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The all-electric Mercedes-Benz eVito van is here, with an electric driving range of 162 miles, a cargo volume of 6 m3 and a payload of 749 kg in L2 length.
Diesel vans are a key contributor to local air pollution, not to mention climate change, so it’s really important that the maximum number of vans switch from diesel to electric power. Although we’ve had good progress with manufacturers bringing an increasing variety of electric cars to market, it’s been slower in the world of vans, and some of the early electric vans didn’t have particularly practical driving ranges. However all that is in the process of changing, and the new Mercedes-Benz eVito aims to be an example of how vans can now be electric and also fit for purpose for commercial operators.
The Mercedes-Benz eVito has a 66 kWh battery with a usable capacity of 60 kWh. The electric motor produces 85 kW of peak power, equating to 114 hp, with 300 Nm of torque, and is mounted at the front, giving front-wheel drive.
In L2 vehicle length (5,140 mm), the eVito has a cargo volume of 6.0 m3 and a payload of 749 kg (accounting for a 75 kg driver). Its kerbweight is 2,451 kg and gross vehicle weight (GVWR) is 3,200 kg. Unusually, it’s quoted as having a 0 kg towing capacity.
The eVito has sliding rear side doors, and three seats up front – with this seating configuration made easier by Mercedes’ standard gear selector being on the steering column rather than between the seats or in the centre of the dashboard.
There’s space for drinks bottles in the door pockets, with relatively small drinks holders on top of the dashboard at either end, along with three storage compartments on top of the dash for paperwork.
During its time with us the eVito was generally perceived as looking more upmarket than the average van, perhaps in part due to the silver colour and alloy wheels, aside from the Mercedes badge on the front grille.
Shortly after a week testing the eVito van, a passenger ride was coincidentally experienced in a diesel Vito taxi. This was a stark reminder of how quiet and refined the electric eVito van was, and even the ride quality felt vastly better in the eVito, although that observation may have been influenced by the taxi’s usage and lack of maintenance. However aside from this unscientific comparison, the eVito is undoubtedly much better to drive than a diesel van, thanks to its instant torque and lack of a rattly powertrain.
Of course the eVito is a van and so although the powertrain is quiet, you do experience some road noise.
On the dashboard there’s a button marked ‘Dynamic’. If you press this you don’t actually get any ‘Dynamic’ option, but it does give you the choices of three drive modes: comfort (C), efficiency (E) (the default mode) and efficiency plus (max range) (E+).
The eVito’s acceleration doesn’t feel as rapid as in some vans, and things feel even slower in E and E+ modes (so the ‘Dynamic’ button is a bit of a misleading name).
You also get steering wheel-mounted paddles to adjust the level of regenerative braking. And the normal Mercedes arrangement of indicator stalks and cruise control stalks are located very close to each other on the left of the steering column.
The eVito has a central touchscreen but unusually for a van it doesn’t have any satnav, but you can use your phone to provide mapping via Apple CarPlay. And there’s a good old-fashioned physical dial to adjust the cabin temperature and fan.
A reversing camera, which should be a standard feature on all vans, is displayed on the screen, but the size and quality of the image is quite a contrast to such features that are found in Mercedes cars. In fact the there’s quite a stark contrast between the luxurious equipment in a Mercedes car and, in comparison, the basic kit in the eVito van.
And in 18 years of running Green Car Guide we’ve never commented on speaker quality, but we’d say that the sound quality from the eVito’s speakers was in need of improvement.
It will be no surprise that the eVito has a high, van-like driving position, but at least the seat has decent adjustability. Don’t go looking for a heated seat button on the dashboard, because this is located on the door trim. There’s no heated steering wheel.
The Mercedes-Benz eVito Premium has a WLTP combined electric driving range of 162 miles. During our week on test the real-world range was averaging 155 miles with no load, which is close to the official figure. Half-loaded, the figure was around 137 miles.
The eVito has a maximum rapid DC charging rate of 80 kW, which is certainly lower than Mercedes-Benz cars (for example, the Mercedes-Benz EQE has a maximum rapid charging rate of 170 kW). A 10% to 80% DC charge should take 35 minutes. A full charge using an 11 kW AC supply should take 6.5 hours.
How to charge an electric car
The Mercedes-Benz eVito Premium is priced from £46,900 excluding VAT. It’s eligible for the OZEV plug-in vehicle grant, providing a discount of 20% up to £5,000. The eVito is also London ULEZ exempt and green plate eligible.
Mercedes offers up to 30 years Roadside Assistance with out of charge cover included.
The Mercedes-Benz eVito is another welcome choice in the van segment, and, like all electric vans, it’s better to drive than its diesel counterpart. The eVito’s electric driving range of 162 miles is better than many other recent vans of a similar size and payload (with a cargo volume of 6 m3 and a payload of 749 kg in L2 length). Its maximum rapid charging rate of 80 kW certainly isn’t the fastest in the business, the towing capacity of 0 kg is unusual, and there’s a big discrepancy between equipment levels in the Mercedes van range compared to its car range, but the eVito is more fit for purpose than many earlier electric vans and is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 7 out of 10.
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