Peugeot Boxer E- 440 L3 200KW 110Kwh H3 Van Professional Auto

Ten Second Review

Peugeot's largest EV van is this one, the e-Boxer. Unlike smaller electric LCVs from the brand, this one wasn't developed (and isn't built) directly by the brand. Instead, as with its Citroen and Vauxhall badge-engineered counterparts, the e-Boxer was created in partnership with a Turkish-based third-party manufacturer. That shows in the limitations for both driving range and payload, but compared to the diesel version, cargo capacity isn't compromised and charging speeds are relatively fast by class standards.

Background

Peugeot's approach in creating this e-Boxer was either rather clever or very short-sighted. It depends on your point of view. The brand was certainly quick to market with this EV model. But the short-cut which facilitated that was due to a third party partnership with EV specialists BEDO, whose Turkish factory installs this model's EV drivetrain. That's very different to Peugeot's smaller electric vans, the e-Partner and the e-Expert, which come out of Peugeot's own factory as full-EVs. This model's close cousins, the Citroen e-Relay and the Vauxhall Movano Electric, take this short-cut Turkish route to market as well. But interestingly, the other shared Stellantis Group version of this design, Fiat's E-Ducato, doesn't, completely engineered and built by Fiat itself. So will this Peugeot be compromised by this approach? And is it still a creditable alternative in a class recently augmented by newer designs? Let's see.

Driving Experience

There are strange-looking push-button controls for the single-speed gearbox, but the starting procedure's straightforward. Unlike other EV vans, the surge of power you get at the wheel of this one is rather gradual. To be frank, the 122hp electric motor struggles a bit with a van this weighty and its torque figure (260Nm) is actually 50Nm less than the entry-level diesel. Hence the rather restricted payload. Like other Boxers, this one's front-driven. Peugeot no longer offers this model with the smaller 37kWh battery, so just a larger 75kWh power pack is on offer, which takes you 154 miles between charges, though that'll drop a bit if you've a full load out back. And it's significantly down on the 192 mile range you'd get from a comparable Fiat E-Ducato (which has a 79kWh battery). Unlike most EV vans, this e-Boxer can't offer you any drive modes, so there's no 'Eco' setting to maximise range - and no regenerative braking 'B' option for the single-speed gearbox, actioned by buttons on the dash ('Drive', 'Neutral' and 'Reverse'). On the plus side, this EV model's under-floor battery positioning results in a low centre of gravity, improving cornering and stability even when fully loaded. Top speed is just 68mph for the 3,500kg gross vehicle weight models (the only ones now available). The steering's quite an old-fashioned set-up that's quite heavy at low speeds, but lightens up at faster ones.

Design and Build

Your customers are unlikely to guess that with this van, your company has switched to a full-EV for deliveries. Apart from the badging and the charging flap, there are no exterior giveaways to this e-Boxer's electric status. If you haven't tried a Boxer for some time, you may not be up to speed with the way that the current generation design has been much improved in recent years. The front end actually looks pretty slick with a big chromed grille. The headlights are interesting too, looking like rather feline eyes, garnished with a daytime running light strip. The front moulding that wraps beneath the grille and lights is a complex shape and the rake of the windscreen is a bit more laid back than in many panel vans. It's not just aesthetics though. Just above the front fog lights, two rectangular recesses serve as steps to facilitate cleaning the windscreen. Clever. Climb inside and you'll be greeted by decent quality cab trim and a reasonably modern dashboard layout. The strangest thing about it is that the instrument cluster is exactly as it would be in the diesel version, with the same rev counter, speedometer, fuel and temperature dials. Of these, only the speedometer works - all the needles have been removed from the other gauges. Curiously, information on range and battery charge status is shown in a small digital section of the rear view mirror (the mirror part rather redundant on a vehicle with a solid bulkhead). Temperature is controlled by digital panel to the right of the wheel but the fan speed, as in the diesel version, is still controlled by dial on the dashboard. It all rather smacks of aftermarket conversion. The rest is as in any other Boxer model. As you'd expect, there's a dual passenger seat, this one incorporating a drop-down desk unit. Up to ten in-cab storage areas are available, including the glovebox, a dash-mounted document clip and various open or lidded compartments on the dashboard. In addition, there are large door pockets, storage space beneath the passenger seat and a sizeable 22-litre overhead storage compartment. There's been a clear effort in design here not just to improve the perception of quality in the cab but also to beef up high use, high stress items such as the rear doors. These have been reinforced and high strength door hinges are used. Similarly, the sliding side load door gets reinforced rails, tough-design runners and security-tested door locks.

