Term
Initial payment (months)
Electric
Ford E-Transit 425 L3
135kW 68kWh H2 Trend Van Auto
4.25 tonnes
Weight
1.76 tonnes
Payload
242 miles
Range
3.49 metres
Load length
1.79 metres
Load height
--- metres
Load width
Leasing this van includes.
Manufacturers warranty
In the event of an unexpected mechanical issue, you're all covered!
Road tax
That's right, all deals include road tax. No hassle. No fuss. No fees.
Breakdown cover
Just in case worst comes to worst. You'll never be left stranded.
- Overview
- Specification
- Charging & range
N mph
Top speed
184 bhp
Power
N secs
0-62
--- kWh
Battery size
242 miles
Range
15-80 mins
Charging time
Electric
Fuel
Rear Wheel Drive
Drive-train
Key features.
- Navigation system
- Semi-automatic air conditioning
- DAB, AM/FM radio, 2 USB, 8" colour TFT multi touch screen, emergency assistance
- Power windows
- Power foldable and heated door mirrors
- ABS + ESP + Hill start assist
- PAS
0
City.
187 mi.
High
Suburban.
271 mi.
High
Main road.
191 mi.
High
Combined.
242 mi.
High
Charging.
Standard and fast charging available
Charging port location.
True Front.
Charging port
True Front.
Fast charging port
Battery.
N kWh.
Battery capacity
70 kWh.
Battery useable
Charging times.
Between 0 - 0
Charge times.
NaN hr NaN min
Rapid charger (34kW)/(N%)
NaN hr NaN min
Rapid charger (492kW)/(115%)
0 hr 0 min
Rapid charger (184kW)/(N2%)
How much is it to insure?
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Ford Transit review.
Ford's clever E-Transit is very fast and very frugal. Jonathan Crouch drives it.
Ten second review.
Ford has re-imagined what a large full-battery van should be and come up with this, the E-Transit, which sets a fresh segment benchmark. If your business has been waiting for a large full-electric LCV that really adds up, that day may have arrived.
Background.
To be absolutely honest, the properly large-sized full-electric vans we've had to date haven't been very good. The driving range and payloads have been disappointing and the prices high. Time for something better: time for this, the Ford E-Transit. The Blue Oval brand is the last of the major LCV market players to bring a large EV to market, but it's been worth waiting for. There's a motor from the Mustang Mach-E, a class-leading driving range, proper car-like coil-sprung suspension and a price which undercuts some rivals by up to £10,000 or more. Interested yet?
Design and Build.
From the outside, there aren't too many giveaways as to this E-Transit's full-battery status. Not unless you see one plugged-in of course - the CCS socket is in the nose section, which sees the grille featuring chrome blue trim accents. The space behind that grille isn't empty: Ford has stashed there all the vehicle control systems and incorporated into this area a crash structure that it calls the 'Mega Brace'. This aims to replicate the structural role of a conventional engine in a front-end accident. At the wheel, there's a big 12-inch centre infotainment screen running Ford's latest 'SYNC 4' media system. Operators will be interested in the 'ProPower Onboard' set-up that can use the main drive battery as a source of power for tools and equipment. For that, there can be a conventional plug socket in the cab, with two more in the load area and these can draw up to 2.3kW of power. Otherwise, it's just as in a diesel version. The multi-adjustable steering wheel allows a decent driving position and the gear lever is located close at hand. That wheel is loaded with buttons to control the various stereo and phone controls, helping you to take calls safely on the move. Overall, the biggest compliment you can pay this cab is that it feels resolutely car-like.
Market and Model.
