims a 196-mile range for the new electric Transporter in Kombi van form, or 194 miles in people-carrying Shuttle guise, thanks to a 65kWh battery. That’s slightly down on the 209 miles offered by the Ford E-Transit, which is a sister model produced as part of Ford and Volkswagen’s partnership. 

That battery sends power to a rear-mounted 136bhp electric motor for a 12.8-second 0-62mph time. What’s more important, however, is the charging time, which stands at 39 minutes for a 10 to 80 per cent top-up thanks to a maximum recharge speed of 125kW. 

The payload for the BEV Transporter Kombi van is 896kg. And like the diesel model, the electric Transporter comes with the option of short or long-wheelbase bodystyles and a choice of eight or nine-seat configurations. 

The TDI versions of the Transporter come with a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine in either 148bhp or 167bhp form, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. There’s also a 109bhp diesel available with a six-speed manual transmission, which in the short-wheelbase Transporter Shuttle will return 38.2mpg on the combined cycle, while the more powerful versions both return 34.9mpg. 

On top of the standard equipment the diesel-powered Transporter Life gets, the BEV adds all-season tyres, a heat pump, a tyre-sealant kit in place of a spare wheel, heated front seats, manually adjustable lumbar support and a Mode 3 charging cable with a storage bag. Style trim adds a leatherette-wrapped multifunction heated steering wheel. 

The standard equipment you’d find with Life trim on the Transporter Shuttle includes 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors including a reversing camera, cruise control and keyless start. The tech package features a dual-screen set-up that includes a 12-inch driver’s display and a 13-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and no less than nine USB charging points. 

As for the Transporter Shuttle Style, that adds electric sliding doors, a heated windscreen, larger 17-inch wheels and manual sun shades in the second row. There’s also a higher-spec set of LED headlights, and a range of high-end options including a Harmon Kardon sound system and a panoramic glass roof. 

The Transporter Kombi van starts at £42,220 in Commerce Plus form and also comes with a decent set of equipment, including LED lights, heated front seats and the same infotainment set-up as the Shuttle. The Commerce Pro trim (from £44,860) adds 16-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, wireless mobile phone charging, air-conditioning, adaptive cruise control and front and rear parking sensors with a rear-view camera. 

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