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Let’s get one thing straight from the offset, all MPV’s are van derived in one way or another, but generally there has been some attempt to hide that fact, but not here! Nissan uses the same model name for the van and the MPV, it looks pretty much identical and if you want to find the price list the Combi’s are listed in the Commercial Vehicle pricelist as a van variant.
The Combi is a compact MPV, measuring just 4.56 m long. Again this could be an absolute boon if you want 7 seats but don’t want the stress of trying to park a bigger vehicle. The downside of any compact MPV is that in 7 seat configuration you don’t have much of a boot left, so it is worth thinking about whether you need to transport people and stuff, or just people.
The electric bits come directly from a LEAF, and in this case that means a 107 bhp motor is paired with a 40 kWh battery pack. Nissan has made a real effort to get the list price down for the entry level specification, but putting Rapid charge capability on the options list might be a step too far.
Speaking of charging, you get a 6.6 kW on-board charger for AC and if you tick the options box a CHAdeMO compatible socket good for 50 kW at Rapid chargers. Nissan quote a range for Rapid charging of between 40 – 60 minutes. The Nissan system has a harder time keeping battery temperatures at the ideal level so Rapid charging is caped at 50 kW and can be more variable. CCS enabled rivals do a better job here.
The Combo has adequate performance, we aren’t going to criticize the 76 mph limited top speed because let’s face it even that is illegal in the UK, but the 14 second 0-62 mph time hints at more of a problem. If you get all 7 seats filled the 187 lb ft of torque and 107 bhp of power on offer are going to struggle to the point where you really need to work it hard to make progress and that is going to impact range.
Which brings us to the final key stat for any EV; range. Despite being admirably light and having a 40 kWh battery, the Combi has a disappointing official range of 124 miles. That means a real world range of between 80 – 124 miles. This might be more than adequate for some buyers but it does lag noticeably behind rivals. The range deficit is mostly down to a smaller battery capacity but the Nissan is also less efficient than it should be, so you get a double whammy of short range and using more electricity than is ideal.
The e-NV200 occupies an important niche in providing a relatively affordable EV option, but it is lagging behind rivals in all areas. So unless you really can’t stretch your budget any further it is difficult to recommend the Combi.
Estimated real world range: 80 – 124 miles
Official range: 124 miles
Official electricity consumption: 260 Wh/km
Battery pack: 50 kWh (gross) lithium ion; 8 year / 100,000 mile warranty (>70% battery remaining)
Recharge time: 6.6 kW charge 7 hours 30 minutes; Optional Rapid CHAdeMO 50 kW 40 – 60 mins (10 – 80%)
Please note that CO2 emissions quoted for electric cars are not directly comparable to diesel and petrol cars. This is because CO2 emissions quoted are calculated by Green Car Guide and include the emissions created at the power station turning fuel (e.g. gas etc) into electricity and in transmitting and distributing the electricity to an end user. They do not include the actual production of the fuel (e.g. gas extraction and refinery emissions). Petrol and diesel emissions are supplied by car manufacturers and are based solely on the fuel burnt in the engine (tailpipe emissions) and do not include the production of the fuel or distribution to a fuel station. In practice this means that electric car emissions are over-estimated relative to petrol and diesel. For instance if an electric car, a petrol car, and a diesel car are all reported to emit 100 g/km CO2, the electric car actually has lower emissions.