The E-Transit is priced from around £49,000 (around £10,000 less than a lot of its rivals) and is offered with two trim levels - base 'Leader' and plusher 'Trend'. Think in terms of a price premium of around £5,000 over an equivalently-specified 'EcoBlue Hybrid' manual diesel model; an also around £5,000 over an equivalent conventional diesel 130PS auto variant. The E-Transit's much more powerful than either of those two alternatives though. Choose it and there's a premium of around £1,150 to go from the 184PS version to the faster 269PS variant. Both trim levels offer significantly higher specifications than the equivalent diesel model. Even 'Leader'-spec gets you Electronic Air Temperature Control, Keyless Start, heated seats, a Quickclear windscreen and heated power mirrors. The E-Transit introduces the 'SYNC 4' communications and information system to Ford's commercial vehicle range in Europe, offering twice the computing power of the old 'SYNC 3' system and controlled via a 12-inch touchscreen. 'Trend'-spec adds 'Ford Connected' navigation, which can plan the most efficient route and update drivers on charging, traffic and live parking availability. There's also an 'Intelligent Range' system that claims to display a more accurate distance-to-empty figure. Available enhanced voice control and embedded Amazon Alexa 6 features help drivers receive the information they need without taking their eyes from the road. In addition, all E-Transits feature a standard FordPass Connect modem 7 enabling always-on connectivity. Available drive assist technologies include PreCollision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control with Traffic Sign Recognition, a Blind Spot Information System with Lane Change Warning & Aid, Lane Departure Warning, a Lane-Keeping Aid and Junction Assist. There's also a Reverse Brake Assist system, which uses a camera and sensors to detect pedestrians, cyclists and static obstacles when reversing and can deliver a warning before automatically stopping the vehicle.
Cost of Ownership.
Where a lot of large EV vans fall down is when it comes to the issue of payload. That's not such a problem here. Depending on variant, the E-Transit can take up to 1,758 KG. It's available in 25 different versions, including van, double-cab-in-van and chassis cab body styles, with multiple lengths and roof heights, as well as GVMs from 3.5 to 4.25 tonnes. Load capacity is unaffected by the EV powertrain installation. And you get the same choice of body styles. That means three wheelbase lengths (L2, L3 and L4) and two roof heights (H2 and H3). Capacity varies between 10.7m3 and 15.1m3. As for running costs, well in addition to significant fuel cost savings, Ford estimates that service maintenance and repair costs will be up to 40% lower than equivalent diesel-powered models. The brand also reckons that the ETransit has the lowest such costs on the UK market versus direct competitors. The brand's 'Ford Pro' LCV network offers a class-leading, one year, unlimited mileage service interval and an eight year, 100,000-mile warranty for all high-voltage electric components, including cover for excessive degradation, as well as a one year electric vehicle roadside assistance package including rescue charging. The pan-European Ford Pro Service network is EV-ready with 1,500 EV Certified Dealers across Europe, and over 4,500 Authorised Repairers who all have service capability.
Summary.
Even if you don't want to acquire a Ford E-Transit, you can hardly doubt this vehicle's significance. Imagine how much stuff is delivered to your work or your home in a big Transit each year. And imagine what the environmental impact will be of an increasing number of such vehicles being of the full-battery kind. This isn't just a significant step for Ford; it's a significant step for our transport system. Rather than simply throwing an EV powertrain at an existing combustion model to get a product quickly to market (as most of its competitors have done), Ford has taken its time and done the job properly. This 2-tonne Transit design might be familiar, but in some ways, this Electric version offers a deeper dynamic redesign than is the case with the separate mid-sized E-Transit Custom model, which Ford developed with Volkswagen. Future Ford vans will all be rebadged Volkswagens, but this one isn't. And maybe, just maybe, it's better that way.
Ford has re-imagined what a large full-battery van should be and come up with this, the E-Transit, which sets a fresh segment benchmark. If your business has been waiting for a large full-electric LCV that really adds up, that day may have arrived.
To be absolutely honest, the properly large-sized full-electric vans we've had to date haven't been very good. The driving range and payloads have been disappointing and the prices high. Time for something better: time for this, the Ford E-Transit. The Blue Oval brand is the last of the major LCV market players to bring a large EV to market, but it's been worth waiting for. There's a motor from the Mustang Mach-E, a class-leading driving range, proper car-like coil-sprung suspension and a price which undercuts some rivals by up to £10,000 or more. Interested yet?
From the outside, there aren't too many giveaways as to this E-Transit's full-battery status. Not unless you see one plugged-in of course - the CCS socket is in the nose section, which sees the grille featuring chrome blue trim accents. The space behind that grille isn't empty: Ford has stashed there all the vehicle control systems and incorporated into this area a crash structure that it calls the 'Mega Brace'. This aims to replicate the structural role of a conventional engine in a front-end accident. At the wheel, there's a big 12-inch centre infotainment screen running Ford's latest 'SYNC 4' media system. Operators will be interested in the 'ProPower Onboard' set-up that can use the main drive battery as a source of power for tools and equipment. For that, there can be a conventional plug socket in the cab, with two more in the load area and these can draw up to 2.3kW of power. Otherwise, it's just as in a diesel version. The multi-adjustable steering wheel allows a decent driving position and the gear lever is located close at hand. That wheel is loaded with buttons to control the various stereo and phone controls, helping you to take calls safely on the move. Overall, the biggest compliment you can pay this cab is that it feels resolutely car-like.
