Commercial Vehicle News Electric Cars Reviewed

Citroen E-Berlingo review

July 30, 2025 Phil Huff

Can recent updates keep the best-selling Citroen E-Berlingo ahead of the game in the small van segment?

The Citroen e-Berlingo has been quietly leading the electric compact van charge for a few years now, part of Stellantis’ wide-reaching effort to electrify its light commercial line-up. Alongside its badge-engineered siblings — the Fiat e-Doblo, Peugeot E-Partner, Vauxhall Combo Electric and Toyota Proace City Electric — the e-Berlingo shares a tried-and-tested platform and powertrain, but gets a very mild Citroen twist.

With updates under the skin and behind the dash, the e-Berlingo aims to remain a firm fleet favourite, even as newer rivals like the Ford E-Transit Courier and Renault Kangoo E-Tech step up the competition. It’s working so far, remaining the best-selling compact eLCV, but for how much longer?

Design, interior, and technology

Visually, there’s little to distinguish the e-Berlingo from its petrol or diesel predecessors. It’s boxy, compact, and unfussy, with Citroen’s updated double-chevron badged solid front grille and LED light signature offering the only real hint that this is the electric model. It’s not flashy, but functional.

Inside, the e-Berlingo takes a more meaningful step forward. A new 10-inch digital instrument cluster is positioned ahead of the driver, matched by a 10-inch infotainment screen featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s a big improvement on the clunky system of old, and helps bring the cabin closer in feel to a (relatively) modern passenger car.

For passengers, it’s a van of two halves. Any duo sitting on the twin passenger bench seat in the Enterprise Plus or Driver vans will have to get very friendly, and the one in the middle will find their knees bent out of shape by a huge protrusion from the dashboard. This used to house the gearlever, but now it’s a massive box that holds the drive selector switch in place. Too expensive to redesign that section for the EV, I presume.

The upgraded interior is a welcome improvement

The entry-level Enterprise model is, arguably, a better bet if you’re only two up, as long as you can put up with a rather basic cab. It gets a regular one-person seat, creating extra room and improving comfort, but sacrificing the ability to carry a third person, the load-through panel that extends the cargo area, and some essential equipment.

At least storage is generous, with deep door bins, a shelf above the windscreen, and a large centre console.

Build quality is decent rather than plush, but that’s par for the course in this segment. Everything feels tough enough to take a beating from boots, tools and takeaway wrappers, which is probably more important than swish soft-touch plastics.

Battery, motor, and performance

Under the bonnet—or rather, beneath the floor—sits the familiar Stellantis electric powertrain: a 52kWh battery feeding a 100kW (134bhp) electric motor driving the front wheels. It’s a setup shared not just across Stellantis’ compact van range, but also with several of its small cars.

It’s not particularly rapid, but performance is perfectly adequate for a van of this size. The instant torque delivery helps when pulling away fully laden, and the e-Berlingo feels surprisingly agile around town, aided by a reasonably tight turning circle and car-like driving position. On faster roads, it settles into a quiet cruise, although it skips about a bit on bumpier surfaces when unladen.

WLTP range is officially up to 213 miles, although that drops in real-world use, especially with a load in the back or when temperatures fall. Still, during testing, we managed a consistent 3.5 miles per kWh in mixed use, suggesting a usable range of around 180 miles, which should be enough for the urban delivery routes and site visits it’s designed for.

Charging is straightforward, with support for 100kW DC rapid charging as standard. That’ll get you from 0–80% in around 30 minutes. AC charging is handled via a 7.4kW onboard charger, which can fill the battery overnight from a wallbox without any issue.

Payload and practicality

Despite the switch to electric, the e-Berlingo doesn’t lose much in the way of usable space. There are two body lengths: the standard M version (providing a load length of up to 1,817mm and a total volume of 3.3m3) and the longer XL, which pushes this to 4.4m3 with a load length of 2,167mm.

Maximum payload sits at between 691kg and 781kg — a couple of hundred kilos behind the diesel model.

The E-Berlingo offers two body lengths and the option of a load-through bulkhead

A folding passenger seat and load-through bulkhead allow you to carry longer items like piping or timber, and six tie-down hooks help keep everything secure in transit. A nearside sliding door is standard on M models, with twin sliding doors fitted to the XL vans.

Despite being around for a number of years, it’s still a competitive offering, with load volumes and payload limits near the top of the class.

Price and specification

The e-Berlingo isn’t cheap, but no electric van is right now. Prices start at just under £28,000 excluding VAT, but the Plug-in Van Grant will bring that down by £2,500. Ford’s smaller E-Transit Courier undercuts it, and it more or less matches its Renault and Stellantis-based rivals.

There are three trim levels: Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, and Driver. The latter two bring the infotainment screen, extra safety kit, and upgraded cabin tech, and are likely to be the most popular with both fleets and sole traders.

Avoid the entry-level Enterprise model, unless you’re certain it’s right. Unforgivably, not only does it eschew the infotainment screen for a simple mobile phone clamp, but it also does without a DAB radio. It’s going to be a miserable experience.

Every model comes with a three-year warranty, limited to 100,000 miles, while maintenance costs are expected to be lower than for diesel vans thanks to fewer moving parts and reduced brake wear.

Verdict

The Citroen e-Berlingo doesn’t break new ground, but it doesn’t need to. It takes a well-regarded, if ageing, small van and electrifies it with minimal compromise, delivering solid range, decent payload, and a user-friendly cabin in a familiar, trusted package.

Yes, the Ford E-Transit Courier offers a newer platform and more polished drive, and yes, the Kangoo E-Tech offers cleverer load space options. But the e-Berlingo still hits a sweet spot for many operators, especially those with access to overnight charging and predictable daily routes.