Market and Model

Prices, as you'd expect, are much the same as those being charged for the Vauxhall Movano Electric and Citroen e-Relay models that share this Peugeot's engineering. That means that without VAT and after deduction of the government's £5,000 Plug-in Van Grant, you're looking at starting figures beginning at just under £58,000 on the road for the L3H2 version. Add about £900 more for the lengthier L4H2 variant. There's only one 75kWh battery option - and only one trim level ('Professional Premium+') too. To give you some price perspective, an equivalent 335 L3H2 140hp BlueHDi diesel version of this Boxer costs from just under £39,000 on the road. At least your business will get a reasonable amount of kit for its money. There's air conditioning, a 6-way driver's seat with lumbar adjustment, electronic cruise control with a speed limiter and a 5-inch colour centre touchscreen with Bluetooth. This monitor also provides a navigation system, which gives you online traffic information in real time. Safety features include forward collision alert, blind spot warning and lane departure warning. Key options include a spare wheel, a passenger airbag and 270-degree opening rear doors. There's also an optional 'City Pack' with electric folding mirrors, a rear parking camera, blind spot assist and rear cross traffic alert. And you can add leather for the steering wheel and gear lever, plus a 'Look Pack' with LED daytime running lights, front fog lights and special wheel trims.

Practicalities and Costs

On to practicalities. You don't get a choice of roof heights with the e-Boxer - just the standard H2 model. And body lengths are limited to the longer L3 and L4 variants. There's no heavy duty version, which means payload is very limited. 690kg will be the most you can carry - that's in the L3H2 version; it's just 645kg in the larger L4H2 variant. That's better than a Mercedes eSprinter. But Peugeot shouldn't congratulate itself. In contrast, the distantly-related Fiat E-Ducato can take up to 1,570kgs. Outside the Stellantis Group, other rivals can easily better this e-Boxer's payload showing too. A Renault Master E-Tech can manage up to 1,490kgs. Load capacity figures are the same as with a diesel-powered Boxer. That's because the drive system's lithium-ion battery is mounted under the floor between the front and rear axle and so doesn't impinge on the cargo bay. In L3 configuration, the e-Boxer has a load deck length of 3705mm and an internal load height of 1932mm, which gives a 13m3 capacity. The largest e-Boxer L4 has a load deck length of 4070mm and a 17.0m3 capacity. We gave you the range figure - 154 miles - in our Driving section. Thanks to the 50kW rapid charging speed, a public DC power source could replenish the battery to 80% in an hour. A 22kW source would take nine hours, while a 7.4kW garage wallbox would need 12 hours. Like Peugeot's other fully electric LCV models, the e-Boxer is exempt from current ultra-low and congestion charge payments. The zero emissions powertrain also allows businesses to save significantly on company van tax, with a 0% Benefit-in-Kind tax rate. This provides eligible businesses with immediate and significant annual savings that can amount to thousands of pounds.

Summary

When reviewing this Peugeot's badge-engineered close cousins the Vauxhall Movano Electric and the Citroen e-Relay, we remarked on the feeling you're left with after trying this shared design of getting first generation EV large van tech. And of course that's repeated once more with this e-Boxer. There's potentially nothing wrong with that of course if your business doesn't particularly need a long driving range or a large payload and gets offered a good deal on an e-Boxer. But there can't be that many reasons why your company might pay the big premium required for one over the diesel version. Or, if it has to have a large electric van, why it would choose an e-Boxer over a longer-ranging Ford E-Transit? Answers on a postcard please. Having said all of that, if your fleet already runs Peugeot vans - and particularly e-Partner and e-Expert models - it would make sense to keep things common and add a few e-Boxers as well. Just don't expect to get a cutting-edge large EV van for your not-inconsiderable outlay. One of those of course will be in Stellantis Group development. But for the time being, this Gallic-Turkish confection is very much a work in progress.