The E-Transit is priced from around £49,000 (around £10,000 less than a lot of its rivals) and is offered with two trim levels - base 'Leader' and plusher 'Trend'. Think in terms of a price premium of around £5,000 over an equivalently-specified 'EcoBlue Hybrid' manual diesel model; an also around £5,000 over an equivalent conventional diesel 130PS auto variant. The E-Transit's much more powerful than either of those two alternatives though. Choose it and there's a premium of around £1,150 to go from the 184PS version to the faster 269PS variant. Both trim levels offer significantly higher specifications than the equivalent diesel model. Even 'Leader'-spec gets you Electronic Air Temperature Control, Keyless Start, heated seats, a Quickclear windscreen and heated power mirrors. The E-Transit introduces the 'SYNC 4' communications and information system to Ford's commercial vehicle range in Europe, offering twice the computing power of the old 'SYNC 3' system and controlled via a 12-inch touchscreen. 'Trend'-spec adds 'Ford Connected' navigation, which can plan the most efficient route and update drivers on charging, traffic and live parking availability. There's also an 'Intelligent Range' system that claims to display a more accurate distance-to-empty figure. Available enhanced voice control and embedded Amazon Alexa 6 features help drivers receive the information they need without taking their eyes from the road. In addition, all E-Transits feature a standard FordPass Connect modem 7 enabling always-on connectivity. Available drive assist technologies include PreCollision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control with Traffic Sign Recognition, a Blind Spot Information System with Lane Change Warning & Aid, Lane Departure Warning, a Lane-Keeping Aid and Junction Assist. There's also a Reverse Brake Assist system, which uses a camera and sensors to detect pedestrians, cyclists and static obstacles when reversing and can deliver a warning before automatically stopping the vehicle.
Where a lot of large EV vans fall down is when it comes to the issue of payload. That's not such a problem here. Depending on variant, the E-Transit can take up to 1,758 KG. It's available in 25 different versions, including van, double-cab-in-van and chassis cab body styles, with multiple lengths and roof heights, as well as GVMs from 3.5 to 4.25 tonnes. Load capacity is unaffected by the EV powertrain installation. And you get the same choice of body styles. That means three wheelbase lengths (L2, L3 and L4) and two roof heights (H2 and H3). Capacity varies between 10.7m3 and 15.1m3. As for running costs, well in addition to significant fuel cost savings, Ford estimates that service maintenance and repair costs will be up to 40% lower than equivalent diesel-powered models. The brand also reckons that the ETransit has the lowest such costs on the UK market versus direct competitors. The brand's 'Ford Pro' LCV network offers a class-leading, one year, unlimited mileage service interval and an eight year, 100,000-mile warranty for all high-voltage electric components, including cover for excessive degradation, as well as a one year electric vehicle roadside assistance package including rescue charging. The pan-European Ford Pro Service network is EV-ready with 1,500 EV Certified Dealers across Europe, and over 4,500 Authorised Repairers who all have service capability.
Even if you don't want to acquire a Ford E-Transit, you can hardly doubt this vehicle's significance. Imagine how much stuff is delivered to your work or your home in a big Transit each year. And imagine what the environmental impact will be of an increasing number of such vehicles being of the full-battery kind. This isn't just a significant step for Ford; it's a significant step for our transport system. Rather than simply throwing an EV powertrain at an existing combustion model to get a product quickly to market (as most of its competitors have done), Ford has taken its time and done the job properly. This 2-tonne Transit design might be familiar, but in some ways, this Electric version offers a deeper dynamic redesign than is the case with the separate mid-sized E-Transit Custom model, which Ford developed with Volkswagen. Future Ford vans will all be rebadged Volkswagens, but this one isn't. And maybe, just maybe, it's better that way.
In case you missed anything.
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